Eyebrook Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Eyebrook Reservoir is a reservoir
in the East Midlands
of England
. It straddles the border of Leicestershire
(to the west) and Rutland
(to the east). It is located about 6 km northwest of Corby
in Northamptonshire
. Nearby villages are Stoke Dry
, to the north, and Caldecott
, to the south and near the dam.
The reservoir was formed by the damming of the Eye Brook
.. It was built between 1937 and 1940 by Stewarts & Lloyds
to supply water to their Corby steel works, now part of Corus. During the Second World War it was used in May 1943 as a practice site for the Dambuster
raids; a plaque commemorates this.
The site is about 201 hectares and consists of 155.12 ha of open water and canals, 33.25 ha of neutral grassland and 12.93 ha of broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland . It has been a trout fishery since 1942 and is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. Eyebrook is an ideal place for bird watching.
The site, along with the nearby small wooded area of Eye Brook Valley Woods, is cared for by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It straddles the border of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
(to the west) and Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
(to the east). It is located about 6 km northwest of Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. Nearby villages are Stoke Dry
Stoke Dry
Stoke Dry is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, about three miles southwest of Uppingham.In 2007 it had a population of 39. With only 14 homes this is a quiet village with its mediaeval church dedicated to Saint Andrew...
, to the north, and Caldecott
Caldecott, Rutland
Caldecott is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about four miles south of Uppingham and is the most southerly village in Rutland....
, to the south and near the dam.
The reservoir was formed by the damming of the Eye Brook
Eye Brook
The Eye Brook is a river in the East Midlands of England, a tributary of the River Welland. It is around long.Rising near Tilton on the Hill or Skeffington in Leicestershire, it flows east. Near where it crosses the A47, it starts to form the county boundary between Leicestershire and Rutland, and...
.. It was built between 1937 and 1940 by Stewarts & Lloyds
Stewarts & Lloyds
Stewarts & Lloyds was a steel tube manufacturer with its headquarters based at Corby, Northamptonshire, England. The company was created in 1903 by the amalgamation of two of the largest iron and steel makers in Britain, A. & J. Stewart & Menzies Ltd, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland and...
to supply water to their Corby steel works, now part of Corus. During the Second World War it was used in May 1943 as a practice site for the Dambuster
Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis...
raids; a plaque commemorates this.
The site is about 201 hectares and consists of 155.12 ha of open water and canals, 33.25 ha of neutral grassland and 12.93 ha of broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland . It has been a trout fishery since 1942 and is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. Eyebrook is an ideal place for bird watching.
The site, along with the nearby small wooded area of Eye Brook Valley Woods, is cared for by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland, England. Founded in 1956, the trust now has 9,000 members helping care for over 30 nature reserves covering more than across the region...
.