Hebden Royd Town Council - Access for People with Disabilities

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The effort

We are dedicated to enhancing the standard of living of each and every one of Hebden Royd's residents. Together with local community organizations and representatives from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, we intend to accomplish this goal.

Mission Statement

History

Heptonstall, a hilltop village, was the original settlement. Hebden Bridge (originally Heptenbryge) began as a settlement where the hilltop packhorse route from Halifax to Burnley dropped down into the valley. The route crossed the River Hebden near the old bridge (from which Hebden Bridge gets its name)

Trouser Town

The steep wet hills and proximity to major wool markets made Hebden Bridge ideal for water-powered weaving mills, and the town grew during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; at one point, Hebden was known as "Trouser Town." Drainage of the marshland that covered much of the Upper Calder Valley prior to the Industrial Revolution allowed for the construction of the valley's road. Previously, travel was only possible via the ancient packhorse route that ran along the hilltop, dropping into valleys as needed, as was the case with Hebden Bridge. The wool trade also gave birth to the Rochdale Canal (which runs from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester) and the Manchester and Leeds Railway (later renamed the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) (running from Leeds to Manchester and Burnley).

Cinema & offices

Hebden Bridge expanded to include a cinema and large offices for the Hebden Bridge Urban District Council. There was some debate about this because the land was originally intended to house a swimming pool. Hebden Bridge still lacks a swimming pool, though there was a small training pool for children in the adult education centre on Pitt Street for several years. Hebden Bridge had its own cooperative society as well. However, it was defrauded and went bankrupt in the 1960s. The old Co-op building was converted into a hotel and then into flats. In the 1980s, the Co-op returned with a supermarket on Market Street on the site of an old mill.

WWII

During WWII, Hebden Bridge was designated as a "reception area," accepting evacuees from industrial cities. During the war, two bombs fell on Calderdale, but they were not targeted; they were simply the emptying of the bomb load.

1970s and 1980s

During the 1970s and 1980s, the town was flooded with artists, writers, photographers, musicians, alternative practitioners, teachers, green and New Age activists, and, more recently, wealthier 'yuppies.' This resulted in an increase in tourism to the area. Because of its proximity to major towns and cities in West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, and Lancashire, Hebden Bridge became a dormitory town during the 1990s.