On this ride the Royal Enfield Classic 350 Retraces the Forgotten Holmfirth Flood of 1852.
I rode the route on the eave of the 172nd anniversary of the flood, there was an eerie feel to this ride, it was raining and windy for much of the ride and the sky was dark.
At 1am on 5 February 1852 the embankment of the Bilberry reservoir collapsed, releasing 86 million gallons of water down the River Holme. It caused 81 deaths and a large amount of damage to property in the valley leaving many homeless and without work. The buildings and structures destroyed included four mills, ten dye houses, three drying stoves, 27 cottages, seven tradesmen's houses, seven shops, seven bridges crossing the river Holme, ten warehouses, eight barns and stables.
An inquest after the disaster concluded that the reservoir was "defective in its original construction" and that "the Commissioners, in permitting the Bilberry reservoir to remain in a dangerous state with the full knowledge thereof, and not lowering the waste pit, have been guilty of great and culpable negligence".
The similarity to the Sheffield Flood I covered in a previous video is shocking. They were both designed by members of the same family, both collapsed after heavy rain, warnings from locals about the stability and geology of the land was ignored, both had huge loss of life, lobs were lost and as this was well before the welfare state, locals were left without any form of earnings. As a last resort it would be the workhouse.
Not only was the reservoir rebuilt, but the land devastated immediately below was turned into another reservoir, covering where part of the disaster happened.
Looking at it now, it’s a bleak but tranquil place.
Get your waterproofs on and go for a ride.
Ride safe, Dave.
My Bikes:
Royal Enfield Classic 350
Royal Enfield 350 machismo with sidecar
BMW R1150RT
Suzuki GN125
Yamaha 535 Virago
#RoyalEnfieldClassic350reborn #northyorkshiremoors #motorbikerides #thatblokeonamotorbike #RoyalEnfield #royalenfieldclassic350 #westyorkshire #holmfirth # Bilberryreservoir #holmfirthflood1852