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LAND USE
For many centuries sheep farming was the main occupation of people in the villages of the Langsett area. But changes came about at the end of the 19th century when the reservoirs were constructed.
Reservoirs
Langsett, Midhope and Underbank Reservoirs lie in the Langsett area, together with the water treatment works at Langsett. The reservoirs were constructed at the turn of the century, to supply water to Sheffield and Barnsley. Langsett Reservoir was built by damming the Little Don or Porter river. Work on the reservoir started in 1889 and it was finished in 1904. It was built by Sheffield Corporation Waterworks to supply water to Sheffield. A temporary village was built (consisting of corrugated iron shacks) for the construction workers. After the reservoirs were completed and the temporary village demolished, many of the local people of Langsett and Midhope were employed in the water industry.
 Construction work on Langsett reservoir |
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Depopulation
Farms in the water catchment area of the reservoirs were seen as a danger to the purity of the water. Before a chemical process of water treatment was developed, the water companies had to ensure that the water that drained into the reservoir was as pure as possible. After any sediment of the water had drifted to the bottom of the reservoir, the water had to be safe to drink.
Langsett Reservoir Details Area 50 hectares Catchment Area* 2,102 hectares Max Depth of Reservoir 29 metres Length of Embankment 346 metres Height of Embankment 35 metres Width of Embankment (base) 216 metres Width of Embankment (top) 11 metres * The surrounding land where the water is collected from to drain into the reservoir. |
In the Swinden area, (whose name Swine Dean meant the wooded area where pigs foraged for acorns) there were five farms which all fell into decay. Swinden Farm was the last to be abandoned and was lived in until the 1930s. Another deserted farm is North America Farm to the south of Langsett Reservoir. This name came from the habit of calling outlying farms after faraway parts of the world. During the Second World War, tanks used the farm for target practice.
Water Authorities
A Water Act was passed in 1973 and in 1974 Yorkshire Water Authority took over from Sheffield Waterworks. The Water Act of 1989 privatised the water industry and a private company, Yorkshire Water plc took over. A provision in the Act says that the Countryside Commission must be consulted before land owned by a water company in a National Park can be sold. This ensures that land of great natural beauty around reservoirs is protected.
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Langsett reservoir
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The Langsett Treatment Works was built to replace two old water treatment works at Langsett and Midhope. In the old works, the water passed through sand filter beds. This produced water which was safe to drink but did not meet modern standards (the water was a brown colour).
Space was available at Langsett in an old quarry workings and Yorkshire Water started work on the new treatment works in 1983. Water started to be supplied from the works in 1985. Water is supplied to the south-west side of Barnsley and to the north-west side of Sheffield. The new Langsett Treatment Works can produce 60,000 cubic metres of water per day to serve a population of over 200,000. The water now meets the latest EC standards.
Farming Today
Although many farms were deserted earlier in the century, much of the land in the area around Langsett is still used for sheep farming. The sheep are mainly Swaledale, which is a very hardy breed capable of spending most of its life on the moorland or on rough grazing land nearer to the farms.
The ewes have their lambs in April and may as the weather conditions would be too harsh for young lambs earlier in the year. In the summer, the sheep are brought down from the moors to be sheared in June, and then to be dipped to protect against sheep ticks and lice in June and again in September or October.
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