The floodwaters subsided almost 70 years ago.
But the 1944 Holmfirth flood is still etched into the minds of the town’s older residents.
Now their memories are captured in ‘A Wall of Water: the tragic past of Holmfirth’s Summer Wine Town’, a film by Holme Valley filmmaker Mike Wade.
The 65-minute DVD release, which explores Holmfirth’s picturesque – and vulnerable – setting includes interviews with 17 eyewitnesses to the catastrophe that claimed three lives and led to the evacuation of 100 people.
A Wall of Water also contains rarely seen photos by Harry Bray of the disaster which struck on May 29, 1944.
A violent cloudburst at about 6.30pm caused Bilberry Reservoir to burst its banks, unleashing a raging torrent which swept away bridges, shops and other buildings.
The River Holme in Holmfirth rose to a height of 18ft while a large stretch of Woodhead Road caved in and buildings collapsed along Hollowgate, Towngate and Victoria Street.
Many believe the 1944 death toll would have been much higher had more people been at work, rather than enjoying their Whit Monday holiday.
The flood – one of many in the town’s history – was the worst since the ‘Great Flood’ of February 1852 which claimed 81 lives.
In A Wall of Water, Wade argues that Holmfirth’s picturesque location, which helped make the comedy a success, was also responsible for the flooding which brought much suffering to the town.
A Wall of Water is available from Amazon.co.uk or Holmfirth Tourist Office, Huddersfield Road, priced �10.
