On the edge of the North York Moors sits a reservoir that once supplied an entire town with water, but is now almost completely dry.
Used as a vital source of drinking water for Guisborough, Westworth Reservoir is now a striking mix of grass, gorse and scattered ponds, with the remains of its Victorian infrastructure slowly disappearing into the landscape.
Westworth Reservoir, Guisborough (Image: Google Maps)
Built in 1874-75 by the Guisborough Water Company, the reservoir was created to provide clean drinking water to Guisborough at a time when many of the town's wells had become polluted.
It served the town for more than a century, and was also used to supply nearby Gisborough Hall.
Guisborough (Image: Sarah Caldecott)
Historians say the reservoir stood on Guisborough estate land, while the Chaloner family benefited from charges linked to its catchment.
Changing water infrastructure eventually made the reservoir redundant, and the town's water supply was replaced by newer sources in the 1970s.
Westworth remained an emergency water source for fighting forest fires, but by the 1990s the ageing reservoir needed major engineering work.
Rather than invest in repairs to a facility that was no longer needed, the reservoir was eventually decommissioned, with demolition work beginning in 2002.
Westworth Reservoir, Guisborough (Image: Google Maps)
As the dam was breached, much of the water drained away, leaving behind one of the most unusual landscapes in North Yorkshire.
The former reservoir basin has gradually been overtaken by rough vegetation, with only small pools remaining where tens of thousands of cubic metres of water once sat.
The old valve tower still stands in the former reservoir, marooned in grassland as a reminder of its industrial past.
The transformation has made Westworth Reservoir a favourite stopping point for walkers exploring Guisborough Moor and the North York Moors.
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Instead of sailing boats and watersports, visitors come to this reservoir for the unusual landscape, and a glimpse of how nature is reclaiming a once-important piece of Victorian infrastructure.
More than 150 years after it was built to solve Guisborough's drinking water crisis, Westworth Reservoir survives as a local curiosity - a reservoir where the water has largely disappeared.
For walkers venturing onto the moors above Guisborough, it offers a fascinating glimpse into a forgotten part of the town's history.