Hebden Bridge
Steep hills with fast-flowing streams and access to major wool markets meant that Hebden Bridge was ideal for water-powered weaving mills and the town developed during the 19th and 20th centuries; it is said that at one time Hebden was known as "Trouser Town" because of the large amount of clothing manufacturing.During the 1970s and 1980s the town saw an influx of artists, writers, photographers, musicians, alternative practitioners, teachers, Green and New Age activists and more recently, wealthier 'yuppie' types [citation needed].[9] On 31 December 1894 Hebden Bridge became a civil parish formed from Wadsworth, Heptonstall, Erringden and Stansfield.Recently, it has attracted praise for its commitment to eco-friendly policies,[14] following the example of Modbury in effectively banning all plastic shopping bags, thus becoming the largest community in Europe to do so.[15] Hebden Bridge Town Hall and adjoining fire station is a Grade II listed building, built in 1898.[16] The building was transferred from Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council to Hebden Bridge Community Association on a 40-year lease (now extended to 125 years) on 1 April 2010, along with funds for basic maintenance work.[18] Hebden Bridge lies close to the Pennine Way and Hardcastle Crags and is popular for outdoor pursuits such as walking, climbing and cycling.Brearley on a flood plain contains the playing fields for Calder High School and local football, rugby league and cricket teams.Demand for new houses is also a contentious issue as many of the sites for proposed development are areas such as fields or woodland that some local residents feel should be left as they are.[40] In December 2016, Hebden Bridge won the "Great British High Street Award" in the "Small Market Town" category, after most shops, cafes and businesses had bounced back better and more flood resilient than before the Boxing Day floods 2015; Hebden Bridge also won a second award as the People's Choice.[43][44] Hughes was born in neighbouring Mytholmroyd, and his former home Lumb Bank on the outskirts of Hebden Bridge is run as a creative writing centre by the Arvon Trust.[46] The band The Dream Academy filmed the first video for their hit single "Life in a Northern Town" in Hebden Bridge in 1984.[48] The BBC One crime drama series Happy Valley, written by Huddersfield-born Sally Wainwright, broadcast in 2014-2023, was filmed and set in and around the town.Local landmarks, such as the graveyard at St Thomas the Apostle Church, the canal and the landscapes provided a backdrop to the narrative.In the 1980s and 90s, the club became a renowned World Music destination for touring bands from Africa and elsewhere, including Thomas Mapfumo, Ali Farka Touré, and John Chibadura.[53] Until 2014, the town hosted the Hebden Bridge Blues Festival[54] during the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May.[61] Hebden Bridge railway station lies on the Calder Valley Line between Manchester Victoria and Leeds City.
West YorkshireOS grid referenceLondonCivil parishHebden RoydMetropolitan boroughCalderdaleMetropolitan countyRegionYorkshire and the HumberCountryEnglandSovereign statePost townPostcode districtDialling codePoliceAmbulanceYorkshireUK ParliamentCalder Valleymarket townUpper Calder ValleyHalifaxRochdaleconfluenceRiver CalderHebden WaterOld TownTodmordenHeptonstallBurnleypackhorseAnglo-Saxonweaving millsThomas Frederick WorrallIndustrial RevolutionRochdale CanalSowerby BridgeManchesterManchester & Leeds RailwayLancashire & Yorkshire RailwayPicture HouseUrban Districtcooperative societydefraudedbankruptsupermarketNew Ageyuppietourismcommuter townPenninesFairtrade ZoneTour de FranceHebden Bridge Town HallchapelryWadsworthErringdenStansfieldMytholmroydWest Riding of YorkshireLocal Government Act 1972metropolitan boroughparish councileco-friendlyModburylisted buildingHardcastle CragsNational TrustPennine WayCalderdale Wayfloodingcinemasewage worksfactoryflood plainCalder High Schoolfootballrugby leaguecricketback-to-back housesflying freeholdlesbianintentional communitynuclear familychildcarelesbian feminismhomonormativeassimilationBritish AirwaysasbestosCape Insulation Ltdgas maskWestmorlandWorld in ActionTed HughesTalk TalkThe Dream AcademyLife in a Northern TownHaddawayBBC OneHappy ValleyHuddersfieldSally WainwrightSteve CooganpodcastAlan PartridgeThomas MapfumoAli Farka TouréJohn ChibaduraHeavenly RecordingsSpring Bank HolidayBritish Blues AwardsBogshedQueen's Award for Voluntary ServiceBBC YorkshireITV YorkshireEmley MoorBBC Radio LeedsGreatest Hits Radio West YorkshireHeart YorkshireCapital YorkshireHebden Bridge railway stationCalder Valley LineManchester Victoria