# Victorian underground reservoir - Leicester



## UrbanX (Dec 8, 2011)

So I was browsing LeicesterVillages.co.uk looking for some lovely explorable architecture, when I read: 
“6 former filter beds, water tank with gazebo and steps of 1896 by Hawkesley of London. Granite rubble stone, dressed stone, blue brick and lead. Series of 6 polygonal filter beds, symmetrically placed about an hexagonal covered, partly sunken, draw-off tank with elaborate balustrade and central gazebo in Renaissance style. From pumping house forecourt, a short flight of stone steps with side parapets, leads down north-eastwards to area laid out like a grand formal garden.”







“2 flights of stone steps with similar balustrades lead up to a bitumen covered top of tank. Principal piers have carved Renaissance obelisks on top. In centre of tank, an octagonal open stone gazebo on stone plinth with 8 Doric Roman columns supporting arches, entablature and lead dome with carved stone lantern on top. Gazebo covers central air vent.”






It was those last magical four words which caught my eye: “Covers central air vent”. The tank was underground, and Victorian - I had to get down there. 

So I jumped in my car, picked up a Priority 7, Alex76, and James from Kettering; and a few hours later we rocked up at said gazebo. 











The tank is stunning. Built entirely from Leicester blue bricks, the Victorians certainly knew what they were doing when it comes to cool underground vaults. 













































Jus‘ chillin‘ 



















The main building (pump house) does deserve a mention. The building is part of a complex of structures at the site, completed in 1896 to the designs of architects J B Everard and Pick. Incidentally they are still in practice today, and I even had an interview with them a few years ago! The pump machinery was made by Easton, Anderson and Coolden Limited, Engineers, of London and Erith, and is dated 1895. This is it in 1896 weeks after it was finished:






Here it is now, still beautiful: 





Cheeky Selfie to finish! 





Additional thanks to MD for the info. Thanks for looking.


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## wirelessmast (Dec 8, 2011)

What fantastic brickwork. The Victorians certainly knew how to celebrate their achievments!


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## alex76 (Dec 8, 2011)

Opps…. that looks like my tripod in the first couple. Was that me getting in the way of the shots? Sorry dude.. haha
Crackin shots as always though urbanx


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## krela (Dec 8, 2011)

Lovely lighting in some of them.


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## nelly (Dec 8, 2011)

Cracking stuff as usual UX, king of the light painters


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## King Al (Dec 8, 2011)

I do love a bit of Victorian architecture in the evening, great as always UX


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## highcannons (Dec 8, 2011)

That is stunning, great history too.Cheers


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## night crawler (Dec 9, 2011)

Brilliant report that I love the place, it should be opend up for peole to visit. The photo's show the colours of the bricks so well and the arched celings give the place so much atmosphere.


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## UrbanX (Dec 9, 2011)

Cheers guys, forgot to mention the acoustics were lush too!
I'm sure you can all appreciate the feeling of climbing down a manhole and finding yourself stood alone in the middle of here: proper "Goonies" moment!


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## Priority 7 (Dec 9, 2011)

About time you got these up Urban mate...lovely shots as always


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## UrbanX (Dec 9, 2011)

Priority 7 said:


> About time you got these up Urban mate...lovely shots as always



This is still only my first report from that day, I'm being well slow!

I have done a video tho... Hope this works, am just doing this n smart phone...

It's the last site on Dereliction Addiction 6 here:

http://www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/urban-exploration-videos


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## Foxylady (Dec 9, 2011)

Great to see this again...it really is special. Love the blue bricks. Great colour pics.


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## Priority 7 (Dec 9, 2011)

UrbanX said:


> It's the last site on Dereliction Addiction 6 here:
> 
> http://www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/urban-exploration-videos



I love the way you have reversed the ladder footage, as I know I was first in and that aint me climbing the ladder lol..love the video though bud and the music


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## alex76 (Dec 9, 2011)

Mate that video is shit hot love it...


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## kevsy21 (Dec 9, 2011)

Cracking pics,always like the look of this place may pay it a visit one day.


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## UrbanX (Dec 9, 2011)

kevsy21 said:


> Cracking pics,always like the look of this place may pay it a visit one day.



That is a bit of a trek... But then again it's a 5hr10 round drive for me (see vid) and Were already planning a return visit!


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## glass (Dec 10, 2011)

This is fabulous, great photos!



UrbanX said:


> completed in 1896 to the designs of architects J B Everard and Pick. Incidentally they are still in practice today



That is impressive! People are complaining that they will have to work until 67 and here we have two architects who must be at least 140 years old an still working. Sorry could not resist.


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## jacob44 (Dec 17, 2011)

Amazing shots. But such a beautiful place.


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## UrbanX (Dec 17, 2011)

jacob44 said:


> Amazing shots. But such a beautiful place.



Cheers dude!


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## Lightbuoy (Dec 18, 2011)

Top dollar Sir!


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## Bluedragon (Dec 18, 2011)

as always stunning pics! i wish we had stuff like that up my neck of the woods!


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## TK421 (Dec 23, 2011)

Nice one fella, stunning pics. I turned up at this place a few Sundays ago but the reservoir was heaving with bird spotters so I didn't feel comfortable throwing a leg over the fence, however it did lead to an amusing confrontation with one of them:

Twitcher: 'Is that your car parked there?'
Me: 'Yep'
Twitcher: 'Well you can't park it there, you need to move it!'
Me: 'Why?'
Twitcher: 'Beacuse my mate parks there, he will be along soon'
Me: 'Are you a traffic warden or the police?'
Twitcher: 'No, why?'
Me: 'Do you see that in date tax disc mate?'
Twitcher: 'Yes'
Me: 'good lad, it means I can park where I want, so do one'


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## Foxylady (Dec 23, 2011)

TK421 said:


> ...however it did lead to an amusing confrontation with one of them...


 Sounds as though you strayed into a school playground by mistake!


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## UrbanX (Dec 24, 2011)

Our access was in full site of said twitchers and their binoculars, so we were just brazen! 
We did speak to one buxom twitcher on the way out, but she was quite flirty  
Thanks for all of the positive comments guys and gals!


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## Priority 7 (Dec 24, 2011)

TK421 said:


> Nice one fella, stunning pics. I turned up at this place a few Sundays ago but the reservoir was heaving with bird spotters so I didn't feel comfortable throwing a leg over the fence, however it did lead to an amusing confrontation with one of them:
> 
> Twitcher: 'Is that your car parked there?'
> Me: 'Yep'
> ...



Yea those damn twitchers we bumped into one, she didn't seem happy when I said the only wildlife I had seen on our trip was the arse end of a pheasant


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## highcannons (Dec 24, 2011)

TK421 said:


> Nice one fella, stunning pics. I turned up at this place a few Sundays ago but the reservoir was heaving with bird spotters so I didn't feel comfortable throwing a leg over the fence, however it did lead to an amusing confrontation with one of them:
> 
> Twitcher: 'Is that your car parked there?'
> Me: 'Yep'
> ...



I was once told by an indignant car driver,
"you can't park your motorbike there, it's taking the space of a whole car"!


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## jools (Dec 24, 2011)

,,,,,,,,,,.I had a 1275 Mini Cooper S and drove it like an idiot,,,,,,,,, after I hand-braked it round in an empty car park I was approached by a "local" and informed that if I had done it five minutes earlier there would have been a collision,,,,,,,,, as a van had been parked there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


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