Eco-Museum

CALDER HERITAGE NETWORK

To display, interpret and promote the cultural landscape of the Upper Calder Valley with particular regard to its thousand year history of transition from an agrarian way of life to a thriving industrial society.

Having laid the foundations for the industrial revolution through the long low development of its precursors; a skill population; affluent entrepreneurs with capital to invest; and a far reaching sale network, the area was central to many later technological, transport and social developments.

So much of this story remains today, written upon the spectacular landscapes of the Upper Calder Valley from Todmorden to Halifax, within the many small tributary cloughs and along the hillsides. This is the resource upon which the Eco-museum will draw.

A central hub will be located in Hebden Bridge bringing together a diverse collection of visual, audio and written archive material to be made available, displayed and interpreted for a wide audience – from the locality; from the twelve million people of Yorkshire and the North West Region who live within one and a half hours travel time and identify so closely with this heritage; from the wider population of the UK and beyond. Yorkshire and Lancashire become the “Workshop of the World” and initiated a revolution which has touched the whole world – and it started here. The slopes of the hills which once divided the two regions developed a process which united them in their history.

Thus, the potential audience is vast. All nations and all ethnic groups have become entwined in this story and exhibit a desire to better understand and appreciate its relevance to their own lives. The hub archive collection and displays will seek to attract and enthuse as wide a cross section of this audience as possible, informing and explaining, creating interest and awareness, concern and care…..before launching them on voyages of discovery into the landscape itself. Guided walks, self guided trails on foot and by public and private transport, together with wider contextual material will lead to a much more complete understanding of the evolution of industrial society and the multitude of social responses to new lifestyles.

The “spokes” as they are termed, emanating from the “hub” are intended to provide a “hands on” experience of many facets of the big picture outlined above. Some will be geographic, within one particular small area, others will have a more thematic approach. Each will provide an opportunity for many interlinking references.

Examples include:-

1. Geographic :-

A. Baptist Heritage – Ebenezer, Hope, Zion, Birchcliffe, Wainsgate chapels, John Foster and Rev. Fawcett, and Methodist

B. Fustian Heritage – from St. Georges Sq to Machpelah, Nutclough & Pecket

C. The Story of Water – Bridge Mill, Nutclough Mill, Lee Mill site, Midgehole, Gibson Mill, Gorple, Widdup, Walshaw and lots more.

The ATC has obviously an interest in this as they have started to document the mills in the valley – so far they have “done” the Colden Valley and would like to carry on doing the other valleys – Wickenberry Clough, Jumble Hole, Hebden Water, Cragg, White Lee Clough, Luddenden Brook.

It has been carried out using the ‘Manchester Model’ or “prosopographicanalysis. This is the analysis of a mass of biographical data about individuals in order to understand the formation, function and interplay of groups or networks. The outcome of the research is a body of information about these groups or networks which goes beyond the sum total of the multiple sources on which it is based to produce a new or metasource.” All a bit technical, but what it means is putting the mills into context – they did not exist in isolation, there were links to the owners, workers, housing, landscape etc.

D. Packhorse Ways – Stubbings, Old Bridge, Buttress to Heptonstall Trail and return by Foster Bridge.

E. Power in the Landscape – Colden Valley project

F. Romantic Ruins – Jumble Hole Clough to Blackshaw

G. Todmorden Fielden Trail – Site of the mill, Town Hall, Unitarian Church, Dobroyd Castle etc. Political influences e.g.10 Hour Act

H. Cotton Famine –Todmorden to Cragg Vale via Lumbutts, Mankinholes, Stoodley Pike, Te Deum stone, Fielden “hunting lodge”

I. Dual Economy – hamlets, estates, “fairs” – Horsehold, Erringden, Johnny Gap

J. Early Settlement – Cruttonstall at Mayroyd, Falling Royd, Broadbottom, Redacre, Mytholmroyd Farm and route to Sowerby. Halifax Houses and early merchants

K. Oppression & Criminality – Coiners rail- Dusty Miller, Nab End, Spa Laithe, Bell House……. To 3 Cragg Halls, Hinchliffe mills and Cragg Vale Mill Trail (8 mills, 2000 workers)

L. Erringden Deer Park and Sowerby Ramble

2. Themeatic – representative routes to be prepared

A. Natural History – upland plateau. Peat and water storage. Post glacial features – Summit to Cliviger (valley within a valley). Stepped profile of hillsides and streams. Relevance of spring lines and water power sites. The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) group at Calderdale MBC would be involved with this.

B. Ecological factors – SSSIs, SPAs, SACs. Conservation measures, Clough woodlands, in-bye land

C. Dual economy to Massive Mills – Halifax houses. Merchants and outworkers. Heptonstall Cloth Hall to Halifax Piece Hall. MakingPlace Farm – Loomshop and college to Dean Clough. This is another area that the ATC would have an interest as it relates to the work they are doing.

D. Transport – Causeys, Packhorse Trails, Turnpikes. 1st Transpennine canal; 1st railway ever in mountainous terrain. Summit tunnel longest in the world. George Stephenson designs. Todmorden Omnibus Company 2nd in Britain

E. Philanthropists – Crossleys, Akroyds, Halifax Town Hall, All Saints Church, Peoples Park, Wainhouse Tower, Carnegie Library (Sowerby Bridge) Akroyden, Copley, Fielden’s Todmorden

F. Worker Movements – Co-operatives – producer Nutclough; retail Ripponden (1824). Worker education – Nutclough and the WEA Strikes, Trade Unions, ILP etc Suffragettes Trades and Labour Council (todays Trades Club) Chartism Poor Law – Workhouse

G. Non-Conformism – so many splinter groups Early Baptist – Wainsgate Methodist – Heptonstall Quakers etc

H. Education – Heptonstall Grammar School
Church Schools
1870 Board schools
1880 Board schools
1902 Hebden Bridge Secondary School (grammar school)
1950 Calder High School (first comprehensive outside London)
Todmorden?
Sowerby Bridge?
Halifax? Etc Mill/factory schools, Half timers

I. Housing/Architecture
Homesteads
Laithhouses
Halifax Houses
Village & Field patterns
Industrial responses – terraces; Hebden Bridge double-decker
houses
Club Houses – Permanent Building Societies
Council Housing (Eaves Estate 1920s) to Housing Associations

J. Utilities Birchcliffe Water – early example of piped “town water” Reservoir building – Dawson city etc Water Authorities and Companies Battle in the Crags Crow Nest Gas plant Valley Road Electricity Works Feud at Luddenden in 1599 Early disputes over water supply 1860’s Rivers Pollution Commission Power in the Valley – ATC area of interest

K. Literature Bronte connections
Ted and Sylvia trail – Banksfield, Mytholmroyd Station, Burnley
Road school, Crown Street tobacconist,
Heptonstall – Avron Foundation; Churchyard

L. Music
Brass bands and characters – Henry Mortimer; Billy Long
Competitions and prizes
Orchestras – Todmorden – Geoff Love story

M. Performing Arts Concert parties Amateur dramatics – HB Lit & Sci, Little Theatre Light Opera etc Pace-Egg

N. Tourism, Leisure and Recreation Hardcastle Crags fun fair & rollerskating Early Holiday Camp Widdup gambling den Parks Outings etc

O. Military English Revolution/Civil War Duke of Wellington regiment Stoodley Pike

P. Pre-history/Archaeology