In pictures: How Severn Trent built new ‘hidden treasure’ reservoir 60 years ago
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Yet the ‘Hidden Treasure’ is little known to people outside the local area, although it attracts nature-loving walkers and fishermen, while steam trains from the famous Severn Valley Railway pass by daily.
Joe Upsall has been team manager of the reservoir site and the connecting water treatment works for the last nine years. He has worked some 25 years at Severn Trent, which is commemorating its own 50th anniversary this year.
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Hide AdThe keen cyclist unveiled the wonderful nostalgia images showing crews of workers digging up what was then rural farmland, laying concrete foundations, building towers and installing huge pipework to carry the water - which is some 40ft deep in places today.


Joe said: “They are amazing pictures from the original construction which underline what an incredible feat of engineering creating Trimpley Reservoir was.
“The project involved so many people and took so much hard work, which you can see up close in all these brilliant pictures.“
During our visit Joe also took us UNDERNEATH the reservoir into the tunnels which lie beneath, a James Bond-esque labyrinth of pipes below the water.
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Hide AdTrimpley Reservoir is also home to its own sailing club, attracts fishermen to its banks and is a hotspot for avid birdwatches.
During autumn and spring, gulls, waders and terns visit the site during migration and kingfishers and grey herons have also been spotted. The surrounding Eymore Wood also shelters a variety of birdlife, including pheasants, cuckoos and woodpeckers.
Walking is also a great way to take in the beautiful scenic views, with several footpaths passing through, including the Severn Valley Walk and North Worcestershire Path.
Joe, 49, said: “It’s just a beautiful site, which makes it a wonderful place to work.
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Hide Ad“Yet many people, even some living locally, still don’t know it is here because of its rural location – making it a real Hidden Treasure.”
So if you are looking for a relaxing stroll by the water with the family, a bit of bird watching or even some fishing, then consider visiting Trimpley Reservoir - the stunning location that has been some 60 years in the making.
*To find out more visit our website at: www.stwater.co.uk and search for ‘Trimpley Reservoir’
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