- Hirst Lane, Shipley BD18 4NQ
- Open during daylight hours.
- Ancient Woodland
- Car parking
- River
- Walking routes
Hirst Mill Swing Bridge, Hirst Ln, Bingley, Shipley BD18 4BQ, UK
Access
what3word location: https://what3words.com/laugh.hilltop.lofts
Quick description
Hirst Wood North is an ancient woodland running down to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and River Aire with a car park and walks.
What’s there?
Hirst Wood North (14.4ha) is a remnant of an ancient woodland (hirst is Old Norse for “wooded hill) that once included Hirst Wood South and stretched uninterrupted from what is now the A650 down the valley side to the River Aire. The old wood was divided first by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at the end of the 18th century and then by the Leeds & Bradford Railway Company extension to Keighley (1847).
Visitors will find wide meandering pathways, mature native trees, an abundance of springtime wildflowers, and wildlife, including deer and otters.
History
Iron age
There is some evidence that people lived and worked in Hirst Wood in the Iron Age, around 450 BC. A holloway at the east end of Hirt Wood is thought to be associated with the nearby site of an Iron Age round house.
Hirst Mill
Hirst Mill was formerly used to grind corn during the Middle Ages, but it was later changed into a paper mill. Eventually, Sir Titus Salt acquired it to join it to his existing woollen business.
Natural history
Hirst Wood is home to a variety of wildlife, including foxes, badgers and otters. Birdlife is also abundant with sightings of woodpeckers, treecreepers, goldcrests, wrens, great spotted woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches, and tree sparrows. Invertebrates such as beetles, dragonflies and butterflies are also present, while amphibians like frogs, toads and newts can be found.