A short promotional film made for North East Water about their new water treatment works at Whittle Dene, 12 miles west of Newcastle which opened in May 1992. The film looks at the history of the site and how it has provided water to Tyneside for more than 150 years. The film also looks at why a new works was need, its development as well as the topping-out ceremony with construction nearly completed.  The film opens on aerial views of the new Whittle Dene water treatment works and...

A short promotional film made for North East Water about their new water treatment works at Whittle Dene, 12 miles west of Newcastle which opened in May 1992. The film looks at the history of the site and how it has provided water to Tyneside for more than 150 years. The film also looks at why a new works was need, its development as well as the topping-out ceremony with construction nearly completed.  The film opens on aerial views of the new Whittle Dene water treatment works and reservoirs with traffic traveling along the Military Road (B6318) which passes through it. Title: North East Water: This is Whittle Dene General views of the treatment works and reservoirs both above and underground which provides 30 million gallons of water a day to the local area. A pair of hands opens the original Article of Agreement document that led to the building of Whittle Dene in 1845. A black & white photograph shows the works in operation at the end of the 19th century. A map of the Tyne & Wear and Northumberland regions show Whittle Dene as well as additional reservoirs built during the 19th century at Colt Crag, Hallington and Catcleugh. A helicopter flies over the length of the river Tyne and over Wylam Railway Bridge followed by archive film of a sand filtration reservoir at Whittle Dene. A metal plaque on a wall is followed by views of the old treatment works built and opened in 1925. Inside views of the pressure filter in operation and another plaque shows that the works was built for The Newcastle & Gateshead Water Company Ltd. Archive footage show workmen cleaning the sand filters in one of the outside tanks using rakes followed by other men working to covert a sand filter into a flat bottomed upward flow conversion tank. Back inside the treatment works an engineer climbs a ladder and walks along a gantry to meet up with a colleague. A graph outlines the timescale of the Whittle Dene development  from 1986 to 1990 it includes images of the designs, tender and construction phases. On site the topping-out ceremony is taking place on the roof of the treatment work. A woman and two men, Ian Byatt Director General Water Services and Lord Elliott of Morpeth Chairman of North East Water, lay roofing tiles for the benefit of photographers standing nearby. An interview follows with Hugh Speed, Managing Director of North East Water about the benefits this new treatment plant will bring to the people of Tyneside. General views follow of the construction site at Whittle Dene followed by views of the old No. 2 treatment works building. Inside on a paper cylinder someone has written 'Last Chart No. 2 Works, building closed 1992'. Back outside a barrier is lifted and water begins to pour into a reservoir. The film ends on another aerial view of the Whittle Dene water treatment works. End title North East Water 27 May 1992 End credit: North East Water