Reservoir replacement near Old Sarum Castle

Following a concerned call from our client who believed they had a major water leak, MJ Abbott responded promptly to assess the situation. Our investigation revealed that the existing reservoir’s structural integrity had failed, and it was leaking significantly.

In collaboration with Wessex Archaeology and under a watching brief, we installed a new reservoir system on nearby land close to Old Sarum Castle – one of Southern England’s most historically significant sites, with its mighty prehistoric outer ramparts raised by Iron Age people in about 400 BC. At the centre, you’ll find the huge Norman inner mound and ditch, founded by William the Conqueror. The project was carried out with full consideration of the site’s archaeological sensitivity, overseen by English Heritage and other stakeholders.

Although no significant archaeological findings were uncovered, the project achieved a major operational improvement. We successfully reduced our client’s daily water abstraction from 40,000 litres to just 9,000 litres – well within the permissible limit of 20,000 litres per day.

Our client kindly provided the following feedback:

“Thank you very much to you and to all of your colleagues: Mike, Marcus, Rob, Rob, Ash, Aiden, and the apprentices on site (I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone) for the very professional completion of the project. The entire process was undertaken smoothly. You have all been cooperative, found solutions to every issue that arose, and even sowed wildflower seeds on the site upon completion.”