Boshaw Whams Reservoir, Hade Edge

Sometimes named as "Bowshaw Whams", Boshaw Whams Reservoir is situated south of Holmfirth, near to Boshaw and Hade Edge.

Together with Holme Styes Reservoir, it was built around 1840 to provide a reliable water supply for nearby mills.

History

Leeds Mercury (29/Sep/1838)

Public notices for tendering to build the reservoir — along with Holme Styes and Bilberry — appeared in newspapers during September and October 1838.[1]

The accepted tenders were:[2]

  • Bilberry — Messrs. Daniel Sharp and Son, £9,324
  • Boshaw Whams — Mr. George Marsh, £3,516 6s. 3d
  • Holme Styes — Messrs. Pearson and Horsfall, £9,875

Work on the reservoir was completed in May 1841.

Following the Holmfirth Flood of 1852, when the embankment of the Bilberry Reservoir failed, Engineer J.F. Bateman of Manchester was employed to inspect the state of Holme Styes and Boshaw Whams. His report of 16 April 1852 concluded that both needed urgent remedial work: "...the [Boshaw Whams] waste weir is much dilapidated, and requires immediate repair."[3]

Holme Styes eventually underwent repairs in 1857, which meant that it could not be used to store water during heavy storms in August 1857. As a result, the stream from Boshaw Whams surged and caused flood damage at Hepworth and Jackson Bridge.[4]

In 1887, a rumour spread that the Dewsbury Corporation wished to purchase all of the reservoirs in the Holmfirth area in order to "increase the water supply of that borough."[5]

The plans to build Digley Reservoir in the 1930s resulted in the Huddersfield Corporation purchasing all three reservoirs owned by the Holme Valley Waterworks Company — Holme Styes, Boshaw Whams and Bilberry[6]

The reservoir is now home to the Huddersfield Sailing Club.

Further Reading

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Location

Links

Notes and References

  1. For example, see Leeds Intelligencer (13/Oct/1838).
  2. "Holme Reservoirs" in Huddersfield Chronicle (06/Mar/1852).
  3. "Holme Reservoirs" in Huddersfield Chronicle (24/Apr/1852).
  4. "Violent Storms and Heavy Floods" in Huddersfield Chronicle (22/Aug/1857).
  5. "Local and District News" in Huddersfield Daily Chronicle (01/Nov/1887).
  6. History of the Huddersfield Water Supplies (1939) by T.W. Woodhead, chapter 12.