A whole village which lurked beneath Thruscross Reservoir in the Nidderdale region of Yorkshire is beginning to be revealed as water levels continue to drop during the heatwave that is occurring across the country.
Once known as West End, the village was formerly home to around six houses right before it became submerged, with locals describing it as a ‘ghost town’ even way back in the early 1900s.
It was sacrificed to provide West Yorkshire with water back in 1966 when Thurscross Reservoir was completed. Yorkshire Water took over the site and now manages it for walkers and wildlife.
The utility company which owns the site urged people to go onto the areas usually submerged
They said: “Water from it feeds into Fewston, Swinsty and down to Eccup. So, in a prolonged dry spell such as we’re having at the moment, and when it’s not being topped up by rainfall in the area, it’s not a surprise levels have dropped.”
“People should not be entering our reservoirs to swim, or onto parts that are usually submerged.
“They are functioning reservoirs and do pose a risk to people entering them, including cold water shock, undercurrents, unseen objects and machinery working under the water.”
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Chris Heaton – geograph.org.uk/p/738739
Now, all that’s left is the crumbling rocks that once made up the village’s buildings – with more and more revealed when the reservoir’s water levels lower.
What looks like unassuming piles of rubble sitting by the waterside tells the story of many lives before our own, including flax mill workers, mothers and children.
It’s not the first time that the village has been revealed due to drought, back in 1995. A member of The Secret Leeds forum videoed the Thruscross Reservoir in the drought of 1995 when a lot of the old West End village was seen again after being underwater for years.
Watch the video of the submerged village revealed bac kin 1995 below:
Read More: 4 Mysterious Yorkshire Villages That Now Lurk Underwater
Feature Image Credit: Flooded Pennine Valley/Tom Blackwell/flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
