Huddersfield, West Yorkshire (confluence point)

Geography Cat is delighted to receive this postcard from one of his fellow felines, Felix. As you may know, Felix is Senior Pest Controller at Huddersfield Railway Station. She is well loved by hundreds of thousands of fans across the world for her beauty and grace of course, but also for her wit and wisdom. Felix is a published author and does much work for charity. She is an inspiration! You can find out more about Felix the Huddersfeild Station Cat vis her Facebook page.

Huddersfield is a hidden gem, tucked into the confluence of the Rivers Holme and Colne, in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. Geography Cat’s human assistant lived, studied and worked there for many years and is rightly fond of the town.

 

 

A confluence is the point at which two rivers meet. Industrial and market towns have frequently developed at confluence points because of the ample supply of water for transport, industry and human use. One of Geography Cat’s favourite confluence points is the confluence of the Rio Solimões with the Rio Negro (two tributaries of the River Amazon). Notice in the picture below how the sediment carried by each of those two rivers is different in colour and how they very slowly mingle together as the rivers join:

 

 

Huddersfield is known for its role during the Industrial Revolution. Luddites, who began in Geography Cat’s home town of Nottingham, became involved with industrial disputes across the country, including the assassination of a Hudderfield mill owner, William Horsfall.

 

 

Now, Huddersfield is an example of what is called a “former mill-town”; some of the mill buildings remain but the jobs associated with the textile trade have mostly disappeared. The mills themselves are sometimes converted into offices or apartments. This is making a new use for a brownfield site, one that was previously used and is now disused, or even derelict. See this example, Titanic Mill:

 

 

Thanks again to Felix for putting her paw print on Geography Cat’s Project Postcard map.