THIS atmospheric scene shows residents of Riddlesden grappling with what became known as “the great snowstorm” over the weekend of February 25 and 26 in 1933. A Mr Taylor of Hill Top Cottages, Riddlesden, spent five hours digging his way out to the main road!
Heavy snows combined with driving wind caused chaos. There were 12-foot drifts on the road to Denholme, and eight feet at Bogthorn. The Stanbury bus had to be abandoned near Haworth Cemetery, and by Sunday there were no buses at all. Cowling and upper Worth Valley communities were cut off.
Saturday sports fixtures were postponed, telephone services disrupted and hardly anybody came shopping in Keighley. The weight of snow brought down gutters, broke windows and skylights and damaged roofs. Some school premises were so badly affected that they stayed shut for the following week.
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