Work on Weir Wood was begun in 1951 after Southern Water acquired the land under an Act of Parliament and the valley of the upper reaches of the River Medway was dammed. The dam took two years to complete, the valley was finally flooded and the lake completed in 1953.

At approximately 1.5 miles in length, 280 acres (113ha) in area and with a maximum depth of 36ft it has a capacity of some 1,237 million gallons (5,628 million litres) the lake supplies water to Crawley and the surrounding Mid-Sussex area and can deliver it at up to 3 million Gallons per day.

The reservoir is filled only naturally by rainwater and not pumped which means Weir Wood’s water is as pure as it can be and Southern Water try to minimise the extraction of water in times of drought to conserve the supply and preserve the wildlife that now lives on the lake.

You can visit their website and check the levels by clicking here.

There are a number of attractions at Weir Wood including a nature reserve at the Western end of some 152 ha which includes 19ha of water when the lake is full.

The main lake area also provides facilities for canoeing, sailing and fishing.

The leisure activities on the reservoir are run by Weald Water Enterprises Ltd who acquired the rights in October 2008.