Mirfield Cut

Lake, Pool, Pond, Freshwater Marsh in Yorkshire

England

Mirfield Cut

Veolia depot, Ravensthorpe Road A plant depot for the waste collection firm. — Veolia depot, Ravensthorpe Road Credit: Stephen Craven

Mirfield Cut is a man-made waterway located in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. It serves as a canal link between the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the Huddersfield Broad Canal. The cut was constructed in the 18th century to facilitate transportation of goods, particularly coal, between the local industries and the wider canal network.

Spanning approximately 2.5 miles in length, Mirfield Cut is classified as a canal, but it resembles more of a river or a stream due to its flowing water. It is surrounded by lush greenery, with trees and vegetation lining its banks. The water in the cut is freshwater, making it suitable for various aquatic life forms.

The cut also features several locks, which were originally used to manage water levels and enable boats to navigate through the different elevation points. These locks, including Shepley Bridge Lock and Battyeford Lock, add visual interest to the area and provide opportunities for recreational boating and canal cruising.

Mirfield Cut also serves as a habitat for a variety of wildlife. The surrounding freshwater marshes and ponds attract numerous bird species, including ducks, swans, and herons. Additionally, the cut is home to fish, such as roach, perch, and pike, which thrive in its clean and unpolluted waters.

Today, Mirfield Cut is not only valued for its historical significance but also as a tranquil and picturesque destination for leisure activities. Visitors can enjoy walks along the towpaths, observe the diverse flora and fauna, and even try their hand at fishing. The cut offers a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life and provides a natural haven for both humans and wildlife alike.

Show me another place!

If you have any feedback on the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

Mirfield Cut Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 53.67334/-1.6851138 or Grid Reference SE2019. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Veolia depot, Ravensthorpe Road

A plant depot for the waste collection firm.

Stephen Craven

Thornhill LNW Junction

In the 19th and early 20th centuries this is named on maps as Dewsbury Junction. In those days the Calder Valley main line was four tracks bearing right here towards Wakefield and Normanton, a very busy freight route, and the two tracks to the left to Dewsbury and Leeds were less important. Now the Leeds route is a main passenger artery, soon to be expanded to four tracks (with Ravensthorpe station seen here being relocated) while the Wakefield route sees far less traffic. Little has changed since my last view of the junction nearly five years earlier SE2219 : Ravensthorpe station from the road bridge except the addition of some control equipment (left foreground).

Stephen Craven

No Mooring sign by Greenwood Lock

The reason for the ban on mooring at this point is that there is a major storm sewer outfall just below this concrete headwall. See SE2219 : River Calder downstream of Greenwood Lock .

Stephen Craven

Riverbank path opposite Greenwood Lock

A public footpath on the south bank of the Calder.

Stephen Craven

Double bridge near Lady Wood Bottom (1)

The nearer bridge carried a vehicle track down to Greenwood Bridge on the river Calder (no longer extant). The further one carries the main Calder Valley railway line. There were old mineshafts in Lady Wood beyond the railway and I presume these bridges allowed coal to be brought down to the river for loading onto barges. See SE2219 : Fenced off arch , Ravensthorpe for the arch of this first bridge.

Stephen Craven

Double bridge near Lady Wood Bottom (2)

The right hand bridge carried a vehicle track, now totally overgrown, down to Greenwood Bridge on the river Calder (no longer extant). The left hand one carries the main Calder Valley railway line. There were old mineshafts in Lady Wood beyond the railway and I presume these bridges allowed coal to be brought down to the river for loading onto barges. See SE2219 : Fenced off arch , Ravensthorpe for the arch of the right hand bridge and SE2219 : Double bridge near Lady Wood Bottom (1) for a view through them.

Stephen Craven

Steps down to the river near Lady Wood Bottom

The steps connect a bridleway running along the top of the railway embankment with the public footpath along the river bank.

Stephen Craven

Bridleway alongside the railway

The bridleway crosses the railway a little further on by means of a bridge.

Stephen Craven

Calder Valley railway tracks at Lady Wood Bottom

There are currently three tracks here: there used to be four SE2219 : The Calder Valley main line (1) and plans to upgrade the Manchester-Leeds corridor will see a fourth track reinstated.

Stephen Craven

Retaining wall at Lady Wood Bottom

The wall retains the railway embankment; the 1907 map shows three (presumably narrow gauge) railway tracks between the wall and the river bank, related to a nearby mine.

Stephen Craven

Former mine entrance?

Local contributor Humphrey Bolton describes the small arch within a wall to the left of the photo as a drainage adit SE2219 : Railway drainage heading, Hopton, Mirfield and further to the right behind the tree is another one that may have been the actual mine entrance SE2219 : Partial bridge, Hopton, Mirfield shown on the 1907 1:2500 map at SE22111961 with a single narrow gauge mineral line splitting into three tracks to a riverside wharf.

Stephen Craven

River Calder below Greenwood Weir

The river is non-navigable at this point, being bypassed by Greenwood Cut.

Stephen Craven

Greenwood Weir from downstream

The river is non-navigable at this point, being bypassed by Greenwood Cut. See SE2119 : River Calder Barrage, Mirfield for a view of the full length of the weir from above.

Stephen Craven

Power line termination

A pair of three-phase lines terminates near the river bank, suggesting that cable are laid under the river.

Stephen Craven

The Ship Inn at Shepley Bridge

A Greene King house.

Stephen Craven

Shepley Bridge - top

A bridge carrying a road over the river Calder. Resurfacing seemed to be in progress.

Stephen Craven

Shepley Bridge

A bridge carrying a road over the river Calder. See SE2119 : Shepley Bridge for a closer view of the structure.

Stephen Craven

Swans on the Calder at Shepley Bridge

The River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire. The Calder rises on the eastern slopes of the Pennines flows through alternating countryside, former woollen-mill villages, and large and small towns before joining the River Aire near Castleford, 45 miles later. The river's valley is generally known as the Calder Valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the large urban and rural borough (centred on Halifax) through which the upper river flows. The lower reaches flow through the boroughs of Kirklees (based on Huddersfield) and Wakefield. However, the river does not flow through the centres of Halifax and Huddersfield, which are on the Calder's main tributaries, the River Hebble and River Colne respectively. The only large town centres through which the Calder flows are Brighouse, Mirfield, Dewsbury and Wakefield.

Stephen Craven

Show me another place!

Mirfield Cut is located at Grid Ref: SE2019 (Lat: 53.67334, Lng: -1.6851138)

Division: West Riding

Unitary Authority: Kirklees

Police Authority: West Yorkshire