Flooding has rarely been out of the news over the past few months.
But the terrible floods of Boxing Day were far from the scale of the floods which hit Holmfirth in 1852.
Now a group of young actors have recreated the drama of that time with a “Ghost Walk” in the centre of Holmfirth.
They were harking back to the day when the banks of the Bilberry reservoir collapsed, releasing 86 million gallons of water down the River Holme.
The appalling tragedy claimed 81 deaths and a large amount of damage to property in the valley leaving many homeless and without work.
Buildings and structures destroyed included four mills, ten dye houses, three drying stoves, 27 cottages, seven tradesmen’s houses, seven shops, seven bridges crossing the River Holme, ten warehouses, eight barns and stables.
Now a local theatre group have staged a street performance recalling those days.
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Emmy Wilde, artistic director of Oscars Theatre Academy, said: “On February 5, 1852, Holmfirth was overcome by disastrous flooding which killed more than 80 people.
“To mark the anniversary this month, youngsters from Oscars Theatre Academy in Huddersfield took part in a historical ghost walk to commemorate the event.
“The show was organised and written by Holmfirth man Gary Roberts, and the students took on roles of characters who actually lived in the town at the time.
“They took to the streets in full costume and ghostly makeup, and the students interacted with Gary as the tour guide and the public on the tour.
“It was a night with pouring rain and freezing gales, so the weather did its best to simulate the conditions of 1852 and the students brought an historic Holmfirth event back to life.”
