Historically Hebden Bridge is a former mill town, famous for the production of corduroy and worsteds. It was also a busy poultry producing centre with several hatcheries along the valley which supplied and despatched thousands of one day old chicks, each day, by rail to farms all over Britain.
The town is situated at the juncture of the rivers Hebden and Calder, with the Rochdale Canal also passing through, indicating the importance that the industrial revolution played in the development of the town.
Apart
from the stunning countryside surrounding the town, Hebden Bridge
itself has a unique charm, many of the streets and houses have
retained the heritage of a time gone by. Classic examples of mill
town architecture, in sandstone, can be enjoyed just a short walk in
any direction from the town centre.
Today, Hebden Bridge provides something for everyone, walking, canal trips, tea shops, complementary therapies and of course if you are a 'foodie', there are many and varied places to eat in the town centre, we have: Italian, Turkish, French, Indian, Thai, Vegetarian and several traditional English Pubs. Organic cafés/shops and vegetarian food are widely available. One of the latest additions to our cultural diversity will interest the real ale enthusiasts! We now have our very own micro brewery at Cragg Vale."Little Valley Brewery". |
Today it is a busy Market town, which has reinvented itself several times since the 1960's when it became an attractive place for many 'Hippies' to live as the last mills closed and some of the inhabitants left homes empty to find new lives elsewhere, like Canada and Australia. Local myth has it that as a result of this "alternative" influence the town developed a thriving arts culture with events such as the Pennine Spring Music Festival each year in May/June and the Arts Festival in June/July. The town is now a home to many painters, sculptors and writers and there are a number of artist studios and galleries here. Nearby attractions Heptonstall village on the hill above Hebden Bridge is a quaint old weavers hamlet where you can see older style architecture of an age before the Industrial Revolution brought the mills to the Valley and Hebden Bridge was developed. Howarth, the home of the Bronte's, and a pilgrimage for thousands of English literary enthusiasts from around the world, is and eleven mile walk across the moors taking in Top Withens (reputedly the setting for "Wuthering Heights"). Or you can reach Haworth by road a short drive or bus ride away. |