{"id":146812,"date":"2020-09-29T13:52:52","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T13:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/?p=146812"},"modified":"2021-05-25T13:04:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T12:04:26","slug":"hebden-bridge-the-five-minute-spare-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/hebden-bridge-the-five-minute-spare-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Hebden Bridge The Five Minute Spare Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hebden Bridge – The Jewel of the Calder Valley. How’s that for an elevator pitch!\u00a0 Anyway if you fancy a stroll (well a climb around some of Yorkshires finest fells), but want to avoid the touristy trap that is the Yorkshire Dales? Then why not base yourself in the historic market town of Hebden Bridge which is still one of Yorkshires best kept secrets, despite it being voted one of the worlds best places to live (more on that later).<\/p>\n

Why haven’t I heard more about it we hear you ask? Well, we are at a loss given it is such a lovely place, full of friendly locals and surrounded by some of the best scenery in the world, however, we assume its because the Calder Valley falls outside of the world-renowned Yorkshire Dales National Park.<\/p>\n

\"Hebden

Image: peter jeffreys\/Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Whatever, your mission (if you choose to accept) is to join us for the next five minutes (or so) while we give you the rundown on this terrific place, but don’t blame us when you go scurrying off to our Hebden Bridge directory to try and book your next staycation here! Ok preamble aside let’s start off with a little bit of Hebden history, well we all love a bit of history, don’t we?<\/p>\n

Brief History<\/h2>\n

Although this area of the Calder Valley has probably been occupied since the early Saxon era, Hebden Bridge its self was not mentioned in the Doomsday Book in 1086. However, the nearby villages of Heptonstall and Wadsworth (which are now part of the Hebden Bridge postal district) are, so it is probable that a farming community of sorts was in the area, given its proximity to freshwater.<\/p>\n

\"Hebden

Image: Leeds Fotografica\/shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

It probably remained a largely rural community for most of the Medieval Period, and in fact, most likely right up until the industrial revolution took off in the 1800s. Some more commercial activity is possible though given that the ford & old wooden bridge over the river would have been a major crossing point for travellers between the growing towns of Halifax & Burnley. This was replaced with a stone one in 1510 and around that time textile production began to expand.<\/p>\n

With plenty of wool available locally hand-loom weaving became one of the towns main industries from the late 15th Century. This involved producing rough woollen cloth, known as Kersey, which was the mainstay of every less affluent medieval person’s wardrobe. This kept the townsfolk busy for a couple of hundred years – until the beginning of the industrial revolution arrived so putting the town firmly on the map.<\/p>\n

 
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