Denholme
| Denholme | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 Denholme | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SE070340 |
| Location: | 53°48’7"N, 1°53’38"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,489 (2011) |
| Post town: | Bradford |
| Postcode: | BD13 |
| Dialling code: | 01274 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Bradford |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Shipley |
Denholme is a town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, eight miles west of Bradford, seven miles from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. The popualation was recorded as 3,489 at the 2011 Census.
The town sits on the eastern flank of the Pennines.
Name
The name Denholme is probably of Viking origin. Varrious etymologies have been suggested: one is htt it mean "A flat amongst the hillside". This is a good description of the town's geographical setting, since it is located in a broad side valley extending to join Airedale.
An alternative suggestion of the word "Holme", in old Viking Danelaw, would be that of reclaimed marshland (or an "island" in a wet area),[1] with te English Denu, which means 'valley'.[2] This would also match the geography, this being a place of many springs, marshy terrain and situation in a valley.
History
The town stands astride the old Roman Road from Manchester (Mancunium) to Ilkley (Olicana) though there is no evidence of any settlement then. The line of the road is visible on the ground to the south of the town, not far from St Paul's church.
The first evidence of habitation in the area dates from the 13th century: In 1239 a grant of land is recorded, whereby Thomas de Thornton gave grazing land at Denholme to the monks of Byland Abbey. It is likely that the monks would have built a grange in the area and this may well have given the town its first occupants.
The entire Victorian housing sites of Denholme were built by the Fosters who also built the old textile mills of Denholme. The houses were for the workers in the mills.
Denholme railway station opened on 1 January 1884, closing to passengers on 23 May 1955 and closed completely on 10 April 1961. Most of its buildings came to be demolished. The railway was built by the Great Northern Railway and linked Bradford, Keighley and Halifax via a triangular junction at Queensbury. A t 850 feet (259 m) above sea level, Denholme was the highest station on the entire GNR system. The line was mostly rural and needed the construction of many earthworks, viaducts and tunnels. Its hilly nature earned it the nicknames of "the Alpine route" or "the switchback" from its drivers.[3]
The original mills around which the town grew have now gone, though their sites have been partially re-used for light industry. Recent years have seen the closure of the bulk of the remaining manufacturing industry in the town, including specialised textiles, joinery and constructional timber.
Churxh
Denholme Shared Church is "a partnership of three denominations - Baptist, United Reformed and the Church of England", occupying the former United Reformed Church. It is a grade II listed building.[4]
The former parish church of St Paul[5][6]
The former Denholme Clough Methodist Church,[7] have been converted for residential use, the former featuring in BBC show Homes Under the Hammer.
==About the village There is also a library in the Mechanics Institute, and a Conservative Social Club. Services include a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy & sheltered housing.
There is also a public park - Foster Park - which was given to the people of Denholme in 1912 by William Foster.
The town has a selection of shops, two pubs (the Royal and the New Inn), a post office, a charity shop and a farm shop.
Just to the east of Denholme is Doe Park Reservoir where there is fishing, a water activities centre and a sailing club.
Events
A Children's Gala is held every year held in Foster Park, usually held on the first Saturday of July.
Sport
- Cricket:
- Denholme Cricket Club
- Denholme Clough Cricket Club
- Football: Denholme United AFC
- Bowls
Outside links
References
- ↑ "Place-names in The Danelaw". The Vikings Network. 14 August 2004. http://viking.no/e/england/danelaw/epl-danelaw.htm.
- ↑ "Nordic Names". Nordic Names. http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/DEN.
- ↑ Armour, Chris (October 2005). "Denholme". Disused Stations. http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/d/denholme/index.shtml.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1133614: Denholme United Reformed Church (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1133610: Church of St Paul (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Stanford, Mark (2 June 2021). "Inside Gothic church converted into £1m home featured on national TV" (in en). Bradford Telegraph and Argus. https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/19345878.st-pauls-church-now-1m-property-featured-homes-hammer/.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1133612: Denholme Clough Methodist Church (Grade II listing)
