Short Guided Tour - 29
Water has great significance for the area. Initially, water was of vital importance to rear livestock on the many local farms.
Later, during the industrial revolution, it provided a means to power the mills, first by waterwheel and later by steam engine. It was also used to wash the cotton and wool in the mills and later in paper making.
To the West of the village, Keighley Moor, situated on the top of the Pennine Hills, acts as a large water catchment area.
A combination of the high rainfall and the ability of the peat moors to absorb, retain and deliver water over a long period of time, have ensured a continuous supply of soft water throughout the year.
To harness the water an ingenious series of weirs, gates, goits (channels), dams and sluices were constructed. Vestiges of these constructions are still clearly visible, often buried in the undergrowth.
Laycock village, Holme House and the outlying properties all had their own Springs or Wells to provide drinking water.
Laycock Streams - Overview
