A town known for tragedy and comedy
TRAGEDY AND comedy have been part of Holmfirth’s history. Several floods have wreaked havoc in the area yet saucy postcards and a riotous television series are also part of the town’s make- up.
The Holmfirth website states that during Saxon and medieval times, the lords of Wakefield used the area as a hunting forest, the name Holmfirth means ‘ sparse woodland belonging to Holme’. Holmfirth is situated in the Holme Valley and centred upon the confluence of the Holme and Ribble rivers, within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire.
Over the centuries, Holmfirth village grew to be populated by farm labourers and others working in cottage industries, where spinning and weaving was carried out and fine worsteds were eventually produced. By the late 18th century, the industrial revolution had reached Holmfirth valley and it became a thriving mill town with the area’s fast flowing water supply crucial to the various factories.
In 1850 Holmfirth was connected to the burgeoning railway network. A double- track branch line stretched from Brockholes Junction, on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Co’s route between Huddersfield and Sheffield, and terminated in the town. Coal was then delivered to Holmfirth which in turn provided steam power for the area’s mills. The railway station provided goods and passenger facilities, the main station building, being described as a ‘ handsome Tudor sandstone villa’.
Additionally, on site, there was a 10- ton crane, and north east of the station building was a shed used for shipping woollen goods.
During 1738 and 1777 Holmfirth experienced flooding. The Leeds Intelligencer of Tuesday July 29, 1777 reported the following about the flood of that year: ‘ The torrent of water was so great, and the storm of thunder and lightning which preceded it, so violent, that many people began to terrify themselves with the thoughts of another universal deluge...’. Many of the houses with all their furniture, clothes, utensils, workshops and stables, together with large quantities of wool and other goods were swept away. Large amounts of grain were spoiled, and no less than seven mills and eight bridges, were destroyed. Three men were carried away a considerable distance and drowned. One of them left a widow and nine children. The flood damage was estimated to be at least £ 10,000. A stone church built in 1846 was swept away but was rebuilt in the following year with funding from local clothiers
A devastating flood – often called ‘ an inundation’ – occurred in Holmfirth during February 1852. The Bilberry Reservoir in the Digley Valley was completed in 1843 and was aimed at retaining the spare waters of wet seasons for use in dry seasons, thus keeping the wheels of industry turning.
Due to poor construction work on the Reservoir, it collapsed on February 5, shortly before 1am, 1852 causing an estimated 86 million gallons of water to pour down the Holme Valley along the River Holme’s route claiming the lives of around 80 people. The total property destroyed included: 4 mills; 10 dyehouses; 27 cottages; 7 tradesmen’s houses; 7 tradesmen’s shops; 6 bridges; 10 warehouses; and 18 barns and stables. Amongst the workpeople thrown out of work by the catastrophe were: 4,986 adults; 2,142 children; the total out of work being, 7,128.
Numerous visitors crowded to the scene of the calamity to witness the extent of the damage, even from such distant points as London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. No fewer than 6,000 people arrived by train in a single day and the same amount again reached the scene by other means. The designer of the dam, George Leather had warned on several occasions about its poor construction and dangerous state though he was ignored.
Postcard photographers were active in Holmfirth and during the first few decades of the 20th century and captured a variety of street scenes showing: early buses from Huddersfield; buildings, the railway station and parish church; and events, the ‘ Holmfirth Feast Sing’, 1908, and a Whit Monday procession.
James Bamforth started in business as a studio photographer in Station Road, Holmfirth and went on to become renowned for his saucy postcards besides a number of other activities. He was born, the son of a painter and decorator, at Cartworth, Yorkshire, around 1842 and initially found success at Holmfirth from about 1883, producing sequences of magic lantern slides which had simple story lines. During two periods, 1898- 1900 and 19131915, Bamforth & Co. produced an important collection of films, sometimes linking with the Riley Brothers of Bradford, involved with film making from 1896. y 1911 a limited company was formed and Bamforth was joined in the venture by his sons and film director Cecil Birch. This resulted in a significant number of films being produced with comic performer ‘ Winky’ ( Reginald Switz). After the First World War, the Holmfirth Producing Company was formed and based itself in London, the final Holmfirth film appearing in 1918.
The saucy postcards line was launched around 1910 and they have not always been everyone’s idea of fun. Yet, at their peak in the 1930s were selling millions each year. Bamforth & Co. failed in 1988, were taken over by a Scarborough printing firm which in turn was bought by businessman Ian Wallace in 2001.
Holmfirth experienced a massive cloud burst on Whit Monday May 29, 1944, causing extensive damage. Bridges were washed away; buildings were damaged; 100 people had to be evacuated from their homes; and sadly three people lost their lives.
There was a terrible accident in Holmfirth in October 1947 when a bus carrying the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir to Holmfirth Musical Festival crashed at a notorious bottle- neck at the bottom of Dunford Road in the town. The vehicle went with such force into a warehouse and garage, belonging to ironmonger J. W. Kaye, that the building collapsed and only the extreme rear of the vehicle remained visible.
Almost at once rescue work began. A gang of workers from Huddersfield Corporation’s new reservoir construction scheme at Holme Bridge ran from a nearby public house and struggled to reach the trapped people. The workmen were swiftly joined by tradesmen, Boy Scouts, police officers and passers- by. So great was the mass of wreckage that it was some two hours before all the victims were freed. Nine members of the choir were killed and another 20 injured.
Of course Holmfirth is now inextricably linked with the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. Written and created by Roy Clarke, it began life as an episode of Comedy Playhouse early in January 1973, the first series of episodes followed on November 12, of the same year. The site for outside filming came about through a suggestion by writer, television presenter and comedian, Barry Took who was familiar with Holmfirth. The series has used businesses and homes making the area into a well- liked tourist destination. The sitcom, numbering 295 episodes and 31 series between 1973 and 2010, has been screened in 25 countries around the world.
Threemen were carried away along distance and drowned. One left a widow and 9 children.