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Unlike Frankley reservoir that holds drinking water from the Elan Valley, Edgbaston reservoir is used to top-up the Birmingham canal system which needs a constant supply of water so that it doesn’t dry out. Built in 1827 by Thomas Telford, it is part of the same system that built shortcuts between Ouzells Street Loop, Icknield Port Loot and Soho Loop.
Visible from the reservoir, the Edgebaston Waterworks Tower, and Perrott’s Folly are said to have inspired the Two Towers of Tolkein’s second volume in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Perrot’s Folly was built in 1758 for John Perrott, probably as a status symbol and to view his newly-purchased estate. His grandfather Humphrey had bought Rotton Park from Sir Edward Marrow, the lord of the manor of Birmingham, in 1628. At that time Rotton Park included much of Ladywood and Birmingham Heath. Despite speculation about the reasons behind building the tower, it’s most likely that Perrot also saw the tower as a place where he could entertain friends in remarkable surroundings and observe the countryside.
The blurred image shows the water level of the reservoir during a period of extreme drought. Probably dating from the 1976 drought, you can see the whole of the retaining wall that is usually many metres under water.