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Hartley Reservoir itself was constructed between 1859-1862.
The reservoir area is about one and a third acres, with a depth of about 5
metres.
It has a capacity of approximately 7 million gallons (about 30.4 million
litres) of water.
The excavated soil was deposited on the adjacement field, which has now
become the mound in the park.
An early view of the uncovered reservoir, looking North West.
Whilst it looked pretty, there was no real knowledge of what lay beneath!
In a cleaning out operation conducted in January 1976, all manner of
rubbish was found, including a crashed car.
Finally, work to drain the reservoir started in February 1981 and the
capping was completed in March 1982.
A concrete roof, supported by 165 concrete pillars, was installed and
grassed over for the use of outdoor leisure pursuits.
A fuller history of the provision of water to Plymouth in general and
Hartley Reservoir, Park and area in particular
written by Vina Shaddick of "The Friends of Hartley Park", has been placed
on the web:
The
history of Hartley reservoir
A news article from the Plymouth Herald dated 12 July 2021:
Lost treasure from Plymouth's history discovered
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