Restored monument returned to Nidderdale

A stone monument depicting Angram reservoir has been restored and unveiled at Nidderdale Museum.

Angram reservoir was one of three built in Nidderdale between 1896 and 1936 by Bradford Corporation Waterworks Department, who also built a railway to transport people and equipment from Pateley Bridge to the three reservoirs – Gouthwaite, Angram and Scar House.

Stonemason Robert Drummond, who was part of a team of stonemasons employed to build the reservoir, created the monument of Angram, which weighs over a ton, during his spare time, working with his son Duncan.  It was finished in 1913, and the Reservoir was opened in 1919.

The stonework originally stood outside the Bradford Corporation Waterworks Office, moving several times before resting in the private garden of one of Robert’s descendants.

In 2021, the monument was offered as a donation to the Museum by members of the family, and it was accepted. Stonemasons HA Green & Son from Ripon dismantled it and transported it to their workshop, where the monument underwent a restoration, sponsored by Yorkshire Water’s Beyond Nature Initiative.

On Friday (28 July 2023), the monument was unveiled at its new home, outside Nidderdale Museum in Pateley Bridge as a permanent reminder of the history of the dams in Nidderdale. Volunteers also worked on an information board to sit next to the monument, which was also unveiled on Friday.

Sue Welch, Chairman of Nidderdale Museum Society said: “We are delighted that Yorkshire Water agreed that the monument should come back to Nidderdale and be displayed so that everyone can learn more about the reservoirs and its history. We are also grateful they have supported its installation outside the Museum, through their Beyond Nature programme.

Lisa Harrowsmith, land and property lead surveyor for Yorkshire Water said: “It’s been fantastic to get involved with this project and return part of Nidderdale’s history back where it belongs. It was wonderful to see how well the monument has been restored and we hope that as people go to visit the museum, they can admire how great this piece of work is.”