Bessborough Reservoir

Bessborough Reservoir
Input station for Bessborough and Knight Reservoirs
Location	Surrey
Coordinates	51°24′5.9″N 0°23′10.1″W / 51.401639°N 0.386139°WCoordinates: 51°24′5.9″N 0°23′10.1″W / 51.401639°N 0.386139°W
Type	reservoir
Basin countries	United Kingdom
Water volume	5.45 Gl (1.20×10^9 imp gal)

The Bessborough Reservoir is an embanked reservoir south of the River Thames in Surrey near the Knight Reservoir and the Molesey Reservoirs. The A3050 runs to the north of the reservoir and the neighbouring town is Molesey to the east. It forms part the green buffer between Molesey and Walton on Thames. The reservoir is the borough of Elmbridge.

The Bessborough and Knight Reservoirs were built by the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company, whose works were across the river at Hampton. Work began in 1898 replacing an old mansion and its farmed or landscaped estate, a manor, named Apps Court, and the reservoirs opened in 1907. They have a combined area of 125.5 acres (0.508 km²) and hold 1,198 million imperial gallons (5,450,000 m³).

History

Apps Court

The last noble owner was John, Duke of Montagu, from 1709 until 1749 who died without surviving male issue in that year.

Either the son or the grandson of late 18th century landowner, Jeremiah Hodges, Colonel Hodges sold the manor in 1802 to Edmund Hill who finally bequeathed it on his death to John Hamborough, after whose death it was sold by the trustees of his estate to Richard Sharpe. Robert Gill bought it before 1867 and his widow took it after his death.

It was sold in 1898–9 to the Southwark and Vauxhall Water Company, who pulled down the house, and "excavated [what is described in the Victoria County History of 1912 as] the whole estate for a reservoir". A barrel of ale, and a quarter of corn made into bread, were still in the 19th century distributed annually to the poor by the owners of the property on All Souls' Day in respect of their customary tenure. The water company tried to evade the tenure, but on petition of the tenant farmers, the Charity Commissioners sanctioned a scheme in 1903, by which the interest of £200 equivalent to £19,369 in 2015 paid by the Water Board was vested in trustees for the use of the poor of Walton and Molesey.^[1]

Present use of the Apps Court Estate

The reservoirs have a combined area of 125.5 acres (0.508 km²) and hold 1,198 million imperial gallons (5,450,000 m³).^[2] The site is managed and operated by Thames Water.

Much of the farm of the estate remains by the road running parallel to and closest to the River Thames,^[3] and is used as a car boot sale location,^[4] the owners host the August fireworks event that coincides with Sunbury regatta.^[4]

The two reservoirs are a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

See also

• London water supply infrastructure

References

1. H.E. Malden (editor) (1911). "Parishes: Walton on Thames". A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
2. A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the Borough of Elmbridge
3. Grid square map Ordnance survey website
4. "Car Boot events" website Archived October 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Apps Court Farm