Denholme is a town and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
Bradford Metropolitan Borough,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. It is west of
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
, from
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
and roughly the same distance from
Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the
Bingley Rural
Bingley Rural is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 17,895.
It encompasses the villages of Harden, Wilsden, Cottingley, Cullingworth and Denholme.
Coun ...
ward of the
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford () is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a large area which includes the towns and v ...
. Denholme has a population of 2,976,
increasing to 3,489 at the 2011 Census.
History
The name Denholme is probably of
Viking
Vikings ; non, vĂkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
origin, translating to "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 southwards from that of the
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
- the Aire Valley or
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley or dale of the River Aire.
The valley stretches from the river's origin in Aire Head Springs, Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Skipton on ...
.
However, an alternative suggestion of the word "Holme", in old Viking Danelaw, would be that of reclaimed marshland (or an "island" in a wet area)
and Den or Denu, in Old English, means Valley.
This would also make sense given the areas many springs, marshy terrain and situation in a valley.
Denholme is also on the eastern flank of the
Pennines
The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commo ...
, commonly known as the "backbone of England", about midway along their length.
The town sits astride the old Roman Road from
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
(Mamucium or Mancunium) to
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...
(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.
There is a grant of land, dated 1239, whereby Thomas de Thornton gave grazing land at Denholme to the monks of
Byland Abbey
Byland Abbey is a ruined abbey and a small village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park.
History
It was founded as a Savigniac abbey in January 1135 and was absorbed by the Cistercian order ...
.
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 of the mills.
It was common in Victorian England for wealthy businessmen to build entire towns to house the workers of their mills.
Denholme railway station
Denholme railway station was a station on the Keighley-Queensbury section of the Queensbury Lines which ran between Keighley, Bradford and Halifax via Queensbury.
History
The station was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1884, almost ...
opened on 1 January 1884, closing to passengers on 23 May 1955 and closed completely on 10 April 1961 when sometime after most of its buildings were demolished.
The railway was built by the
Great Northern Railway (GNR) and linked
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
and
Halifax via a triangular junction at
Queensbury.
The
Queensbury lines
The Queensbury lines was the name given to a number of railway lines in West Yorkshire, England, that linked Bradford, Halifax and Keighley via Queensbury. All the lines were either solely owned by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) or jointly ...
and station transferred to the
London & North Eastern Railway
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...
and, ultimately, to the
North Eastern Region of British Railways
The North Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948, whose operating area could be identified by the orange signs and colour schemes that adorned its stations and other railway buildings. It was merged with the Eastern Region ...
before closure.
At 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.
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.
Whilst there are still employment opportunities in the shops, schools and other town services, or on the surrounding farms, the majority of working residents now commute to Bradford, Keighley, Halifax or Leeds.
Geology
Education
Denholme Primary School has a good reputation.
The neighbouring hamlet of Keelham also has a primary school and some children from the town attend there.
The nearest high school is Parkside School,
Cullingworth
Cullingworth is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Bradford and south of Keighley. The surrounding countryside is mainly ...
, just over 2 miles away.
Landmarks
![Denholme Edge Church - Keighley Road, Denholme](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Denholme_Edge_Church_-_Keighley_Road%2C_Denholme.jpg)
Denholme Shared Church is "a partnership of three denominations - Baptist, United Reformed and the Church of England", occupying the former United Reformed Church, which is a grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. The former parish church of St Paul
and the former Denholme Clough Methodist Church,
both also grade II listed, have been converted for residential use, the former featuring in BBC show ''
Homes Under the Hammer
''Homes Under the Hammer'' is a British factual renovation and auction television series that is screened on BBC One as part of the morning schedule. The series has been running since 17 November 2003, and is currently presented by Martin Robe ...
''.
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 - food, non-food and fast food, two pubs - the Royal and the New Inn, a post office, a charity shop and a farm shop.
Foster Park houses a youth cafe, skate area, basketball court, bowling green and the town War Memorial.
Just to the east of Denholme is Doe Park Reservoir where there is fishing, a water activities centre and a sailing club.
Transport
The main road running through Denholme is the
A629.
The town is on regular bus routes between Keighley and Bradford and with occasional services to Halifax.
Events
There is a Children's Gala (fair) every year held in Foster Park, usually held on the first Saturday of July.
Sport
Denholme has two cricket teams, Denholme Cricket Club and Denholme Clough Cricket Club, who each have their own grounds.
Denholme Cricket Club play in the Craven and District Cricket League and have a first and second 11 along with several junior teams.
Denholme Cricket club 1XI play in the 2nd division of this league and the 2nd XI were promoted to division 4.
Denholme Clough Cricket Club play in the Towergate Halifax Cricket League - Terry Wynne.
Denholme has a football team, Denholme United AFC, who play home games at Foster Park.
They are currently the Halifax and District Football League Division 1 champions.
Denholme also have their own bowls team.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Denholme
Denholme is a civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It contains 17 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the l ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Towns in West Yorkshire
Geography of the City of Bradford
Civil parishes in West Yorkshire