| Hirst Wood | |
|---|---|
 Canal in Hirst Wood | |
| Map | |
 Interactive map of Hirst Wood | |
| Geography | |
| Location | West Yorkshire, England |
| OS grid | SE127382 |
| Coordinates | 53°50′25″N 1°48′33″W / 53.84038°N 1.8091°W |
| Area | 16.6 acres (6.7 ha) |
| Administration | |
| Governing body | Bradford Council |
Hirst Wood (sometimes written as Hurst Wood)[1] is a 16.6 acres (6.7 ha) wood between Saltaire and Bingley in West Yorkshire, England. the wood is described by Bradford Council as Hirst Wood North as the woods were cut into smaller pieces first by the canal in the late 18th century, and then the railway in the first half of the 19th century.
History
editBradford Council call the two separate woods Hirst Wood North (14.4 acres (5.8 ha)) and Hirst Wood South (2.2 acres (0.89 ha)); until the arrival of the canal in 1775, and the railway in 1847, the area was all one big wood.[2][3][4] The railway traverses through the wood in a cutting on its southern side, it being one of the major engineering works on this section along with Bingley Tunnel.[5] The River Aire diverts around the wood in a large 'S-bend' on the western to the northern side of the wood; it used to take a far more southerly route between Hirst Wood and Nab Wood during the glaciation period, but it then later formed a narrow valley to the north of Hirst Wood, avoiding the woodland which is composed of clay and boulders as the normal route was blocked by drift material.[6] Such is the diversion of the river around Hirst Wood, that it actually flows westwards against its natural eastwards direction.[7] The canal and river to the north, the river to the west, the railway to the south, and Hirst Lane to the east, form the modern-day boundaries of the wood.[8]
Survey and archeological digs have suggested that an Iron Age building may have existed on the site, and Roam coin, dated to around the 3rd-century, has been found in the wood, but the exact location of teh find is not recorded.[9] Much of the area of what is now called Hirst Wood South was larger than present, with sections being taken away such as for the footprint of Nab Wood Cememtery.[10] Excavations in the 1950s revealed a location in the centre of the wood that was possibly the location of an Iron Age settlement.[11] For a period of around eight years beginning in 1950, part of Hirst Wood was used as a municipal waste tip by the Shipley Urban District Council.[12]
The long-distance walk the Yorkshire Water Way, travels athrough Hirst Wood.[13] Public access is from various points around the wood; a public bus service (the 679) runs several times a day between Shipley Market Square and Lime Tree Avenue at eastern edge of Hirst Wood.[14]
The wood is part of the White Rose Forest and is populated with holly, elder, birch, beech, oak, ivy sycamore and ash.[8]
New Hirst Mill was built in 1745 as a fulling mill, and it was built along a weir, a mill race, and some workers cottages on a site that had previously been used for iron smelting.[15]
Quarry and mill
Names
editIt is now known as Hirst Wood, but it has been called Hyrst Wood, Hurst Wood and Shiplaye Hurste over the years.[16]
References
edit- ↑ Speight, Harry (1891). Through Airedale from Goole to Malham. Leeds: Walker & Laycock. p. 161. OCLC 05824116.
- ↑ "Yorkshire Sheet 201". maps.nls.uk. 1852. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
The name for the wood is written just below the railway line
- ↑ "Hirst Wood North - Bradford District Parks". bradforddistrictparks.org. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Hirst Wood South - Bradford District Parks". bradforddistrictparks.org. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Binns, Donald (1984). Steam in Airedale. Skipton: Wyvern Publications. p. 8. OCLC 931312451.
- ↑ Miall, Lewis Compton (1878). The geology, natural history and pre-historic antiquities of Craven in Yorkshire. Leeds: Dodgson. p. 20. OCLC 1156368777.
- ↑ Kendall, Percy Fry; Wroot, Herbert (1972). Geology of Yorkshire ... Volume II. Wakefield: E. P. Publishing. p. 709. ISBN 0854097627.
- 1 2 Keenhold & Atkinson 2018, p. 9.
- ↑ Atkinson 2023, p. 11.
- ↑ Keenhold & Atkinson 2018, p. 15.
- ↑ "Monument Number 616566". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Battersby, J. (1950). "Refuse Disposal". Annual report of the medical officer of health. Shipley: Shipley (England). Urban District Council: 37. OCLC 1041041845.
- ↑ Reid, Mark (2006). The Yorkshire Water way: a journey through Yorkshire from the Dales to the Peak District. Harrogate: InnWay Publications. pp. 19, 20, 26. ISBN 9781902001142.
- ↑ "Shipley - Hirst Wood 679". wymetro.com. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Atkinson 2023, pp. 12–13.
- ↑ Keenhold & Atkinson 2018, pp. 12–13.
Sources
edit- Atkinson, C (2023). "Hirst Wood, Shipley, Bradford District: A Measured Survey". Community Heritage and Archaeology Consultancy. doi:10.5284/1134043.
- Keenhold, Kaitlyn; Atkinson, Chris (2018). "Celebrating Our Woodland Heritage: Hirst Wood, Shipley: An Archaeological Woodland Survey". Pennine Prospects. doi:10.5284/1138855.