Here’s the latest newsletter from Calderdale Heritage Walks (full details on their website www.calderdaleheritagewalks.org.uk/) covering the early to mid summer period.
TWO WALKS WHICH MUST BE PRE-BOOKED – These are in late June and early August. The first is the “Outlaws & Nuns” walk at Kirklees Estate on the last weekend in June. That is the only opportunity in the year to visit this private estate and be guided round the fine old buildings, the former Nunnery site and Robin Hood’s Grave. There will be walks on both the Saturday and Sunday.
The second is the visit to Dobroyd Castle on Sunday 2 August. It is our first time there and we are grateful to the owners for allowing us to have access that afternoon. The walk to the castle will be through the fine woodlands and, at the Castle, the party will be guided round the exterior of this Victorian building created by the Fieldens, part of the ground floor interior and parts of the gardens. Booking opens 29 June.
Both these two walks MUST be pre-booked through Hebden Bridge Visitor Centre, Butler’s Wharf, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8AF. Bookings can be made in person, by phone on 01422 843831 (fee for card transactions), or by post with full payment and a reply paid envelope (cheques to ‘Calderdale MBC’). Further details are sent out with the tickets. There’s more information in our printed programme and on the website.
Please note that dogs can NOT be allowed on these two walks and it will NOT be possible to just ‘turn up on the day’ as we are obliged to control the numbers at these particular sites.
THE ‘MARKETS’ WALK
This covers several market locations, past and present, in central Halifax. Following several requests, it is being repeated on Sat. 11 July. We plan to include a ‘behind the scenes’ look at one of the original houses in the present Borough Market building (subject to Market staff availability). This is a rare opportunity to see into one of those houses. £3 as usual, no booking needed. (Note this is a Saturday walk).
OTHER UPCOMING WALKS for the next 3 months include:
King Cross & Queens Rd., Halifax. – How an outer Halifax area developed in the century from 1850.
Hipperholme – once a ‘town’ in its own right, now more like suburbia. Many interesting items to see.
Midgley – A great example of a moorland edge hill-village which has also adapted to changes.
Heptonstall – A gem of a village with history back to mediaeval times still there to be seen.
Hebden Bridge – Looking at the varied forms of transport there and how they all developed.
Cliffe Hill – A chance to see the outside and grounds of this house with Lister and Walker connections. Wainstalls Mills – Tracing textile mill developments there from water-powered to mid 20th century.
Hoo Hole – Some lesser known corners of Mytholmroyd – many of which have interesting histories.
Soyland – Another of these hill villages which have been there for centuries – and it shows !
Popples and Slack (beyond Heptonstall) are under the microscope in mid August on a longer walk.
Wainstalls village completes Iain Cameron’s two visits exploring that village and its outer areas.
More details on all those are in the printed programme and on our website.
CALDERDALE’S BUILDINGS
Our walks inevitably include lots of buildings of many types, but had you realised how rich in buildings the area is ? The list below details some of the more important ones in Calderdale having national standing.
OUR TOP 10 BUILDINGS ETC. WHICH ARE OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
The 15th century Halifax Minster, Grade 1 listed.
All Souls Church, Haley Hill, Halifax designed by Scott, Grade 1 listed.
Halifax Town Hall by Barrie – one of the top 10 Town Halls in the country.
The Piece Hall – the only complete major Cloth Hall left in the country, Grade 1 listed.
Wainhouse Tower – Listed, and it is the tallest folly in the whole country.
The first trans-Pennine railway line and, alongside it, a trans-pennine canal – both still in use.
The Upper Calder Area has almost half the county total of houses dated between 1600 and 1749.
Heptonstall – with its 2 Churches and the oldest Wesleyan Chapel in continuous use anywhere.
Kirklees Estate, with the former Nunnery site, 15th /18th century buildings and Robin Hood’s Grave.
Todmorden Town Hall built right across the one-time County boundary, Grade 1 listed.
YET MORE INTERESTING BUILDINGS INCLUDE :
Three other Grade 1 listed churches at Elland, Sowerby and Todmorden.
Six more important houses of 17th century or earlier which are Grade 1 listed.
16 designated ‘Conservation Areas’ spread across Calderdale.
… and there are many more buildings one could add to that list !!
It does make our life a little easier to have such fine ‘raw material’ to use when compiling our walks. Can any other District of the type and size of Calderdale claim so much ? We doubt it !!
OUR WEBSITE
The site is at: www.CalderdaleHeritageWalks.org.uk. It always includes the full current walks programme plus more information (and some pictures) about us, our walks and this area.
