Lake Vyrnwy (Llyn Efyrnwy in Welsh) is a Victorian reservoir in North Wales built in the 1880s by the Corporation of Liverpool to provide fresh water for the city, over 70 miles away. It was built by flooding the Vyrnwy valley and village of Llanwddyn in Montgomeryshire, the village having been relocated. Completed in 1889, it was the first large stone-built dam in Britain. Earlier dams had just been created by making earth embankments. The reservoir's straining tower is a renowned Gothic pointed tower over 48m (160ft) high, with an arched bridge running to the shore.
The lake was stocked in 1889 with 400,000 Loch Leven trout and the reservoir is known for fishing as well as its scenic beauty. The RSPB and Severn Trent Water jointly maintain a nature reserve around the reservoir, where several species of bird breed.
External links
