The name Denholme is probably of
Viking origin, translating to "A flat amongst the hillside". This is a good description of the town's geographical setting, since it is located in a broad side valley extending southwards from that of the
River Aire - the Aire Valley or
Airedale. However, an alternative suggestion of the word "Holme", in old Viking Danelaw, would be that of reclaimed marshland (or an "island" in a wet area) and Den or Denu, in Old English, means Valley. This would also make sense given the areas many springs, marshy terrain and situation in a valley. Denholme is also on the eastern flank of the
Pennines, commonly known as the "backbone of England", about midway along their length. The town sits on the old Roman Road from
Manchester (Mamucium or Mancunium) to
Ilkley (Olicana) though there is no evidence of any settlement then. The line of the road is visible on the ground to the south of the town, not far from St Paul's church. The first evidence of habitation in the area dates from the 13th century. There is a grant of land, dated 1239, whereby Thomas de Thornton gave grazing land at Denholme to the monks of
Byland Abbey. It is likely that the monks would have built a grange in the area and this may well have given the town its first occupants. The entire Victorian housing sites of Denholme were built by the Fosters who also built the old textile mills of Denholme. The houses were for the workers of the mills. It was common in Victorian England for wealthy businessmen to build entire towns to house the workers of their mills.
Denholme railway station opened on 1 January 1884, closing to passengers on 23 May 1955 and closed completely on 10 April 1961 when sometime after most of its buildings were demolished. The railway was built by the
Great Northern Railway (GNR) and linked
Bradford,
Keighley and
Halifax via a triangular junction at
Queensbury. The
Queensbury lines and station transferred to the
London & North Eastern Railway and, ultimately, to the
North Eastern Region of British Railways before closure. At above sea level, Denholme was the highest station on the entire GNR system. The line was mostly rural and needed the construction of many earthworks, viaducts and tunnels. Its hilly nature earned it the nicknames of "the Alpine route" or "the switchback" from its drivers. The original mills around which the town grew have now gone, though their sites have been partially re-used for light industry. Recent years have seen the closure of the bulk of the remaining manufacturing industry in the town, including specialised textiles, joinery and constructional timber. Whilst there are still employment opportunities in the shops, schools and other town services, or on the surrounding farms, the majority of working residents now commute to Bradford, Keighley, Halifax or Leeds. == Geology ==