Victorian Reservoir

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Inside the Victorian reservoir which once held two million gallons of water and supplied an entire city in the world

Toxteth Reservoir in High Park Street, Liverpool, will open its cavernous vaults on Friday as part of Liverpool Heritage Open Month. The vast underground reservoir held around 2million gallons when it was in operation, pumping water into thousands of homes. Thomas Duncan, the city's water engineer in the 1850s, designed the reservoir amid increasing concerns about public health. Building was completed in 1853 and it continued to pump water for over a century. But cracks began to appear in the piping and the reservoir was decommissioned in 1997. Water in the area is now pumped in from Lake Vyrnwy in North Wales and the River Dee.