As a destination
From the early days of the reservoir there are visitors to Weston Turville, especially from London.
Our collection of postcards also highlights visitors vacationing in Weston Turville.
Anglers from out of town.
From the very early history of the reservoir, there was much interest from anglers in London in particular. From 1858, there are adversisements in Field and Bell's Life in London from a shop and fishing tackle manufacturer in Long Acre selling access to
Alfred Gould in 1860 describes the reservoir as seven miles from Tring, on the London and North-Western Railway but also suggests the cheapest way to get there is by the Wendover omnibus, which leaves the Gloucester Coffee House (which was on Oxford Street) about eleven a.m. [1]
Also in 1860, Three inhabitants of Maida Vale describe their journey "Weston Turville was the spot selected, on the North-Western line. The journey down was such [that it might certainly have been better;] for instance, stopping five minutes at one place, ten at another, was carrying railway courtesy a little too far to be pleasant. Travelling forty miles in two hours, it took a good three before fishing commenced." Unfortunately, there is no mention of how they travelled from the North-Weston line to the reservoir. [2]
1871 - Along with improved transport options from London The Reservoir is listed under Tring in "The Angler's Diary and Fisherman's Guide to the Rivers and Lakes of the World"
1882 - Weston Turville Reservoir Fishery is appearing in directories such as Samuel Highley's "Where to fish Round London"
1848 Mogg's Omnibus Guide
"The Angler's Diary and Fisherman's Guide to the Rivers and Lakes of the World" 1871
"Where to fish Round London" Samuel Highley 1882
References
^ Field 27 Oct 1860
^ Field 08 Dec 1860