Heptonstall, a community perched on a hill, served as the founding settlement. When the Halifax to Burnley packhorse path dipped into the valley and crossed the River Hebden where the old bridge (from which it derives its name) remains, Hebden Bridge bridge gate (Heptenbryge) was first established. The word "Hebden" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Bramble (or maybe Wild Rose) Valley," Heopa Denu as stated in the earliest Hebden Bridge historical facts. Hebden Bridge was perfect for water-powered weaving mills because of its steep hills, swift-moving streams, and proximity to important wool markets in calder valley. The town grew during the 19th and 20th centuries; at one point, Hebden was referred to as "Trouser Town" due to the significant amount of clothing production. Additionally, Hebden Bridge expanded to incorporate a Picture House in town centre with 500 seats and Hebden Bridge Urban District Council offices.

Local history society in West Yorkshire

Hebden Bridge doesn't have a pool; however, there used to be a kid-sized training pool in the adult education building on Pitt Street with a local history group. Although Hebden Bridge had a cooperative organization, it was cheated and went out of business in the 1960s. The former Co-op building was first turned into a hotel and then into apartments. On the site of a former mill, The Co-op opened a supermarket on Market Street in the 1980s. Hebden Bridge in upper calder valley served as a "receiving area" for refugees from industrial cities during the Second World War. The town experienced an inflow of artists, writers, musicians, photographers, and other creatives in the 1970s and 1980s during industrial revolution. More recently, wealthy 'yuppies' have also moved into the area. This led to an increase in local tourism. Due to its close proximity to important towns and cities on both sides of the Pennines and its superior train connections to Manchester, Bradford, and Leeds, Hebden Bridge transformed into a dormitory town in the 1990s. Hebden Bridge received Fairtrade Zone designation on July 6, 2003. Stage 2 of 2014 began on July 6, 2014.

Governance

Hebden Bridge Urban District was founded as a district in 1894. The council joined in 1937. Built-in 1898, the Hebden Bridge Town Hall and adjacent fire station are both Grade II listed structures.

Geography

The Pennine Way and Hardcastle Crags are nearby, and Hebden Bridge is a popular destination for outdoor activities like cycling, climbing, and walking. It is located alongside the Rochdale Canal, a thoroughfare that spans the Pennines. The village is located along Calderdale Way, an 80-kilometer (50-mile) circular walk that circles the hills and valleys of Calderdale. The Pennine Way connects to the Calderdale Way through the "Hebden Bridge Loop."

Flooding: Hebden Bridge historical facts

Since the town is situated in a valley, flooding issues are particularly problematic between Hebden Water and the nearby movie theater on New Road, at Brearley Fields in Mytholmroyd, and further up the valley at Callis Bridge by the sewage treatment facility and the former Aquaspersions factory. Callis Bridge frequently floods, thus the River Calder's level has been lowered and unique perforated kerbstones have been installed to allow water to escape back into the river. The fields for the local football, rugby league, and cricket clubs, as well as Calder High School, are located in Brearley on a flood plain. Devastating floods struck Hebden Bridge twice, once on Boxing Day 2015 and once in the summer of 2012.

Demography

It's a popular spot to live in Hebden Bridge. However, due to deep valleys and scarcity of flat terrain, space is limited. This resulted in "upstairs-downstairs" homes, also known as "over and under residences," in the past (cf the back-to-back houses in nearby industrial cities). These were four to five-story terraced homes. The rear wall of the lower stories is against the hillside, while the top ones face uphill. The upper 2-3 floors would be another house, and the lowest 2 stories would be one house. This also gave rise to novel legal structures like the "flying freehold," in which the under-dwelling fully owns the shared floor and ceiling. The 1990s saw a change in population that increased the need for housing. For a number of reasons, this has proven to be very contentious. Due to the scarcity of homes, prices have increased significantly (a house worth £54,000 in 1998 was worth approximately £150,000 in 2004). As many of the locations for proposed development include regions like fields or woodland that some local residents feel should be left as they are, the demand for new homes is also a sensitive topic. In addition to drawing artists, Hebden Bridge has also drawn a tiny New Age community. Lesbians found it to be appealing as a place of shared assistance to raise children in the 1980s and 1990s. Hebden Bridge had the highest ratio of lesbians to the population in the UK as of 2004. Hebden Bridge was dubbed "contemporary and fashionable in an odd and sophisticated way" and ranked as the fourth quirkiest location in the world by High Life (the British Airways flight magazine) in April 2005. The village was included in the 2009 movie Shed Your Tears And Walk Away, which made contentious allegations regarding the town's levels of drug and alcohol misuse and the deaths of young people as a result.

Economy

As of 2017One of the top clog producers in the country is Walkley's, Clog Mill. It relocated from Falling Royd, where it had been located, to a location on Midgley Road in Mytholmroyd. Owned by Cape Insulation Ltd., Acre Mill was an asbestos manufacturing facility near the Old Town area on a hill. In order to address the demand, it opened in 1939. Hebden Bridge has earned a reputation for having "wonderful tiny shops," and for a town of its size in the UK, it has an unusually high density of independent stores, including over 20 cafes and tea rooms, over 20 pubs, micro pubs, and restaurants. Hebden Bridge received plaudits for its local stores and distinctive shopping experience in a 2010 national poll by the New Economics Foundation, which ranked the town sixth on a scale measuring diversity. Hebden Bridge locals own The Fox and Goose, the first cooperative pub in West Yorkshire. It started operating in March 2014. The National Association of British Market Authorities' Great British Market Awards, which were held in February 2016, recognized Hebden Bridge as the "Best Small Outdoor Market" (NABMA). After the majority of stores, cafes, and businesses recovered better and were more flood-resistant than they were before the Boxing Day floods in 2015, Hebden Bridge won the "Great British High Street Award" in the "Small Market Town" category in December 2016. Hebden Bridge also won a second award as the People's Choice.