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Monday 12 September 2011

Calderdale

 

Heptonstall is an interesting village with a fascinating history - but to me it always seems very dark and almost spooky, even though it is high up, which you'd think would make it feel light and airy.  The surrounding countryside has steep, wooded valleys cutting down into the Pennine rock.  To take this photo I was standing at the edge of the village, enjoying the wonderful views up and down the Calder valley.  The buildings you see in the valley are part of Hebden Bridge (which we visited briefly last year on this blog).  Heptonstall was by far the bigger and more important settlement at one time, thriving on the handloom weaving trade, but with the coming of industry in the latter part of the 18th century the valleys became the focus. Water-powered mills grew up along the rivers and the construction of the canal and railway led to even more industrial growth.  Thus Hebden Bridge became the main town and Heptonstall got left behind, a well-preserved example of a Pennine hilltop settlement.

PS: To answer Malyss's question, the tower in the distance is Stoodley Pike, a monument financed by public subscription in 1856 to replace an earlier one that was to 'remind the present Age of the transcendant bravery of the Duke of Wellington' - commemorating the defeat of Napoleon and the surrender of Paris, after the complicated Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 and the Battle of Waterloo.  (I'm glad we all get on better these days!)

11 comments:

  1. Being nested in the depth of the valley, this lace must be dark during winter.. I'm wondering what's the tower(?) we can see in the background?..

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  2. I always find the top end of the valley a bit dark and spooky. Civilisation starts only when you get down valley as far as Elland and only fully comes into its own when you reach Brighouse

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  3. Wow. Oh wow. I can't imagine how it will look when autumn is here! Please, oh please, take a picture for us when this happens! :)

    ___
    call South Africa

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  4. How does the human brain work? I looked at the photo and immediately thought 'That's Stoodley Pike' - I haven't seen it or thought about it since I walked the Pennine Way in 1977, yet the photo instantly revived that memory! Obviously a great and powerful photo!

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  5. This view is so colorful, quite unlike winter photos in B&W I have seen before.

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  6. That's a gorgeous view! Nice one.

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  7. You have many wonderful places in your part of the world, Jenny.

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  8. I just can't get over the beautiful places you see...the grave marker you posted about before was rather sad, but I love that people leave the pens there. looking forward to hearing about your grandDAUGHTER as we wait for our grandSON!

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  9. For me, this is a delightful place to stop and enjoy this enchanting view. Merci.
    V

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  10. Oh how it must feel to be perched up on that point taking in that lovely vista! Beautiful. ~Lili

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  11. You sure picked a perfect spot to capture this lovely view, with the dusty rose wild flowers in the forefront. I had to read your post twice to grasp what Calderdale referred to, but I now take it that is Calder valley.

    [Can't believe it's been 12 days since I was here last! When is your daughter expecting to give birth? You must all be getting quite excited.]

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