54 



there are three passages for the flow of the water between the upper 

 and lower portions of the lake, and these passages are crossed by 

 wooden bridges with their extremities resting on stone abutments. 

 The three divisions are connected by a wall of rubble masonry, 

 covered on the top by flat stones. This wall being raised to an 

 elevation above the lower water line, enables foot passengers to 

 cross the lake when it contains a considerable depth of water. The 

 length of the wall from end to end is nearly one hundred and 

 twenty yards. On occasions when high floods are prevalent, the 

 lake is frequently impassable for hours together, even for foot 

 passengers. There are but few bridges remaining built on the 

 same principle. Mr. Smiles, in his "Lives of Engineers," mentions 

 one of somewhat similar construction in Wales. This style of 

 bridge building is said to belong to the Celts, and, if that be so, it 

 goes far to prove that the structure is of considerable antiquity. 



Dale Head, which is nearly opposite to Armboth House, on the 

 other side of the lake, belonged to the Leathes family from the 

 nineteenth year of Queen Ehzabeth's reign till a few years ago, 

 when it was purchased, along with several other estates round Thirl- 

 mere, by the Corporation of Manchester, who found it necessary to 

 secure the land adjoining the lake before commencing their gigantic 

 water scheme of taking the water of Thirlmere Lake to supply the 

 wants of the inhabitants of Cottonopolis. This project, if carried 

 out as proposed — that is by making a tunnel underneath the Raise, 

 thence forward by an aqueduct or other means to the great city of 

 manufactures — will be one of the greatest engineering enterprises 

 of the day, and will for one thing have the curious effect of causing 

 the waters of Thirlmere to run out in the opposite way : instead of 

 taking the direction of almost due north, the outflow will then be 

 to the south. 



A few particulars in regard to the Thirlmere scheme may not be 

 uninteresting now that we have just viewed the situation, and these 

 I shall give on the authority of the Manchester papers. The 

 Guardian says : — "The cost of carrying out the scheme, land 

 included and all rights satisfied, is estimated at _;;^i, 700,000, that 

 is for the first instalment of 10,000,000 gallons per day. Each 



