Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales

How did reservoirs alter the countryside and city life? The answer is a riveting story of water and identity in modern Britain. The building of reservoirs in England and Wales was key to urban growth across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, with the management of waterworks projects...

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Kaituhi matua: McTominey, Andrew
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I whakaputaina: University of London Press 2025
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author McTominey, Andrew
author_browse McTominey, Andrew
author_facet McTominey, Andrew
author_sort McTominey, Andrew
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description How did reservoirs alter the countryside and city life? The answer is a riveting story of water and identity in modern Britain. The building of reservoirs in England and Wales was key to urban growth across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, with the management of waterworks projects closely tied to the social and economic fortunes of rural areas, as well as the treatment of urban populations. Drawing on methods from environmental history, cultural history and historical geography, this book explores the multiple and long-term impacts of reservoir construction and management in rural England and Wales from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. It examines how reservoirs transformed the rural environment, the management of the urban-rural hinterland, the development of cultural landscapes, the expansion of novel leisure activities, and the social impact on local communities. Incorporating case studies from Leeds’s Washburn Valley, Liverpool’s Vyrnwy Reservoir and Birmingham’s Elan Reservoir, amongst others, the book’s comparative approach highlights commonalities and differences in waterworks management across the country, thereby transforming our understanding of the national water industry during this period, contemporary attitudes to the environment, and the identities – civic, gender and professional – that were intertwined with these waterscapes.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1700762025-12-11T05:16:50Z Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales McTominey, Andrew waterworks reservoirs water industry water management rural urban landscapes environment England Wales culture leisure nineteenth century twentieth century historical geography thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTP Historical geography thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day::3MP 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999 How did reservoirs alter the countryside and city life? The answer is a riveting story of water and identity in modern Britain. The building of reservoirs in England and Wales was key to urban growth across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, with the management of waterworks projects closely tied to the social and economic fortunes of rural areas, as well as the treatment of urban populations. Drawing on methods from environmental history, cultural history and historical geography, this book explores the multiple and long-term impacts of reservoir construction and management in rural England and Wales from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. It examines how reservoirs transformed the rural environment, the management of the urban-rural hinterland, the development of cultural landscapes, the expansion of novel leisure activities, and the social impact on local communities. Incorporating case studies from Leeds’s Washburn Valley, Liverpool’s Vyrnwy Reservoir and Birmingham’s Elan Reservoir, amongst others, the book’s comparative approach highlights commonalities and differences in waterworks management across the country, thereby transforming our understanding of the national water industry during this period, contemporary attitudes to the environment, and the identities – civic, gender and professional – that were intertwined with these waterscapes. 2025-12-11T05:16:49Z 2025-12-11T05:16:49Z 2025-12-10T14:32:03Z 2025 book ONIX_20251210T153032_9781915249142_5 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/109066 9781915249142 9781915249111 9781915249104 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170076 eng New Historical Perspectives open access image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/109066/1/9781915249142.pdf University of London Press University of London Press 10.63674/cxiv5434 10.63674/cxiv5434 3fae60e1-9f6a-42ab-a7ee-73df8c57b4f2 9781915249142 9781915249111 9781915249104 University of London Press London open access
spellingShingle waterworks
reservoirs
water industry
water management
rural
urban
landscapes
environment
England
Wales
culture
leisure
nineteenth century
twentieth century
historical geography
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTP Historical geography
thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain
thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day::3MP 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999
McTominey, Andrew
Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales
title Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales
title_full Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales
title_fullStr Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales
title_full_unstemmed Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales
title_short Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales
title_sort waterscapes reservoirs environment and identity in modern england and wales
topic waterworks
reservoirs
water industry
water management
rural
urban
landscapes
environment
England
Wales
culture
leisure
nineteenth century
twentieth century
historical geography
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTP Historical geography
thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain
thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day::3MP 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999
topic_facet waterworks
reservoirs
water industry
water management
rural
urban
landscapes
environment
England
Wales
culture
leisure
nineteenth century
twentieth century
historical geography
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTP Historical geography
thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain
thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day::3MP 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999
url ONIX_20251210T153032_9781915249142_5
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