Golden Acre Park

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 10:42 pm

We visited GAP today and made the most of the brilliant sunshine.Shocked to note that the bridge is still out some two months after the collapse, with no sign at all of any work being carried out...

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 1:05 am

Hi raveydavey. I was in GAP on Friday the 19th October and was also surprised that the damaged bridge has not been repaired. This photo taken that day shows vertical slots that I assume at one time may have held some form of barrier to control the outflow when the water from the lake ran out there (as marked as doing so on an at least 1908 map in the Old-Maps UK website). The two slots though are on different positions, so there may have been two controls (or whatever!). I shall post a view from a different angle in my next post here.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 1:10 am

This photo is the view from a different angle. I wonder if anything of the presumed corresponding control slots on the left are now buried in this view? The straight edged stone in the ground might also be something related.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 8:38 pm

Nice spot Leodian - I'd missed that all together!It can just be seen in my pic here (sorry it's a bit dark...):I think you're right - the stone on the ground opposite looks to have formed the other half of whatever sluice mechanism was fitted there, now apparently removed.Other than the amusement park stuff, there is precious little about the history of GAP online (that I can find anyway). It would be interesting to know when works were carried out to give the dam its current configuration, as clearly this channel was an overflow at some point.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 8:55 pm

At the far end of Adel Dam reserve (next to the Roman Villa/dig) there's some lovely stonework and sluice 'slots' in the stones - that would have been the final straight towards the Mill.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Tue 23 Oct, 2012 9:28 pm

Walking on the diversion path on October 19 2012 I noticed the drain seen in this photo that I took. The photo is a bit deceptive in that the drain is just a little bit damp inside as there was no obvious water coming out, as all the water in the photo was from a strong outflow near the Adel Dam Nature Reserve entry/exit. On looking in the Old-Maps UK website I found that in a 1934 map the position of the drain is marked as a 'sluice' but it was not so marked in a 1921 and earlier maps. The definition of a sluice seems to vary and could include a drain, but to me it implies a space down which water flows from such as a lake. I wonder if anyone knows what this drain is/was suppossed to drain water away from? Does anyone know if there was a sluice of the type I think of there (a 1964 map still marks it as a 'sluice')? I shall post a close-up of the drain in my next post and then part of the area in some of the maps.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Tue 23 Oct, 2012 9:30 pm

This is the close-up of the large drain that seems only to be just a little damp inside despite the general area being wet and a very strong outflow from the lake.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Tue 23 Oct, 2012 9:34 pm

This map section is from an 1893 1:2,500 map in the Old-Maps UK website. It marks an 'Old Weir' with its run-off channel clearly shown at where the recent collpase was, but does not mark a 'sluice'.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Tue 23 Oct, 2012 9:40 pm

This is a section from a 1934 1:2,500 map in the Old-Maps UK website. It marks a 'sluice' where the drain is but the map was only partial and did not cover where the collapse is.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Tue 23 Oct, 2012 9:41 pm

Given that the "lake" is actually a dam, I'm surprised at the outflow / overflow facilities are so limited.Perhaps the "dry" channel under the collapsed bridge would come into use following a massive deluge, but the main beck that runs from the lake looks to have limited capacity and cuts right back along the dam front in a narrow channel.Presumably the "sluice" you've pictured is opened at such times to discharge water from the dam, although the capacity of the pipe also seems limited by comparison with the waterways entering the lake.