River Holme

Coordinates: 53°31′59″N 1°52′01″W / 53.533°N 1.867°W

River Holme
River Holme (left) joining the River Colne at Huddersfield
Basin
Main source	Holmbridge 53°13′15″N 1°49′27″W / 53.22083°N 1.82417°W
Source elevation	188 metres (617 ft)
River mouth	River Colne at Huddersfield 53°38′20″N 1°47′4″W / 53.63889°N 1.78444°W
Mouth elevation	72 metres (236 ft)
Size	97.4 square kilometres (37.6 sq mi)
Country	England
Physiognomy
Length	13.86 kilometres (8.61 mi)

The River Holme is a river in the Holme Valley, West Yorkshire, England and is a tributary of the River Colne. It starts from Digley reservoir and is then fed firstly by the run-off stream from Brownhill Reservoir, then by Dobbs Dike. Most of the banks of the upper part of the river are urbanised and are part of the Holme Valley civil parish.

Course

From Digley reservoir, the river flows north east through Holmbridge and Holmfirth. It flows north-north-east to Thongsbridge and Brockholes before turning north and reaching Honley, Berry Brow and Lockwood. It then proceeds northwards and joins the River Colne just south of Huddersfield town centre at Folly Hall.^[1]

The Environment Agency have a gauging station at Queen's Mill in Huddersfield where the recorded average low river level is 0.25 metres (0.82 ft) and the high river level is 1.2 metres (3.9 ft). The record highest level recorded was 2.5 metres (8.2 ft).^[2]

Flooding

The river was prone to flooding with the earliest recorded in 1738. In 1840 Bilberry Reservoir was built over an existing stream, but the work had not been carried out properly and the stream not correctly redirected. The result was that, in February 1852, the reservoir broke its confines and flooded the Holme Valley as far as Holmfirth. It resulted in 81 fatalities and the destruction of many homes and businesses.^[3][4]

Geography

The start of the river valley is surrounded by the high hills of Holme Moss, Harden Moss and Cartworth Moor. The underlying bedrock was laid down in the Upper Carboniferous period and consists primarily of Millstone Grit with some sandstone interspersed with thin coal seams.^[5]

Lists

Tributaries Dobb Dike Black Sike Dike River Ribble Hebble Dike/Mark Bottoms Dike New Mills Dike Mag Brook Dean Clough

Settlements Holmbridge Holmfirth Wooldale Netherthong Thongsbridge Brockholes Honley Netherton Huddersfield

Road crossings A6024 Woodhead Road, Holmbridge Dobb Lane, Holmbridge Hollowgate, Holmfirth A635, Victoria Road, Holmfirth Bridge Lane, Holmfirth Miry Lane, Thongsbridge Smithy Place Lane, Brockholes A6024, Honley Northgate, Honley Magdale road, Honley B6110, Armitage Road, Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield A616, Bridge Street, Huddesfield Queens Mill Road, Huddersfield

Gallery

• 

  River Holme, Thongsbridge

• 

  River Holme, Thongsbridge

• 

  River Holme - Towngate

• 

  River Holme at Holmfirth

• 

  River Holme in Lockwood Huddersfield

• 

  The River Holme in Holmfirth

• 

  Old bridge over the River Holme, off Woodhead Road, Holmfirth

See also

• Holmfirth Floods

References

1. Huddersfield One
2. "River Levels". Environment Agency River and Sea Levels. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
3. "Floods". Holmfirth Floods. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
4. Huddersfield One
5. "River Valley Geology". Retrieved 28 August 2011.