History:
Finsbury Park Reservoir, also known as "Hornsey Wood" reservoir as originally named, was constructed in the 1860s by the East London Water Works Company.
Designed to hold 5 million gallons of water, it goes without saying that the excavation process for this structure was no easy feat, interestingly however, all remaining spoil was subsequently used to build up other areas of the park.
Since its closure in the late 21st century, the reservoir has intermittently been utilised as a film location, featuring in James Bond / Skyfall, Paddington and Sherlock Holmes.
With its architecturally intriguing design, it certainly wins first place for me where London's reservoirs are concerned.
First visit:
I've got to hand it to @professor frink for alerting me that this place was open, and @Adders for pointing out where to look (top chaps!) especially as it was at the higher end of my bucket list, safe to say, I wasted no time organising a trip to the park the very same day.
After having scoped out the entrance after work to confirm its status...a few phone calls were made.
Fast forward to the evening, myself, @James Cross and @Aaron89 were destined for Finsbury (thank god it was a Friday!).
Upon our arrival it was twilight, so decided to hold off momentarily, although as soon as the going looked good, we didn't hesitate in bundling ourselves down there...
Admittedly, and like others have said historically, the photos never really do it justice, I'd also argue that appreciating the sheer scale of the place would require a visit yourself.
Second visit:
For those who know, this is what many would consider one of London's "epics" for want of a better word. So expectedly, news soon started spreading of its accessibility at the time.
Over the weekend post my first visit, I'd been in Wiltshire with a few of the locals whose interest was piqued by a handful of phone shots I'd taken, and before I knew it, yet another group chat had been created for a mid-week visit!
@Bertie Bollockbrains would lead the way this time, and had organised a trip to London for the Wednesday that week. This time around I also had the pleasure of being accompanied by
@professor frink and his son, @Boatiegirl, @obscureserenity and @Aaron89 once again.
Still in my work uniform, without wellies or a decent torch, I headed for Finsbury for a second time to link up with everyone (feeling somewhat bait may I add, LOL).
However, the same way I'd used on the Friday before the weekend appeared to be tightened up...fortunately for us, @Aaron89 had some intuition, and a plan was soon devised.
Fast forward an hour, and after a bit of faff, his plan saw us win...(lifesaver!)
It's got to be said though, that the Victorians certainly knew how to build to impress. The minimalist, industrial designs of many contemporary structures now are nothing to look at in comparison that's for sure...
All in all, not bad going for a Wednesday night in North London I must admit...
~ Until next time ~
Finsbury Park Reservoir, also known as "Hornsey Wood" reservoir as originally named, was constructed in the 1860s by the East London Water Works Company.
Designed to hold 5 million gallons of water, it goes without saying that the excavation process for this structure was no easy feat, interestingly however, all remaining spoil was subsequently used to build up other areas of the park.
Since its closure in the late 21st century, the reservoir has intermittently been utilised as a film location, featuring in James Bond / Skyfall, Paddington and Sherlock Holmes.
With its architecturally intriguing design, it certainly wins first place for me where London's reservoirs are concerned.
First visit:
I've got to hand it to @professor frink for alerting me that this place was open, and @Adders for pointing out where to look (top chaps!) especially as it was at the higher end of my bucket list, safe to say, I wasted no time organising a trip to the park the very same day.
After having scoped out the entrance after work to confirm its status...a few phone calls were made.
Fast forward to the evening, myself, @James Cross and @Aaron89 were destined for Finsbury (thank god it was a Friday!).
Upon our arrival it was twilight, so decided to hold off momentarily, although as soon as the going looked good, we didn't hesitate in bundling ourselves down there...
Admittedly, and like others have said historically, the photos never really do it justice, I'd also argue that appreciating the sheer scale of the place would require a visit yourself.
Second visit:
For those who know, this is what many would consider one of London's "epics" for want of a better word. So expectedly, news soon started spreading of its accessibility at the time.
Over the weekend post my first visit, I'd been in Wiltshire with a few of the locals whose interest was piqued by a handful of phone shots I'd taken, and before I knew it, yet another group chat had been created for a mid-week visit!
@Bertie Bollockbrains would lead the way this time, and had organised a trip to London for the Wednesday that week. This time around I also had the pleasure of being accompanied by
@professor frink and his son, @Boatiegirl, @obscureserenity and @Aaron89 once again.
Still in my work uniform, without wellies or a decent torch, I headed for Finsbury for a second time to link up with everyone (feeling somewhat bait may I add, LOL).
However, the same way I'd used on the Friday before the weekend appeared to be tightened up...fortunately for us, @Aaron89 had some intuition, and a plan was soon devised.
Fast forward an hour, and after a bit of faff, his plan saw us win...(lifesaver!)
It's got to be said though, that the Victorians certainly knew how to build to impress. The minimalist, industrial designs of many contemporary structures now are nothing to look at in comparison that's for sure...
All in all, not bad going for a Wednesday night in North London I must admit...
~ Until next time ~
Last edited:
Definitely one I was glad to tick off considering it's a local.
