Given the recent weather, I was quite taken aback to find Cod Beck Reservoir so low, although this is by no means unprecedented. I have a sneaking suspicion that Yorkshire Water has intentionally carried out a water release, perhaps as part of a scour test or some other enigmatic plan. I’ll resist from drawing any parallels with the act of flushing a lavatory.
The company announced last month that their reservoir levels are presently higher than at this time last year, but still marginally below their usual level. Last year, as you may recall, was a parched affair with an exceptionally dry spring and summer.1‘Yorkshire Water – Is There a Hosepipe Ban?’ 2024. Yorkshirewater.com (Yorkshire Water) <https://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water/is-there-a-hosepipe-ban/> [accessed 9 September 2024]
Work on the 115 million gallon reservoir commenced in 1949 under the auspices of the Northallerton and District Water Board, celebrated with a “Turning the First Sod” ceremony of considerable pomp. I have previously shared some vintage photographs of the construction. The reservoir was formally inaugurated in 1953 with yet another ceremonious affair.2‘Inauguration of the Cod Beck Reservoir and Works’. Northallerton and District Water Board. 12th December 1953.
Cod Beck’s waters have historically powered the various millwheels of Osmotherley. In the 1800s, the Cote Ghyll Hostel operated as a flax mill, producing linen for sailcloth and, intriguingly, the wings of early aircraft. Further downstream, there was a fulling mill.
The quaint stone cottages that embellish Osmotherley today were erected for the mill workers, who, to keep their feet dry while bleaching cloth, donned clogs with soles carved from alder wood—a charming, if somewhat rustic, solution to industrial footwear.3Rhea, Nicholas. 2014. ‘Speculation over Unusual Village Name’, Darlington and Stockton Times (Darlington and Stockton Times) <https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/11079041.speculation-over-unusual-village-name/> [accessed 9 September 2024]
Lastly, let me dispel any fishy misunderstanding surrounding the name “Cod Beck.” It bears no relation to the marine creature. Scholars of local trivia assert that it either derives from the Celtic word “coed,” meaning woodland, as in Betws-y-Coed, or from the local dialect word “cawd,” meaning cold.
Cod Beck has a rich history, from its role in local industry through to its damming into the reservoir that is now such a visitor honeypot. Despite water management decisions, the reservoir will continue to have an enduring importance to the community.
- 1‘Yorkshire Water – Is There a Hosepipe Ban?’ 2024. Yorkshirewater.com (Yorkshire Water) <https://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water/is-there-a-hosepipe-ban/> [accessed 9 September 2024]
- 2‘Inauguration of the Cod Beck Reservoir and Works’. Northallerton and District Water Board. 12th December 1953.
- 3Rhea, Nicholas. 2014. ‘Speculation over Unusual Village Name’, Darlington and Stockton Times (Darlington and Stockton Times) <https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/11079041.speculation-over-unusual-village-name/> [accessed 9 September 2024]
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