Holmfirth: Fatal 1944 flood anniversary marked with walking trail

A West Yorkshire library is commemorating the anniversary of a flood which killed three people by launching a new walking trail.

Monday marks 80 years since the Whit Monday 1944 flood in Holmfirth, which saw an "incredible downpour" which wrecked buildings and infrastructure.

The new trail, which launched on Saturday, follows key locations along the flood's route.

Holmfirth Library is also hosting an exhibition about the flood.

The walk begins at Blackpool Bridge on the moors above the villages of Holme and Holmbridge.

It later heads to Bilberry and Digley reservoirs, Holmbridge, Hinchliffe Mill, Perseverance Place and Upperbridge before finishing at Holmfirth Library.

Holmfirth Library said the trail provides "an introduction to the course of the 1944 flood and to the many attractive and fascinating locations along the stretch of the upper River Holme".

The storm which caused flash flooding is said to have hit just after 18:00 BST on an otherwise dry day.

According to an account of the event on the Kirklees Council website, "the incredible downpour rapidly swelled the water level, causing a wall of water to gush down towards the Holme.

"Such was the height and force of the wall of water that, within an hour, bridges, roads and buildings had been swept away," it said.

Shops were said to have been "destroyed", with the landscape of the town centre changed forever.

Further details about the walking trail are available at Holmfirth Library.

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