River Worth

River Worth
Bridge over River Worth – Coney Lane, Keighley
Country	England
Physical characteristics
Main source	Watersheddles Reservoir, Lancashire 329 metres (1,079 ft) 53°50′17″N 2°2′49″W / 53.83806°N 2.04694°W / 53.83806; -2.04694 (Source of River Worth)
River mouth	River Aire, Keighley 88 metres (289 ft) 53°52′31″N 1°53′7″W / 53.87528°N 1.88528°W / 53.87528; -1.88528 (Mouth of River Worth)Coordinates: 53°52′31″N 1°53′7″W / 53.87528°N 1.88528°W / 53.87528; -1.88528 (Mouth of River Worth)
Length	15.2 kilometres (9.4 mi)
Basin features
Basin size	87.3 km2 (33.7 sq mi)

River Worth

Watersheddles Reservoir overflow channels Little Spring Dyke Dean Clough Whitestone Clough Ponden Clough Beck Ponden Reservoir overflow channel Ponden Lane Ponden Mill Scar Top Road Lumb Beck Lumbfoot Road Sladen Beck Footbridge Lord Lane Springhead Mill Springhead Road Hebble Row Worth Valley Railway Bridgehouse Beck Dry Clough Mytholmes Lane Mytholmes Mill Damems Mill Damems railway station Ingrow Bridge Mill A629 road Former mill Gingerbread Clough Woodhouse Lane Footbridge North Beck Park Lane Great Northern Road Gresley Road Low Mill Lane Keighley railway station (K&WVLR) Footbridge Airedale line Dalton Road A650 road Aireworth Road River Aire River Aire

The River Worth is a river in West Yorkshire, England. It flows from minor tributaries on the moors above Watersheddles Reservoir down the Worth Valley to Haworth, where it is joined by Bridgehouse Beck which flows from Oxenhope. The River Worth is itself a tributary of the River Aire, which it joins at the end of the Worth Valley in Keighley.

Course

There are many small streams that feed Watersheddles Reservoir (yards over the border in Lancashire) from which the River Worth is fed. From the reservoir, the river flows east into Ponden Reservoir into the town of Haworth where it is joined by Bridgehouse Beck. It then flows east north-east through the suburbs of Keighley into the town centre where north beck flows into it, it then continues down towards Stockbridge where it joins the River Aire. The typical river level range where it joins the River Aire is between 9 inches (0.22 m) and 3 feet 3 inches (1 m).^[1]

Natural history

The river was once very polluted, but the lack of local industry nowadays has seen the river become much cleaner and it supports many forms of wildlife throughout its course. Herons, kingfishers and dippers are now a common sight. The river currently has a population of small brown trout and grayling, but they are restricted to certain parts by a number of high weirs left behind from its industrial past.^[2]

History

The river provided power for the wool and clothing mills. Woollen and worsted manufacture was introduced here with the first cotton-mill erected in 1780.

Leisure

The river valley is home to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Bradford City Council have marked out a short/middle (circular) distance walk along the valley called The Worth Way.^[3] Angling is also allowed by permit at certain places along the river.

Lists

Gallery

River Worth Images

Small brown trout from the River Worth 

Footbridge over the River Worth near Lumbfoot 

Bronte Way footbridge over the infant River Worth 

Keighley - footpath alongside River Worth 

River Worth - Coney Lane, Keighley 

River Worth and Weir 

Sources

Ordnance Survey Open Data

References