Walks around Bradford ’s Becks Plus: How to keep our rivers and becks clean A free guide Environment Agency Come and join us! We’re the Friends of Bradford’s Becks, We’re involved in lots of other activities, a group of local people who believe that too. Litterpicks, pollution monitoring, the Bradford Beck river system still plays tackling invasive plants, educational an important part in the life of our city. projects, collecting people’s memories… Through our various activities we aim to if it’s to do with Bradford Beck or any of its bring it back to life and good health. tributaries, we’re doing it. We also run One of our major projects is marking the competitions. The winning entry in our po - route of Bradford Beck where it runs etry competition appears along the Plaque underground through the city centre. This Trail, and many of the photographs in this river, which was once so important to the booklet were entries in our development of Bradford, had become a photography competition. lost and forgotten part of our history. It costs nothing to join us, and it’s easy to Our Plaque Trail now takes you along the get involved. Join our Facebook group at route, and a planned listening sculpture will www.facebook.com/groups/bradfordsbecks let you hear the river running beneath your to get news and details of events. Or find feet. out more at www.bradford-beck.org Contents Bradford Beck and its tributaries page 2 Welcome to the becks of Bradford page 3 Bradford Beck -- past, present and future page 4 Plants and animals along the becks page 6 The Plaque Trail (0.8km) page 8 Northcliffe Dike and Red Beck (4km) page 10 Chellow Dene Beck and Reservoirs (6.5km) page 12 A five beck circular (9km) page 14 Bradford to Shipley along Bradford Beck (6km) page 18 The source of Pitty Beck (4.5km) page 20 Pinch Beck, Hole Bottom Beck and High Birks Beck (6km) page 22 How to keep our rivers and becks clean page 25 The OS map 288 Bradford and Friends of Bradford’s Becks wishes to thank the Huddersfield covers all of these walks. following people for the use of photographs and images in this booklet. Front cover: James Craig. Inside front Because these are mainly river walks, cover: Graham Good, Gary Rushworth, Wendy Robinson. you can come across wet and muddy Pages 1 & 2: Wendy Robinson. Page 5 : Martyn Sutcliffe. areas at all times of year. We advise you Pages 6 & 7: Wendy Robinson. Pages 10 & 11: James to wear sturdy footwear and to dress ap - Craig. Page 13: Akhlaq Ahmed. Page 19: George Greiner. propriately for the weather. Back cover: Robyn Hill, Rose Reeve, Warren Tolley, Wendy Robinson, Warren Tolley, Akhlaq Ahmed, James Above: Stile near High Birks Beck. Craig, George Greiner. 1 Bradford Beck and its tributaries OPEN RIVER CANALISED UNDERGROUND FLOOD TUNNEL CATCHMENT BOUNDARY Below left: Northcliffe Dike. Below right: Pitty Beck. 2 Welcome to the becks of Bradford Some of the most appealing features of for recreation and wildlife. We hope you Yorkshire’s landscapes are its rivers. The will use this booklet to explore the foot - district of Bradford is no exception, with paths in the area – you might be surprised water everywhere – from springs, becks where they take you. and reservoirs to the River Aire . Bradford Beck was mistreated during the The Friends of Bradford’s Becks are 19th and 20th centuries, resulting in a delighted to bring you this guide to seven legacy of hidden and culverted sections, a walks along and between the becks of our loss of natural banks and water pollution. city. The walks are varied in length and in However, pollution has reduced character. Some are in quiet countryside substantially over the last few decades, fish (there may be mud!) while others are in have returned, and the pleasure of flowing busier urban settings. Bradford’s history and water is returning to Bradford. industrial heritage is on show, too, with vis - As well as enjoying the becks, perhaps you its to the Thornton viaduct, the Clayton Fire - can help us to spot the remaining pollution clay Brickworks chimney and Bradford Boar’s problems and report them. You can use the Well. guide at the end of the this booklet to help Many inhabitants of Bradford are unaware us make our waterways even cleaner. of the network of becks around and through Barney Lerner their city, and the opportunities they offer Chair, Friends of Bradford’s Becks 3 Bradford Beck – past, present and future Bradford Beck begins as a number of Construction of culvert in vicinity of springs in the Keelham area beyond Forster Square, September 1962. Thornton. These merge into a stream Source: The Yorkshire Post. called Pinch Beck, which starts a course down the valley below Thornton called From there, much of Bradford Beck follows Bradforddale. a miserable course, constrained in straight, As Pinch Beck journeys towards Bradford brick-lined culverts and driven underground city centre, other streams flow down the through the city centre. Halfway between valley sides to join it, with intriguing names there and Shipley, it emerges into the light like High Birks Beck and Hole Bottom Beck. and flows on to join the River Aire. As they join the main beck, its name Although the industrial revolution started changes, first to Clayton Beck, then to Mid - Bradford Beck’s demise, it was a working dle Brook, until it reaches the ancient Horton river for centuries before that. From me - township boundary in Cemetery Road and is dieval times the river system was used to finally named Bradford Beck. power a series of corn mills and fulling mills 4 © Copyright photograph from the Yorkshire Observer courtesy of the Telegraph & Argus/www.telegraphandargus.co.uk Above: Bradford city centre flooding in 1946. Right: Vaulted arches under the city centre. mills at Thornton, Leaventhorpe, Lidget pear as the city developed. When the Victo - Green and in the city centre. But the rian sewer network was introduction of steam power saw Bradford constructed in the 1860s and 1870s, the change beyond recognition in the 1800s. beck was finally rendered invisible in the As industrialisation became more intense city centre. and the city’s population swelled, Bradford In the 1950s and 1970s parts of the beck Beck became polluted with raw sewage, were briefly visible when building work offal, industrial refuse and effluent from took place in the city centre, and in 1993 an mills and workshops. underground flood alleviation tunnel was By 1840 it had effectively become a fetid built. Bradford city centre had suffered peri - open sewer. Small boys could set fire to it odic problems with flooding, the last being because of all the methane gas it in 1982 when a wall of water and sewage contained, and since local people obtained came down Thornton Road, their drinking water from the beck, pouring into shops and offices. outbreaks of cholera and typhoid were com - Today, Bradford Beck and its tributaries no mon. Life expectancy of just over 18 years longer play a part in the manufacturing life was one of the lowest in the country. of the city, but they are still of immense By the mid-19th century Bradford was the value to its residents. Projects to tackle richest city in England, but the beck was la - pollution and recreate a more natural river belled the ‘filthiest river in England’ – hence environment will make our becks enjoyable the name ‘mucky beck’, which today is a places to visit and spend time, to walk and term of affection, but originally was meant cycle along. They are a living reminder of literally. At a time of few building controls, Bradford’s industrial past and with careful landowners started building into and over management can become an asset to the the beck, and it gradually began to disap - city once again. 5 Plants and animals along the becks Foxglove Marsh Marigold Lords and Ladies Plants There are also some interesting specimens. The lower reservoir at Chellow Dene is the There is a great variety of wildflowers to only known site of the rusty backed fern in enjoy on the walks around the becks. The Yorkshire. And if you’re walking along Brad - most common flowers, such as ford Beck by Canal Road, keep your eyes dandelions, daisies and buttercups make open for a sole fig tree. dazzling displays in season, while some of the less well-known create vivid In spring you might see wetland plants patches too. such as marsh marigold, golden saxifrage, kingcup, bistort, forget-me-not and yellow From late March to late May in particular there is a week-by-week unfolding of flag iris. Woodland and shade plants in - flowers to see, with the added pleasure of clude lords and ladies, celandine, wood constant birdsong. From June onwards some anemone, wild garlic, bluebell, pink areas, especially the wetter ones, are over - campion and wood sorrel. In the whelmed with tall willowherb, rosebay and hedgerows you can find coltsfoot, cow the invasive himalayan balsam, all in shades parsley, groundsel and herb robert. In of pinkish mauve. The other big invader, grassy areas look out for buttercup, sorrel, japanese knotweed, can also be seen plantain, clover, dock, cowslip and around Bull Greave Beck. speedwell. 6 Wood Sorrel Common Bistort Spring is also the flowering time for trees such pussy willow, blackthorn, wild cherry and hawthorn. In summer, wetland plants include ragged Animals robin, watercress, purple loosestrife, The two largest animals you might see are meadowsweet, himalayan balsam and roe deer and foxes.