Home to remarkable Victorian engineering
Catcleugh Reservoir was constructed between 1884 and 1905 for the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. The reservoir forms part of a series of reservoirs along the A68 which are connected by tunnels and aqueducts from Catcleugh Reservoir to Whittle Dene from where drinking water is supplied to Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, and some surrounding areas.
The reservoirs that form the chain are, from northwest to southeast: Catcleugh Reservoir, Colt Crag Reservoir, Little Swinburne Reservoir, Hallington Reservoirs, and Whittle Dene. The reservoir is fed by the River Rede.
Although the site is privately owned, throughout the summer months we organised guided tours of the site. You are able to visit the last remaining dwelling on the site that has been restored to its original condition and contains many artefacts of the period. You are also able to visit the church and school which were paramount to the lives of the workers of the Newcastle & Gateshead Water Company and their families. Then, take a short, pleasant stroll through the woodland past the spillway to the Dam to view the reservoir passing some remarkable Victorian engineering on the way. Visit our What’s On Guide to find more information.
The site is also close to Whitelee Moor National Nature Reserve; one of Britain’s most important upland nature reserves. Here you be lucky enough to see buzzards, ospreys and herons. Mammals that live here include otters, red squirrels, badgers, roe deer and bats.
