Brook House Tank

Cadw's description

Location

On N side and in garden of Brook House, and built on sloping ground.

History

Erected early 1850s as a reservoir for manure slurry which was then pumped through a system of copper pipes to fields on the Leighton Estate. The slurry was composed of manure from Leighton Farm mixed with water and pumped uphill to the tank. Brook House Tank was the smallest of a group of 3 slurry tanks built on the east side of Leighton and was an integral part of the Leighton Estate, acquired by the Liverpool banker John Naylor in 1846-47. Here he embarked on an ambitious programme of building, principally Leighton Hall, church and Farm, which was largely completed by the mid 1850s. Naylor introduced new rational farming methods at Leighton, notably pioneering the recycling of manure as fertiliser. Naylor continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889. His grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold the Estate in 1931.

Exterior

One-storey, of brick with coped gables on moulded kneelers and slate roof. The front faces S and has central double doors under a segmental head with openings under segmental heads to L and R. Similar openings to rear with planked door in centre.

Interior

Not inspected.

Reason for designation

The Leighton Estate is an exceptional example of high-Victorian estate development. It is remarkable for the scale and ambition of its conception and planning, the consistency of its design, the extent of its survival, and is the most complete example of its type in Wales. Brook House Tank is an important element of this whole ensemble at Leighton. It is a highly specialised building type which represented a bold attempt to revolutionise agricultural techniques in the context of a model farm of national significance.