Hollingworth Lake (England)

Hollingworth Lake is a 130-acre (53 ha) reservoir at Smithy Bridge in Littleborough, Greater Manchester, England. It was originally built as the main water source for the Rochdale Canal, but developed as a tourist resort from the 1860s. Hotels were built around it, helped by the arrival of the railway in 1839, which brought day-trippers and weekend visitors from Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. The popularity of the lake as a resort declined in the early twentieth century and the area was used as an army camp in the First World War. The canal company sold the reservoir to Oldham and Rochdale Corporations for water supply in 1923. After the Second World War, boating rights were bought by Rochdale Council, who developed the area into the Hollingworth Lake Country Park in 1974. There has been a steady increase in facilities since, and it is now a thriving centre for water sports and other activities. Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club has been in continuous existence since 1872.