In the scorching summer of 2018, the waters of Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District receded to reveal the remnants of Derwent, a village submerged since 1945. The reservoir was created by flooding the valley to supply water to growing cities in the English Midlands, despite local protests. The village, with its gritstone cottages, church, and schoolhouse, was completely inundated, leaving only a church spire occasionally visible during dry periods.
The Derwent Valley Water Board had previously built two smaller reservoirs, Howden and Upper Derwent, completed in 1912 and 1916 respectively. For these projects, a temporary village called Birchinlee, nicknamed “Tin Town” due to its corrugated metal buildings, housed hundreds of workers. Tin Town boasted a hospital, school, canteen, post office, and even a police station, but was dismantled after the reservoirs were finished.
As demand for water outstripped supply, the Water Board approved the construction of Ladybower Reservoir in 1935, which required flooding the villages of Derwent and Ashopton. Work was completed in 1943, and the valley was filled with water by 1945. The displaced residents were relocated, and the villages were lost beneath the reservoir.
Today, little remains of Birchinlee except stone foundations and information boards with historical photographs. One of the tin huts was reassembled in the nearby village of Hope, now serving as a hairdresser. The packhorse bridge from the valley was also moved stone by stone to Slippery Stones, where it still spans the river.
