This is the engaging story of how Manchester built the world's first municipal water supply in the Longendale Valley in the 1840s - 70s. Original images from the archives of North West Water, document the largest chain of reservoirs ever built at that time. The account demonstrates how the city helped beat cholera, typhoid and other water-borne diseases, factories and cotton mills in the valleys around Manchester. Tom Quayle's first-hand experiences are backed by information extracted from the Victorian water-engineer - J. F. Bateman's - handwritten reports to the Manchester Corporation Waterworks Committee.