There has been a weir at Hirst Mill on the River Aire, Shipley for more than 750 years. Whilst it no longer provides power for a mill it now provides a particularly picturesque length of slack water suitable for the sports of rowing, canoeing, fishing and recreational walking and cycling.
The weir is owned by Hirst Weir Limited (HWL) - a company limited by guarantee and with the charitable aims of maintaining the weir to support the sport of rowing and other recreational uses. .

In the July 2012 floods the weir suffered significant damage and emergency repairs were carried out. However, Hirst Weir now requires major repair work to prevent its further collapse.