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Heptonstall

Coordinates:53°45′11″N2°02′14″W/ 53.75309°N 2.03716°W/53.75309; -2.03716
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Heptonstall
View of Heptonstall across the Hebden Valley
Heptonstall is located in Calderdale
Heptonstall
Heptonstall
Heptonstall is located in West Yorkshire
Heptonstall
Heptonstall
Location withinWest Yorkshire
Population1,470 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSD988279
•London175 mi (282 km)SE
Civil parish
  • Heptonstall
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHEBDEN BRIDGE
Postcode districtHX7
Dialling code01422
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°45′11″N2°02′14″W/ 53.75309°N 2.03716°W/53.75309; -2.03716

Heptonstallis a small village andcivil parishwithin theCalderdaleborough ofWest Yorkshire,England,historicallypart of theWest Riding of Yorkshire.The population of Heptonstall, including the hamlets ofColdenand Slack, is 1,448,[2]increasing to 1,470 at the 2011 Census.[1]The town ofHebden Bridgelies directly to the south-east.[3]Although Heptonstall is part of Hebden Bridge as apost town,it is not within theHebden Roydtown boundaries.

The village is on the route of theCalderdale Way,a 50-mile (80 km) circular walk around the hills and valleys of Calderdale.[4]

History

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Heptonstall old church from the porch of the new church

The place-name 'Heptonstall' is first recorded asHeptonstallin the 1274WakefieldCourt Rolls, and in 1316 in theFeudal Aids.The name means "the stall or stable inHebden".The name 'Hebden' means"rose-hipdene or valley ".[5]

Heptonstall initially formed part of themanorof Halifax-cum-Heptonstall, itself subinfeudatory to the manor ofWakefield,and so does not explicitly appear in early taxation records, such as those for the1379 Poll Tax.In 1626 the manor was spun-off and sold[6]and was extinguished in the late 19th century.

Heptonstall was the site of a battle during the early part of theEnglish Civil Warin 1643.[7]

Historically a centre for hand-loom weaving, Heptonstall's cottages and terraced houses are characterised by large first-floor windows to maximise the light for weaving.[8]

The older churchyard claims"King" David Hartleyamongst notable graves there.[9]Hartley was founder of theCragg Coinersand lived as a rogue in the Calderdale area until he was hanged atKnavesmire(Tyburn) nearYorkin 1770.[7]

The foundation stone of its octagonal Methodist chapel, the oldest still in continued use,[10]was laid following the visit ofJohn Wesleyin 1764.[9][11]

In the mid-1980s the paving on a road through Heptonstall was removed, revealing the original stone setts. Although there was a plan to remove the setts, local protests convinced the council to restore them. At the same time the existing concrete street lights were replaced with late 19th-century cast-iron gas-style electric lamps. Both developments acted as a traffic calming measure.

Community

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A small local-history museum is based in what was once the village grammar school.[12]

A local park is used for sport and includes a playground for children. Adjacent to Heptonstall lie theNational Trustwoodlands ofHardcastle Cragswith walking paths and a restored 19th-century mill.[13]Half a mile out of the village is Lumb Bank, the second of theArvon Foundation's residential centres for writers.[14]

Each year onGood Fridaythere are performances of the Heptonstall version of the traditionalPace Egg play.These are held in Weavers' Square next to the old graveyard.[citation needed]Heptonstall Festival, a free, day-long music festival, is usually held in early July also in Weaver's Square.[15]It usually begins with afell race.[16]

The village is a day-trip destination for tourists and walkers, especially in the summer months. The two public houses are the Cross and the White Lion. There is a small post office – the original post office, on Smithwell Lane, is now a residential property. A cafe/delicatessen is situated in Towngate.[citation needed]

The village's oldest house is Stag Cottage (c.1580), which is within a small courtyard called Stag Fold. At the back of the cottage, on the level of a public car park, is a doorway to a dungeon, once used as alock-up.[citation needed]Nearby there is apinfold,built to hold livestock, but now a picnic area.[citation needed]

Sylvia Plath's grave, Heptonstall
Sylvia Plath'sgrave, Heptonstall

Parish church

[edit]
New tower bells before being installed in the tower in 1912
Heptonstall bells on their return with new bearings to the tower in 2012

Heptonstall's original church was dedicated toSt Thomas Becket.It was founded c.1260, and was altered and added to over several centuries. The church was damaged by a gale in 1847, and is now only a shell. A new church,St Thomas the Apostle,was built in the same churchyard. This suffered a lightning strike in 1875.[7]

The church is used for the annual Pennine Spring Music Festival, held every Spring Bank Holiday week. This includes workshops, masterclasses and performances.[17]The old church ruin is occasionally used for open-air services.

The tower of the new church contains eight bells, cast in 1912 byJohn Taylor & Co.These were removed to a bell foundry for refurbishment on 31 August 2012 and were returned, with new bearings, in October 2012.[18]

The American poetSylvia Plath,who was married to Poet LaureateTed Hughesfrom nearbyMytholmroyd,is buried in the graveyard extension, to the south-west of St Thomas Becket's churchyard.[9][19]Plath's headstone has been several times vandalised by removing Hughes's surname from the memorial.[20]

Another poet buried here is the AmericanexpatriateAsa Benveniste,a co-founder in London of the publisher Trigram Press.[21][22]In the 1980s Benveniste and his partner Agnetha Falk ran a second-hand bookshop in Hebden Bridge.[23]His gravestone reads: "Foolish Enough to Have Been a Poet".[24]

Methodist chapel

[edit]
The Methodist chapel and graveyard

John Wesleylaid the foundation stone of the octagonal chapel situated off Northgate, which was completed in 1764 – he recommended the shape to avoid conflict with the established church. Local people attended the parish church andMethodistpreaching. The chapel also provided teaching in reading and writing for the poor. The chapel was originally built as a symmetrical octagon but by 1802, with the Society including 337 members and 1,002 scholars, one end of the chapel was pulled down and the side walls were extended to provide extra space.[25]

Media

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Heptonstall Methodist Chapel featured in theBBC Four2010 seriesChurches: How to Read Them,[26]in whichRichard Taylornamed it as one of his ten favourite churches, saying: "If buildings have an aura, this one radiated friendship."[27]

The ruin of St Thomas a Becket church featured as a location in the 1993BBC Televisiondrama series Mr. Wroe's Virgins[28]directed byDanny Boyle.[29]

The village was the main location used in theBBC Threesituation comedyThe Gemma Factor,with the local tearoom being used for a major part of the show.[citation needed]It was aired in spring 2010.

Heptonstall was a major location inThe Rochdale Pioneers,a film produced by the Co-operative British Youth Film Academy,[30]telling the story of the birth of theCo-operative movement,and screened in November 2012.

Heptonstall is also featured in the 2010 short filmTrailing Dirt,directed by Richard Cousins and written by Alison Flack.[31]

The 2014BBCdramaHappy Valleywas partly filmed in Heptonstall, and featured Sylvia Plath's grave.

TheBBCdramaThe Gallows Polewas partly filmed in Heptonstall, an adaptation of a book byBenjamin Myers.It told the story of theCragg Vale Coiners,who clipped coins. This involved clipping the edges off coins and melting them down to make new coins out of the scraps. It happened on such a large scale, it threatened to devalue the currency. The grave of "King" David Hartley can be seen in the churchyard of St Thomas' Church, Heptonstall.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abUK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Heptonstall parish (E04000177)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved10 May2022.
  2. ^UK Census(2001)."Local Area Report – Heptonstall parish (00CY004)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved10 May2022.
  3. ^AA Book of British Villages.Drive Publications. 1980. p. 224.
  4. ^"Calderdale Way".The Long Distance Walkers Association.Retrieved18 May2016.
  5. ^Ekwall, Eilert.The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names.pp. 236, 240.
  6. ^"Pennine Heritage".
  7. ^abc"Heptonstall – a well-kept secret!".Where I Live Bradford and West Yorkshire.BBC. June 2005.Retrieved1 August2014.
  8. ^Lucy Caffyn (October 1983)World Archaeology,Vol. 15, No. 2, p 174 "Housing in an Industrial Landscape: A Study of Workers' Housing in West Yorkshire"
  9. ^abcReader's Digest (1998)Land of Moors and DalesReader's Digest Association Ltd
  10. ^"Heptonstall Chapel".Retrieved18 May2016.
  11. ^"Heptonstall Methodist Chapel – A place of worship since 1764 | Heptonstall Parish Website".Heptonstall.org. 27 December 2013.Retrieved14 January2014.
  12. ^"Friends of Heptonstall Museum".Friends of Heptonstall Museum.Retrieved14 February2022.
  13. ^"Hardcastle Crags".National Trust.Retrieved18 May2016.
  14. ^"Lumb Bank".Arvon Foundation.Retrieved18 May2016.
  15. ^"Heptonstall Festival 2017".Heptonstall Parish Website.
  16. ^"Heptonstall Festival Race".Heptonstall Festival Race.
  17. ^"What is Pennine Spring Music?".Archived fromthe originalon 27 November 2011.Retrieved9 February2011.Pennine Spring Music
  18. ^Pask, Reverend Howard (9 July 2012)."Refurbishment of the bells of St Thomas' church".Heptonstall Parish Website.Archived fromthe originalon 11 January 2014.Retrieved3 September2012.
  19. ^Kirk, Connie Ann(2004).Sylvia Plath: A Biography.Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. p. 104.ISBN0-313-33214-2.
  20. ^BALDWIN, JESSICA (8 February 1993)."Plath's Grave Now Quiet After Years of Desecration"– via LA Times.
  21. ^"Local History".Heptonstall Parish Council.Retrieved11 January2014.
  22. ^"Trigram Press Archive".Archived fromthe originalon 7 February 2012.
  23. ^Iain Sinclair,London: City of Disappearances,London: Hamish Hamilton, 2006.
  24. ^"Gabriel Gudding blog, 10 October 2006".Archived fromthe originalon 11 January 2014.
  25. ^Heptonstall Trail, A Calder Civic Trust publication, 1996
  26. ^"BBC Four – Churches: How to Read Them, Dark Beginnings".BBC. 24 November 2011.Retrieved14 January2014.
  27. ^"Richard Taylor, Rider Books".
  28. ^"Mr. Wroe's Virgins".Retrieved13 May2022– via www.imdb.com.
  29. ^"Mr. Wroe's Virgins".Retrieved13 May2022– via www.imdb.com.
  30. ^"The Rochdale Pioneers".Archived fromthe originalon 25 July 2013.
  31. ^"Trailing Dirt - Filming & Production".IMDb.Retrieved9 May2022.
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Media related toHeptonstallat Wikimedia Commons

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