Holme Wood

Holme Wood is situated off Wakefield Road in the south-east of the City of Bradford and borders Tyersal. It is part of Tong ward. The estate is managed by Incommunities and Bradford Council. In 1996, it was one of the largest council-housing estates in West Yorkshire.{{Cite journal |last=Denton |first=John |date=1996 |title=Filling the gap: recent branch library development in Bradford |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00242539610128881/full/html |journal=Library Review |volume=45 |issue=7 |page=23|doi=10.1108/00242539610128881 }} Most of it consists of low-rise buildings, there are only two tall blocks of flats, namely Ogden House and Kelvin House on Dane Court Road.{{cite web |first=David |last=Spencer |date=8 August 2005 |title=Flats on Dane Court Road, Holme Wood |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/35213 |access-date=7 July 2017 |publisher=Geograph Britain and Ireland}} The estate is rambling; however, there are many pleasant green areas dotted around the estate, among them Valley Natural Play Park along the upper course of Holme Beck and Pit Hill Park at the boundary to the nearby village of Tong in the green belt.

File:Grazing land off Ned Lane towards Holme Wood - geograph.org.uk - 1378448.jpg

File:Holme Church, Holme Wood - geograph.org.uk - 35231.jpg

A small hamlet named Holme Shaw existed on Ned Lane, west of a forest called Holme Wood.{{cite book | url = http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/series?xCenter=3258222.50926&yCenter=3049329.16744&scale=63360&viewScale=181417.4208&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance%20Survey%20and%20Ordnance%20Survey%20of%20Scotland%20First%20Series&download=true|chapter = Sheet 88 | title = Ordnance Survey, First Series | year = 1805–1869}} Later it was simply known as Holme{{cite book | url = http://maps.nls.uk/view/91576414 | chapter = Sheet 96 - Leeds and Bradford | title = One-inch to the mile, 7th Series, 1952-1961 | publisher = Ordnance Survey | year = 1954}}{{cite book | url = http://maps.nls.uk/view/91788808 | chapter = SE13 (includes: Baildon; Bingley; Bradford; Leeds; Shipley) | title = 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain, 1937-1961 | publisher = Ordnance Survey | year = 1952}} and was part of the civil parish of Tong.{{cite web | url = http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10472453/boundary | title = Boundary Map of Tong Ch/CP | publisher = A Vision of Britain through Time|access-date=7 July 2017}} It is now part of Tong ward.{{cite web | url = http://observatory.bradford.gov.uk/resource/view?resourceId=3893 | title = BMDC Tong Ward Polling Districts | date = October 2005 | publisher = City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council | access-date = 7 July 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The etymology of Holme Shaw was identified by Albert Hugh Smith as Old English holegn ('holly-tree') and sceaga ('copse'); Holme Wood means the same.The Place-Names of the West Riding of Yorkshire, English Place-Name Society, 30–37, 8 vols (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961–63), vol. 32, p. 32. Residents refer to it as Holmewood (all one word).

The present housing estate between Dudley Hill and Ned Lane was built in the 1950s, officially opening in 1957.{{Cite web |last=Davies |first=Ali |date=30 September 2007 |title=Estate marks a golden year |url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/1726138.estate-marks-a-golden-year/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus |language=en}} The history of the estate in the twentieth century was characterised by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus as beginning as a 'pioneering housing estate', becoming 'a hot-bed of crime' around the 1980s, but undergoing 'a full regeneration programme' in the 1990s.

In September 2016, it was reported that several taxi companies had listed the estate as a 'no-go' area, due to anti-social attacks being carried out on drivers throughout 2016. Some incidents left drivers with black eyes, while others were subjected to being harassed for money after their windows were smashed in.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/14756617.yob-attacks-on-cab-drivers-lead-to-estate-boycott/|title=Yob attacks on cab drivers lead to estate boycott|work=Bradford Telegraph and Argus| date = 22 September 2016|access-date=28 February 2019}}

Subsequent to the taxi boycott, concerted efforts by Bradford South policing district, and by youth workers, have claimed some success in reducing anti-social behaviour on the estate. Some work has been funded by Comic Relief and has involved partnerships with Bradford City football club and Bradford Bulls rugby league club.{{cite news

| url = https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/15030046.efforts-being-made-to-rid-bradfords-holme-wood-estate-of-crime-and-anti-social-behaviour/| title = Efforts being made to rid Bradford's Holme Wood estate of crime and anti-social behaviour| last = Mead |first= Helen| date = 18 January 2017| access-date = 22 October 2019|newspaper = Bradford Telegraph & Argus}}

Pockets of Holme Wood are in the top 5% and 1% of the Governments Index of Deprivation (2015).{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2015|title =English indices of deprivation 2015|publisher=Department for Communities and Local Government|date=30 September 2015|access-date=11 December 2016}} The ethnic origin of vast majority of the population of the estate is White British; however, the number of residents belonging to ethnic minority groups has increased over recent years especially the British Pakistani community. Of the residents of Tong Ward, to which Holme Wood belongs, 82.8% were born in the United Kingdom, 0.4% in the Republic of Ireland, 3.1% in other EU countries, and 13.6% outside the EU.{{cite web|url=http://www.ilivehere.co.uk/statistics-holme-wood-bradford-18617.html|title=Holme Wood, Bradford|access-date=11 December 2016}}

Holme Wood is the birthplace of actresses Sophie McShera{{cite news|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/news_behind/4777444.Future_is_bright_for_girls_on_film/ |title=Future is bright for girls on film|work=Telegraph & Argus|date= 4 December 2009 |access-date=17 May 2012}} and Jennifer Metcalfe.{{cite web|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/2149079.make_me_the_mcqueen_of_soaps/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211182711/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/2149079.make_me_the_mcqueen_of_soaps/ |title=Make me the McQueen of soaps! |work=Telegraph & Argus |date=27 March 2008 |access-date=17 May 2012 |archive-date=11 February 2011 |url-status=live }}

Holme Wood is the setting of much of the 2021 film Ali & Ava.{{Cite web |last=Clayton |first=Emma |date=16 October 2021 |title=Holme Wood residents in cast of film that's 'love letter to Bradford' |url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/19650475.northern-premiere-ali-ava-held-bradford/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus |language=en}}

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Category:Areas of Bradford

Category:Housing estates in England