The reservoir at Cox's Hill (off Heapham Road) represents the response to the growing need for clean drinking water for the town in the 19th century. Until the construction of the reservoir in 1864, the provision of water to the town had relied on water being taken directly from the Trent. This water was lifted using three horse-gin driven pumps, into a collection of lead tanks held on trestles in the yard of the Ship Inn, and thence to the customers of the system. Problems with low water pressure in the system and an outbreak of cholera in 1849 led to the growing demand for a new scheme to provide a clean, reliable water supply, with construction of the new reservoir beginning on this site in 1864. The reservoir was intially designed to be supplied by water cleaned by a waterworks at Lea Terrace, though this was changed to use water drawn from two artesian wells by the first years of the 20th century. The reservoir was initially constructed as square, with three small rectilinear buildings along its north-eastern bank. These buildings were mostly removed before the construction of the water tower in 1897 (see PRN 55523), when the reservoir was also substantially extended to the south-east. Early postcards of the site showed a red and yellow brick boundary wall surrounding the reservoir, whilst mid 20th century maps show the reservoir to have been roofed by this time. The reservoir and adjacent tower were the subject of a heritage statement, produced after a site visit and historical research was conducted in 2013, to inform proposed conversion and development of the site. The reservoir was found to be less well preserved than the tower; whilst the plan form remains intact, parts of the profile of the earthwork have been altered, and neither the reservoir roof nor the boundary wall have survived. {1}{2}