History of the River Aire

The River Aire is the longest Yorkshire river and rises a short distance from the source of the River Ribble.

Its course passes through coalfields and the greater part of its length became highly industrialised such that, together with the Don, Rother and Calder, it was instrumental in the making of modern Yorkshire though this was at the expense of the quality of the river itself. A local piece of doggerel inspired by the meeting of the Aire with the Calder stating ‘That's why the Castleford girls are so fair, they bathe in the Calder and dry in the Aire' was evidently penned long before pollution became a serious problem. At one point the river was so fouled that it was unable to sustain any form of wildlife whatsoever, a situation that has dramatically been turned for the better in recent years.

Between Bank Dole and the River Ouse the 22.5 miles of River Aire was once the main route from Leeds to the Humber. Compared with the long straight artificial cuts along the Aire & Calder Navigation the River Aire follows a very twisting route. The lower reaches of the river were always difficult to navigate and the construction of the Selby Canal between Haddlesey and Selby together with the later cut from Knottingley to Goole, rendered the Aire virtually redundant. The tidal section from Haddlesey to the Ouse at Asselby Island became inaccessible following the closure of Haddlesey Old Lock.