More speeches from the opening ceremony.Surveyors and engineers
first visted Dalehead for the suitabilty for a reservoir back in 1910.By 1912
The Flyde Water Board decided to go ahead.The sad thing was though no one
was to tell the ordinary folk of Dalehead what was to become of them.Most
of the farmers were tenants.The Water Board delt directly with the serveral
land owners.One story that was going around the Dalehead community was that
an army camp was going to be established there.It was a long time before the
local people discovered that they were going to flooded out and made homeless.In
1912 the Water Board made a compulsory purchase of the land in the proposed
water catchment area.The Board purchased 9,750 acres at a cost of £150,000.By
1916 over 30 farms had been purchased by the Board.They also bought the Travellers
Rest from John Swale.The pub was used to accommodate all the visiting officials
and engineers.By 1919 the whole village of Dalehead had been bought.
