Paddington Reservoir

The Paddington Reservoir was a water reservoir which accepted water from the Botany Swamps pumping station for supply to parts of Sydney between 1866 and 1899. In 2006 it was converted into a sunken garden and park known as the Paddington Reservoir Gardens or Walter Read Reserve.HistoryConstruction and operationThe plan for Paddington Reservoir began with the creation of the Botany Swamps water scheme in 1859. This water scheme, developed by Edward Bell and Will Wadsworth proposed a number of reservoirs at critical points around the city. Construction of the Paddington Reservoir was completed by 1866 and connected to the Botany Swamps pumping station. This offered a new source of water to elevated suburbs of Sydney which had up until then had only been serviced by wells and a water-cart service.The reservoir was constructed of brick with ironbark columns which were erected in mortises in stone foundations at the base of the reservoir. These columns supported cast iron beams which in-turn supported segmental arches which formed the roof of the structure.However, due to its limited elevation, only the top five feet of water from the reservoir could be provided to buildings in excess of one storey. In order to reduce the load on the Botany Swamps pumping station, a further pumping station at the Crown Street Reservoir was commenced in 1875 which also assisted in the delivery of water to the Paddington Reservoir.In 1877 a second chamber was added to the Paddington Reservoir, dubbed the eastern chamber (with the original chamber being the western chamber) this increased the storage of the facility to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding city. In 1899 the facility was decommissioned following the completion of the larger and further elevated Centennial Park Reservoir.