Folly Dolly Falls, Meltham

Geological Sites | Leeds | Bradford | Calderdale | Kirklees | Wakefield

STATUS: Local Geological Site
OTHER DESIGNATIONS: Kirklees Local Wildlife Site
COUNTY: West Yorkshire
DISTRICT: Kirklees
OS GRID REF: SE 107 113
OS 1:50,000 Landranger 110 Sheffield and Huddersfield
OS 1:25,000 Explorer 288 Bradford and Huddersfield
BGS 1:50,000 Sheet 86 Glossop
FIRST DESIGNATED by West Yorkshire LGS Group in 1996
DATE OF MOST RECENT SURVEY January 2009 by West Yorkshire Geology Trust
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION produced by Ian Chisholm
DESIGNATION SHEET UPDATED August 2009

SITE DESCRIPTION: The site is a waterfall in a small valley shaded by trees. The face of the waterfall is a massive sandstone exposure of the Upper Carboniferous Huddersfield White Rock with cross bedding. The sandstone has been faulted against shales, which include a marine band in which fossils have been found in the past. The fault plane runs in a small gully between the face of the waterfall and the shales, which have been dragged upwards as the rocks moved and are dipping steeply. The fault plane is filled with soft clay called gouge, which is easily eroded. The waterfall has been formed because the stream erodes the shales faster than it erodes the much more resistant sandstone. About 5m of the Huddersfield White Rock is exposed at Folly Dolly Falls but it is largely covered by moss and other vegetation. The exposures in the disused railway cutting to the west of the falls show cross bedding and soft sediment deformation.

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS: This site was a spectacular waterfall, as shown in a 1922 photo from the Kirklees Photo Archive, and was visited by the general public who used the halt on the Meltham railway line. The railway served the Meltham Brick and Fireclay Company works, which closed in 1985. As the Falls were also used for recreation during Victorian times and probably up to the 1930s there is an interesting social history to be discovered. The name has been changed over the years and the falls were referred to as Dolly Folly Falls in Kendall and Wroot 1924 (see reference below) on p 905.

EDUCATIONAL VALUE: Small groups of adults or students will see one of the few well-exposed faults in West Yorkshire. It has many of the characteristics of fault exposures, such as gouge in a fault gully, mineralisation and drag folding.

AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS: The little valley is largely shaded by trees which have grown up since the 1920s. Although the falls are not as spectacular as they would have been in earlier times, because water has been diverted from the stream into Blackmoorfoot Reservoir, the site is still delightful and the geology is interesting.

ACCESS AND SAFETY: There is safe access along the disused railway line from Morrison’s car park in the centre of Meltham (there is a charge unless you are a customer). Walk for about 1km along the concreted path, through cuttings in the Huddersfield White Rock. There is also access from Meltham Mills Road with parking near by along Bent Ley Road. Walk north past the lodge house, along track marked on the map. At the disused railway, climb the embankment on a small path and turn left along disused line. The falls are not visible from the line, but there is a small path just to the east of the bridge. The access path to the stream is steep and slippery and it is necessary to walk in the stream to see the exposure properly. The site is not accessible to wheel chairs.