This photo records a major engineering project in Bolton which very few people were ever likely to see.

Reservoir construction, Snydale Hill, Westhoughton 1965

It was taken in August 1965 and shows work underway to construct an underground reservoir which, when complete, would contain half a million gallons of water.

The reservoir was being built at Snydale Hill for Westhoughton Council.

You can see workmen erecting the 17-foot high pillars which would support the roof of the reservoir.

Many Looking Back readers will be familiar with the water tower at Snydale Hill which dated back to the mid Nineteenth Century and was in use until around 1980. It has subsequently been converted into a private house which is clearly visible from the M61.

But it’s unlikely that many folk will ever have seen the underground reservoir which was being constructed here.