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Keighley Tarn

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Keighley Tarn
Redcar Tarn
A small lake with a wooden landing dock in the left foreground
Jetty, Redcar Tarn
LocationKeighley, West Yorkshire
Coordinates53°52′37″N 1°56′28″W / 53.877°N 1.941°W / 53.877; -1.941
TypeTarn
Basin countriesEngland
Surface area
2 hectares (4.9 acres)
Average depth
3.6 metres (12 ft)
Water volume
73,464 cubic metres (2,594,400 cu ft)
Surface elevation
287 metres (942 ft)
References[1]
Location
Map
Interactive map of Keighley Tarn

Keighley Tarn, also known as Redcar Tarn,[2] is an upland lake 1.2 miles (2 km) north-west of Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The site is popular with bird-watchers, model boat hobbyists and star-gazers. The tarn also is maintained by Bradford Council as a nature reserve.

History

[edit]

Keighley Tarn is noted for being one of several small lakes in the Aire Valley, with Malham Tarn being recognised as the biggest, and Eshton tarn the smallest; the tarns at Bog Lane, Skipton and Sea Moor near Silsden have been lost.[3] The surrounding bedrock is in the Millstone Grit series, and consists of a type of siltstone mixed with sandstone that is known locally as Keighley Bluestone,[4][5] which was much used locally as a road surfacing stone.[6] The tarn lies on Blackhill at an altitude of 287 metres (942 ft) above sea level, and some 1.2 miles (2 km) north-west of Keighley town centre.[7][8][9] The tarn covers an area of 2 hectares (4.9 acres) at an average depth of 3.6 metres (12 ft), and has a volume of 73,464 cubic metres (2,594,400 cu ft).[1] The pH value of the water in the tarn has been recorded at 6.9 in 1993.[10]

It is thought that a larger lake existed on the current site of Keighley Tarn during the last glaciation period. Water from this lake overflowed via cutwaters southwards into the valley of the North Beck, a tributary of the River Worth.[11] Until 1865, the tarn was described as being a "swampy marsh", which the local skating club developed into a 2.8-hectare (7-acre) lake and building the clubhouse in 1873.[12] During the 1990s, the tarn was in danger of drying out, but action taken by Bradford Council stopped the tarn from being lost.[13] Bradford Council own and maintain the site as a nature reserve, although Keighley Council have expressed an interest in running the site.[14][15]

The site is a popular location with the local public;[16] when frozen over, the lake has been used for ice-skating, with a particularly cold-spell providing ice that was inches thick. This became a special event locally with local transport running to the site and car-owners using their headlamps so the skating could continue at night.[17] During the summer it is used to host model-boat events, such as the 1966 Roses Regatta model-boat competition between Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs.[18][19][13] The upland locality offers opportunities for observing the night sky.[20]

Etymology

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The tarn is often referred to as Redcar Tarn,[21][22] with Redcar first appearing in documents in 1662. The name derives from the Old Norse words of hrēod and kjarr, meaning reed marsh.[23]

Wildlife

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The tarn is noted for its wild birdlife, particularly gulls,[24] canada geese, tufted duck, coot, greylag goose, goldeneye, lapwing, teal, heron, cormorant and caspian gull.[19][25] The freshwater crustacean gammarus pulex has been observed in the tarn.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Redcar Tarn Water body ID 30366". uklakes.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  2. ^ Blair, Don (2003). Exploring Lakeland tarns : a complete guide. Keswick: Lakeland Manor. p. 9. ISBN 0954390415.
  3. ^ "MEMORY LANE: Winter saw skaters make tracks for Keighley Tarn". Keighley News. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  4. ^ Dakyns, J. R. (August 1877). "II A sketch of the geology of Keighley, Skipton & Grassington". Geological Magazine. New Series. IV (VIII). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 382. OCLC 655076060.
  5. ^ "Keighley Bluestone". webapps.bgs.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  6. ^ Stephens, J. V., ed. (1953). Geology of the Country Between Bradford and Skipton. London: HMSO. pp. 48, 54. OCLC 5097198.
  7. ^ "OL21" (Map). South Pennines. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 978-0-319-24260-5.
  8. ^ Bartholomew gazetteer of places in Britain. Edinburgh: Bartholomew. 1986. p. 202. ISBN 0702807311.
  9. ^ "Model makers banned from beauty spot". infoweb.newsbank.com. 24 June 2000. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  10. ^ a b Fryer, Geoffrey (1993). The freshwater Crustacea of Yorkshire: a faunistic and ecological survey. Leeds: Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. p. 38. ISBN 0952163810.
  11. ^ Stephens, J. V., ed. (1953). Geology of the Country Between Bradford and Skipton. London: HMSO. p. 132. OCLC 5097198.
  12. ^ Speight, Harry (1891). Through Airedale from Goole to Malham. London: Elliott Stock. p. 194. OCLC 5824116.
  13. ^ a b Knights, David (29 June 2001). "Festival: Fute is bright for model sailors". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  14. ^ Rahman, Miran (7 June 2018). "Work begins to enable Keighley Town Council to take over management of Redcar Tarn". Keighley News. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  15. ^ "Information about Bradford's biodiversity". City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  16. ^ Rahman, Mirhan (7 June 2018). "Work begins to enable Keighley Town Council to take over management of Redcar Tarn". Keighley News. Retrieved 8 April 2026. It's a popular site, but it's an asset that has had very little spent on it.
  17. ^ Shand, Alistair (26 February 2021). "Sun or snow, people and wildlife have always been drawn to Keighley Tarn". Keighley News. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  18. ^ Smeed, V. E., ed. (February 1966). "In the tideway - regatta dates". Model Maker & Model Boats. 176 (182). Hemel Hempstead: Model Aeronautical Press: 55. ISSN 0026-7333. OCLC 1063403965.
  19. ^ a b "Redcar Tarn, Keighley". group.rspb.org.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  20. ^ "Observation evening Redcar Tarn 4th December 2013". keighleyastronomicalsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  21. ^ Stephens, J. V., ed. (1953). Geology of the Country Between Bradford and Skipton. London: HMSO. p. 53. OCLC 5097198.
  22. ^ Bartholomew gazetteer of places in Britain. Edinburgh: J. Bartholomew. 1986. p. 202. ISBN 0702807311.
  23. ^ Smith, A. H. (1961). The place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire : East and West Staincliffe and Ewcross Wapentakes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 10. OCLC 1554286778.
  24. ^ "Keighley: Gull gets plughole strainer stuck on beak". BBC News. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  25. ^ "Information about Bradford's biodiversity". www.bradford.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
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