IT'S strange sometimes that you don't notice or criticise landmarks when they are there -- but miss them when they have gone!

The Revidge Tank in Blackburn is a perfect example. After standing at the top of Corporation Park for a 103 years the tank was demolished in 2000.

The need for a water reserve in the area first came to light in 1875. A letter appeared in the Blackburn Standard under the headline 'Water wanted'.

However, the Water Tower and Observatory predicted in the letter did not materialise at that time.

Instead, in 1879, a covered reservoir was constructed at the top of Corporation Park holding 500,000 gallons of water.

This proved not to be adequate for the number of houses being erected on Revidge, as J G Shaw pointed out in a report 'Blackburn Waterworks' in 1891.

He wrote "The level of the reservoir is 722 feet but as the highest point of Revidge is 718 feet the taps in the Corporation Park Hotel and the little toffee shops at the top of the park have to be placed near the floor of the kitchen or in the cellars and the flow of water is very slow indeed."

In May, 1897, it was reported in the Blackburn council minutes that James Varley and Sons were willing to sell a piece of land at Revidge for the construction of an iron tank capable of holding 50,000 gallons of water for £50.

In July, 1897, the tender of Ashton Frost and Co for supplying and erecting the iron tank reservoir was accepted. In August the water engineer was instructed to have the supports of the tank strengthened with a view to the public being admitted to the roof which would serve as a viewing point from where on a clear day observers could see Blackpool Tower and the fells of the Yorkshire Dales.

In 1940 the children in Standard IV at St Silas's School were taken by their teacher, Mr Brown, to visit the tank.

What a disappointment!

Instead of an armoured vehicle with guns, which the children had seen on the newsreels at the cinema, it was just an enormous metal platform.

The tank ceased to be a reservoir in 1978 and so for over 20 years it just stood empty.

It was covered with graffiti and the iron staircase was taken down to prevent anyone climbing on to it. Moves were made at meetings between North West Water, the Civic Society, English Heritage and Blackburn with Darwen Council to try and save the tank for posterity, but to no avail and it was demolished at the turn of the millennium.