The River Colne in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

is formed at the confluence of two brooks that originate in the

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...

close to Marsden. It flows in an easterly direction through the Colne Valley and

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

towards Cooper Bridge where it flows into the River Calder.

Course

Brooks formed by rainwater high (between 300 and 480 metres

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

) in the

, flow down the hillsides through the small valleys known locally as ''cloughs'' to fill March Haigh and Redbrook Reservoirs. The Haigh Brook and Redbrook continue down the valley fed by more tributaries, until they converge at a scenic spot called Close Gate or Eastergate Bridge where the River Colne is formed. The river flows from west to east through the

Colne Valley The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield. ...

passing through Marsden, Slaithwaite and Milnsbridge to

and then on to Cooper Bridge where it feeds the larger River Calder. Its tributaries include Wessenden Brook, Bradley Brook, Crimble Brook, Mag Brook, Fenay Brook, New Mill Dike and the River Holme.

History

Due to the soft, acidic waters of the River Colne and its brooks flowing through the side valleys (cloughs) from the peat moors above, the

was renowned for producing some of the highest quality woollen and cotton cloth produced anywhere.

Infrastructure

The

Huddersfield Narrow Canal The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an Navigability, inland waterway in northern England. It runs just under from Lock 1E at the rear of the University of Huddersfield campus, near Aspley, West Yorkshire, Aspley Basin in Huddersfield, to the ju ...

follows the course of the river through the valley, as does the Huddersfield Line railway, and the A62 road. The river itself is too shallow and rocky to be navigable by any watercraft. There are numerous factories, warehouses and plants along the river providing goods, services and jobs, but a few of these cause pollution to the local environment and waterways. In order to help tackle pollution, the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

demand that certain standards be met by local companies. On 24 May 2010, part of a chemical factory was accidentally set ablaze and caused waste to be emptied into the river and the canal causing the deaths of many fish.Casey, Sa
"Grosvenor Chemicals apology"
''The Huddersfield Daily Examiner'', 24 May 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colne, Yorkshire Colne Valley Rivers of Huddersfield Rivers of Kirklees Aire catchment

Course

History

Infrastructure

See also

References