The Hol Beck
The Hol Beck, which lends its name to the area, is a watercourse that runs across the north of the conservation area of Holbeck Urban Village.
Hol Beck: Past
Before the arrival of entrepreneurs such as John Marshall and Mathew Murray, the Hol Beck had been a small insignificant watercourse passing through a hamlet on the outskirts of Leeds. This small stretch of water would be used to power some of the most radical forward thinking industrial enterprises of the nineteenth century.
By 1890, after years of being canalized and culverted the Hol Beck had almost disappeared from sight but could still be seen beyond the Water Lane / Holbeck Lane junction.
Hol Beck: Present
Hol Beck runs parallel to Water Lane and the Tower Works development and is at present under-preserved and largely neglected.
It is a watercourse that has a water channel, setted floor and stone walls. There are numerous crossings including a cast iron bridge dating back to 1849 that has since become a Grade II listed fixture and spans a section of the Beck that has recently been uncovered.
