Denis: Villages that met a watery end

Oct 13 2009 by Denis Kilcommons

THE Holme Valley has an underwater village. But what was it called?

A reader has asked me about it and I believe it lies beneath the waters of Holme Styes reservoir near Holmfirth. Take Dunford Road out of the town, turn off to the right on Choppards Bank Road, continue along Cote Lane and the reservoir is down in the valley on the right.

It's a lovely spot and perfect for walks. Cross the reservoir at the far end and walk up through the woods to the gates of Hell. Well, actually the ruins of the village of Hades.

To be totally accurate, it wasn’t exactly pronounced in the two syllable biblical manner that denotes the kingdom of the devil. You say the word with one syllable and a silent “e”, as in Hade Edge, which is nearby. Hade with an “s” on the end.

It’s many years ago since I last walked through Hades (I still pronounce it the biblical manner) and on a quiet autumn day it was very atmospheric. The ruins of buildings and outline of what had once been a thriving little hamlet was still to be seen. Stand quietly and imagine the lives of 100 years past.

Of course, many homesteads have fallen into decay over the years and some have been sacrificed for reservoirs. When Bilberry Reservoir was extended in the 1930s and Digley was built, Digley Mill and Bilberry Mill were both lost beneath the waters.

On a walk round Digley you past ruins of a house and an old track that runs straight into the water; a track to the past.

But what was the village called that is now beneath Holme Styes Reservoir? Was it Holme Styes? Who were the people who lived there, how big was the village, where did its people go and when did it meet its watery end?

Can anyone help?