Keighley Tarn

Keighley Tarn
Redcar Tarn
A small lake with a wooden landing dock in the left foreground
Jetty, Redcar Tarn
Interactive map of Keighley 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]

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

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

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

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

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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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