the rez and wallgrange

The Rez was formerly a Severn Trent Water Authority Reservoir, which was an open water facility in the mid 1800’s. There were two large pump houses on-site, which housed the steam beam engines that pumped the water from the bottom of the valley where the Rez is situated to the towns and villages of Stoke-on-Trent. With the progression to electric pumps, one pump house was demolished and a smaller building constructed in its place and the remaining large pump house was reduced by one storey. The chimney that used to tower a further sixty feet above the two buildings was demolished and buried in the bank-sides around the site.

The reservoir was given baffled walls made of engineering brick and a series of supporting columns throughout to support a new reinforced concrete roof. What is now the Dive House was the Gas House, where the chlorine and other water purification mixtures were added and the water quality monitored.

The buoyancy tank was the aeration tank for the reservoir. The two bottom layers have been removed and a fountain restored.

The water in the Rez is fresh water as the whole of Wall Grange is a clean water site due its environmentally sensitive location.

The Rez Country Café.

The smaller of the pump houses has now been converted to a café where divers can relax, warm-up and satisfy hungry appetites with the usual favourites like cream teas or bacon butties or the café’s speciality: a healthy whole-food and vegetarian menu with a selection of coffees and speciality teas.
The Country Café can also be booked by dive groups for meetings in the evenings with a limited service still available for food and drinks
- notice is required so please book the café when booking for your dive session.

The Environment

The area has been extensively regenerated in the past four years and sympathetically landscaped to encourage the now abundant wildlife population. Over two thousand trees shrubs and other plants have been set in, birds are fed all year and habitats have been set up for insects, snakes, frogs and birds.

Your suggestions and feed-back are always welcome, as we want you to enjoy not only your diving but all the facilities we offer.

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The Rez was formerly a Severn Trent Water Authority Reservoir, which was an open water facility in the mid 1800’s. There were two large pump houses on-site, which housed the steam beam engines that pumped the water from the bottom of the valley where the Rez is situated to the towns and villages of Stoke-on-Trent. With the progression to electric pumps, one pump house was demolished and a smaller building constructed in its place and the remaining large pump house was reduced by one storey. The chimney that used to tower a further sixty feet above the two buildings was demolished and buried in the bank-sides around the site. The reservoir was given baffled walls made of engineering brick and a series of supporting columns throughout to support a new reinforced concrete roof. What is now the Dive House was the Gas House, where the chlorine and other water purification mixtures were added and the water quality monitored. The buoyancy tank was the aeration tank for the reservoir. The two bottom layers have been removed and a fountain restored. The water in the Rez is fresh water as the whole of Wall Grange is a clean water site due its environmentally sensitive location. The Rez Country Café. The smaller of the pump houses has now been converted to a café where divers can relax, warm-up and satisfy hungry appetites with the usual favourites like cream teas or bacon butties or the café’s speciality: a healthy whole-food and vegetarian menu with a selection of coffees and speciality teas. The Country Café can also be booked by dive groups for meetings in the evenings with a limited service still available for food and drinks - notice is required so please book the café when booking for your dive session. The Environment The area has been extensively regenerated in the past four years and sympathetically landscaped to encourage the now abundant wildlife population. Over two thousand trees shrubs and other plants have been set in, birds are fed all year and habitats have been set up for insects, snakes, frogs and birds. Your suggestions and feed-back are always welcome, as we want you to enjoy not only your diving but all the facilities we offer.
WHERE ARE WE? The Wall Grange site is set in the bottom of Longsdon village on the outskirts of Leek (12 miles from Stoke-on-Trent - West, 12 miles from Buxton – East.) From the M6 South, leave the motorway at J14 and head for Stone. As you come into Stone the road splits into a one-way system so follow the signs carefully here for Leek. Once in Leek at the traffic light intersection. (You will see a large, mock Elizabethan building on one corner, (Antique shop) and a pub (The Unicorn) on the other corner opposite the lights). TURN LEFT. Head for Stoke-on-Trent on the A53 for approximately 2.5 miles. You will drive up a long hill out of town and begin to drop down into Longsdon. At the zebra crossing TURN LEFT at the WHEEL pub (SUTHERLAND ROAD) and follow the lane to the bottom of the hill and turn LEFT into The Rez. If you start to go up hill again on the lane, you have driven past us. From the M6 North, leave at J 15 follow the A500 to Hanley/Stoke-on-Trent and then the A53 to Leek. Follow this road straight through for about 10 miles until you climb the hill into Longsdon. As you begin to drop down the hill, indicate RIGHT and turn down the lane by the NEW INN pub. About 150 yards down the lane TURN LEFT down Micklea Lane, which meets Sutherland Road at the bottom. TURN RIGHT and drop to the bottom of the hill and The Rez is on the LEFT. If you missed the turning for the NEW INN, carry on a few hundred yards and TURN RIGHT at the WHEEL. From the M1 North, leave at J26 and head for Derby, Ashbourne then Leek, follow the A53 once in Leek. You will come to the traffic light intersection with the pub and antique shops. Go STRAIGHT AHEAD and follow instructions as above from M6 South. From the M1 South, leave at J24 and follow the A50 for Stoke-on-Trent to Meir then follow the A520 through to Leek and follow the instructions as above for M6 South and M1 North after you TURN LEFT at the traffic light intersection with the pub and antique shops.

BE WARNED – ALL ROADS IN ARE RIDDLED WITH ‘SAFETY’ CAMERAS WITH LITTLE MARGIN FOR GOING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. View our Picture Gallery

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