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Water : Birmingham's water supply

After a quick look I think these ones are missing so I will repost here.
 

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Morturn said:
Well Stitcher, stunning photos, thank you for posting them.
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Hello Morturn, I remember a school day trip to Riyadh when I was a child, it did not mean much to me in those days. when I was what was called Tramping with a lorry, that meant finding my own return loads after journeys away from Birmingham I would do some of the journey away from the A roads (no motorways in those days) and one trip took me through Rhayader and ever since then I have been hooked on the scenery and landscapes of that area.
 
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Stitcher you, unintentionally, brought a smile to my face when I noticed Birmingham's water came from a desert country, Saudi Arabia.
I know you meant Rhayader ;) It is what is known as lapsis memoriae.
 
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Radiorails said:
Stitcher you, unintentionally, brought a smile to my face when I noticed Birmingham's water came from the a desert country, Saudi Arabia.
I know you meant Rhayader ;) It is what is known as lapsis memoriae.
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Hello Radiorails, I don't know what you mean. ha ha
 
Hi, I’m Stephanie and new to this group. I am also lucky enough to be the Elan Links Cultural Heritage Officer in the Elan Valley near Rhayader.

Elan Links is a 5 year project which has funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership Scheme to “safeguard the unique and varied heritage of Elan while significantly enhancing outcomes for people, communities and heritage for the long term.” The project covers natural heritage, interpretation and access as well as social and cultural heritage.

My role is to protect, record and celebrate Elan Valley’s cultural heritage through collecting people’s memories and stories and recording distinct cultural customs, contemporary life and activity. Obviously there is a strong cultural connection with Birmingham and one of our projects is to rekindle and reaffirm our relationship with Birmingham through Sharing History days and other events and exhibitions.

We came up to Page Park last year with a small stand to talk to people about the Elan Valley area and I was lucky enough to meet a lady who had been on a school visit to the Elan Valley and lo and behold a couple of weeks later she sent me a copy of the homework she had done relating to that visit - in 1964!!

Mrs Margaret Price also contacted me with photographs of and information about her grandfather Alderman Milner who came on an official visit to the dams with other members of Birmingham City Council in October 1952 (see attached).

I have obviously seen the thread on this site Elan Valley and its pipeline into Birmingham, and other references which I hope to follow up but, in the meantime, I would love to hear from you if you have visited here or if you have any information on the Birmingham side of Elan Valley's story so please do get in touch -

Please note that we do not share peoples email address on this site, if you wish to contact another member please use the instant message facility, top right near the search box...
Thank you
 
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Welcome Stephanie. Thanks for telling us about the project. Hopefully members will offer feedback of their visits.

I’d like to add that the importance of the Elan Valley in bringing a clean water supply to Birmingham was certainly reinforced at my Birmingham junior school in the 1960s as we built an enormous papier-mâché model of it. It dominated the classroom for months. Unfortunately we didn’t visit the site but had many lessons about it. Maybe it was recommended as part of the junior curriculum at one time as you also mention a lady sending you her Elan Valley homework.

Good to hear of the 5 year project and good luck to all involved. Viv.
 
Wales' crucial role in Dambusters raid


Elan Valley

Tests were carried out in the Elan Valley

It is the 60th anniversary of the dambusters mission, one of the most daring raids during World War II, which owed its success to trials in one of Wales' most picturesque areas.
Warplane designer Barnes Wallis developed the bouncing bomb which destroyed and damaged some of Germany's main dams after using the Nant-Y-Gro dam in the Elan Valley, near Rhayader in Powys for initial trials.
The 35-feet high dam was used for the secret experiments by government officials who needed a testing site for the bombs.
 
A friend of mine, incidentally named Guy, is named after Guy Gibson who was a relation of his - although he never knew him as Guy G was killed in 1944 a few years before my friend was born. However, my friends mother continued the name in the family.
 
The Dambusters (617 Sqn RAF) trained on three reservoirs apparently. Eyebrook in Rutland, Abberton near Colchester and Derwent. They also used Chesil Beach.
It was the delivery of the bomb (Upkeep) that was tested at Elan and a disused dam at Nant y Gro.
 
CultHeritage@ElanValley said:
Hi, I’m Stephanie and new to this group. I am also lucky enough to be the Elan Links Cultural Heritage Officer in the Elan Valley near Rhayader.

Elan Links is a 5 year project which has funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership Scheme to “safeguard the unique and varied heritage of Elan while significantly enhancing outcomes for people, communities and heritage for the long term.” The project covers natural heritage, interpretation and access as well as social and cultural heritage.

My role is to protect, record and celebrate Elan Valley’s cultural heritage through collecting people’s memories and stories and recording distinct cultural customs, contemporary life and activity. Obviously there is a strong cultural connection with Birmingham and one of our projects is to rekindle and reaffirm our relationship with Birmingham through Sharing History days and other events and exhibitions.

We came up to Page Park last year with a small stand to talk to people about the Elan Valley area and I was lucky enough to meet a lady who had been on a school visit to the Elan Valley and lo and behold a couple of weeks later she sent me a copy of the homework she had done relating to that visit - in 1964!!

Mrs Margaret Price also contacted me with photographs of and information about her grandfather Alderman Milner who came on an official visit to the dams with other members of Birmingham City Council in October 1952 (see attached).

I have obviously seen the thread on this site Elan Valley and its pipeline into Birmingham, and other references which I hope to follow up but, in the meantime, I would love to hear from you if you have visited here or if you have any information on the Birmingham side of Elan Valley's story so please do get in touch -

Thank you
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The email address quoted does not seem to be valid.
 
Hi all,We live down by Herne Bay and were under the impression that Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bombs in the sea at a place called Reculver.They even have it on film the testing of the bombs in Kent
 
Edifi said:
Hi all,We live down by Herne Bay and were under the impression that Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bombs in the sea at a place called Reculver.They even have it on film the testing of the bombs in Kent
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Barnes Wallis - Bouncing Bomb Tests, Dambusters
they use lots of places for the tests
 
Edifi said:
Hi all,We live down by Herne Bay and were under the impression that Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bombs in the sea at a place called Reculver.They even have it on film the testing of the bombs in Kent
Click to expand...
they used lots of locations for the tests.
 
Edifi said:
Hi all,We live down by Herne Bay and were under the impression that Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bombs in the sea at a place called Reculver.They even have it on film the testing of the bombs in Kent
Click to expand...
Yes Reculver was one of the places, like Chesil, that had a good dropping zone beach. Other places mentioned were for testing the performance of the explosive to enable fracture of the dams. All the target dams in Germany had differing characteristics.
 
Re post 1 - not sure what address was posted as it has been deleted :( but the correct one is (assuming i have the correct stephanie from the Elan web site)
 
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jukebox said:
Re post 1 - not sure what address was posted as it has been deleted :( but the correct one is (assuming i have the correct stephanie from the Elan web site)
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Yes Thanks, that is the right email address. It is available on a few sites, obviously to promote the Elan Valley.

Pete (mwOnjm) on the Thread "Elan Valley and its Pipeline to Bm" highlights the link to the BBC article in 2006...

Elan Valley and its Pipeline into Birmingham.

Great video Morturn
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk

On the site it is said, “The valley's residents, whose homes were flooded to make way for the water, were not paid compensation.” Its not clear whether this is the view of the BBC or the Elan Valley representative,
 
Pedrocut said:
On the site it is said, “The valley's residents, whose homes were flooded to make way for the water, were not paid compensation.” Its not clear whether this is the view of the BBC or the Elan Valley representative,
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This is a subject that has perplexed me too and would like to find out more. I understand that the land owners were paid compensation, but they chose then not to pay any of it to the resident farmers.

Looking at the place now, I do wonder about the sustainability of the farms, and if these were subsistence farming? Most certainly other farm locations high in the hills were being abandoned as other opportunities arose, for example Blaenhafren farm on the Severn was abandoned in the late 1940’s.

This was a massive construction project, at the time the largest in Europe, I do wonder if work or employment was made available to the farmers. I understand that working conditions and wages on the dams was quite good for the time.

It is certainly a research project worth doing.
 
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