Hebden Bridge#Housing

{{Infobox UK place

| static_image_name = Hebden 1 crop.jpg

| static_image_caption = Hebden Bridge

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|53.742|-2.009|display=inline,title}}

| pushpin_map = United Kingdom Calderdale

| official_name = Hebden Bridge

| population =

| population_ref = 4,500

| civil_parish = Hebden Royd

| metropolitan_borough = Calderdale

| metropolitan_county = West Yorkshire

| region = Yorkshire and the Humber

| constituency_westminster = Calder Valley

| post_town = HEBDEN BRIDGE

| postcode_district = HX7

| postcode_area = HX

| dial_code = 01422

| os_grid_reference = SD993273

| london_distance_mi = 170

| london_direction = SSE

}}

Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Upper Calder Valley, {{convert|8|mi|km|0}} west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water.{{cite web |url=http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/environment/conservation/conservation-areas/hebden-bridge.pdf |title=Hebden Bridge Conservation Area: Appraisal and Management Plan |date=April 2011 |website=Calderdale Council |page=14 |access-date=13 September 2013}} The town is the largest settlement in the civil parish of Hebden Royd.{{cite web |title=Hebden Royd Town Council Website |url=http://hebdenroydtowncouncil.gov.uk/ |website = Hebden Royd Town Council |access-date=29 December 2022}}

In 2015, the Calder ward, covering Hebden Bridge, Old Town, and part of Todmorden, had a population of 12,167.{{cite web |url=https://reports.esd.org.uk/reports/shared/AAB5547F79EBEF55BBBA288EBA9A7487AA9AF85CEFB17B3E0773BAB061281894 |title=Calder Ward profile |date=November 2016 |website=Local Government Association |access-date=13 September 2017}} The town had a population of 4,500.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

History

File:Church of St Thomas a Becket, Heptonstall - geograph.org.uk - 1015981.jpg]]

The original settlement was the hilltop village of Heptonstall. Hebden Bridge (Heptenbryge) started as a settlement where the Halifax to Burnley packhorse route dropped into the valley and crossed the River Hebden where the old bridge (from which it gets its name) stands. The name Hebden comes from the Anglo-Saxon Heopa Denu, 'Bramble (or possibly Wild Rose) Valley'.

Steep hills with fast-flowing streams and access to major wool markets meant that Hebden Bridge was ideal for water-powered weaving mills and the town developed during the 19th and 20th centuries; it is said that at one time Hebden was known as "Trouser Town" because of the large amount of clothing manufacturing.{{cite web |url=http://homepages.3-c.coop/ucvr/townteam_hebdenbridge.html |title=Town Teams – Hebden Bridge – "Reinforcing the Heart of the Town" |website=Upper Calder Valley Renaissance |access-date=27 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909155652/http://homepages.3-c.coop/ucvr/townteam_hebdenbridge.html |archive-date= 9 September 2007}} Watercolour artist Thomas Frederick Worrall, who lived in nearby Pecket Well, depicted the mills in around 1900.{{cite web |url=https://www.watercolourworld.org/painting/hebden-bridge-tww460d5b73556464 |title=Hebden Bridge, Undated |website=Watercolour World |date=26 February 2019 |access-date=28 June 2019}} Includes a copy of a Worrall painting of Hebden Bridge. Drainage of the marshland, which covered much of the Upper Calder Valley before the Industrial Revolution, enabled construction of the road which runs through the valley. Before it was built, travel was only possible via the ancient packhorse route which ran along the hilltop, dropping into the valleys wherever necessary. The wool trade was served by the Rochdale Canal (running from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester) and the Manchester & Leeds Railway (later the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway) (running from Leeds to Manchester and Burnley).

Hebden Bridge also grew to include a Picture House (seating 500), which remains open to present day, and offices for Hebden Bridge Urban District Council. Hebden Bridge has no swimming pool, although for some years there was a small training pool for children in the adult education centre on Pitt Street. Hebden Bridge had its own cooperative society but, during the 1960s, it was defrauded and went bankrupt. The old Co-op building became a hotel and was later converted into flats. The Co-op returned in the 1980s with a supermarket on Market Street, on the site of an old mill.

During the Second World War Hebden Bridge was designated a "reception area" and took in evacuees from industrial cities.

During the 1970s and 1980s the town saw an influx of artists, writers, photographers, musicians, alternative practitioners, teachers, Green and New Age activists and more recently, wealthier 'yuppie' types {{citation needed|date=October 2022}}.Evidenced by the drastic increase in temporary holiday accommodation and monopolised rental market which means local residents struggle to find reasonably priced housing in the area. This in turn saw a boom in tourism to the area. During the 1990s Hebden Bridge became a commuter town, because of its proximity to major towns and cities both sides of the Pennines and its excellent rail links to Manchester, Bradford and Leeds.

On 6 July 2003, Hebden Bridge was granted Fairtrade Zone status.{{cite web |url=http://hebdenroydtowncouncil.gov.uk/about.html |title=About Us: History |work=Hebden Royd Town Council |access-date=13 September 2016}} On 6 July 2014, Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France, from York to Sheffield, passed through the town.{{cite web |url=http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/stage-2.html |title=Sunday July 6th, 2014 Stage 2 York / Sheffield |website=Le Tour de France |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725103415/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/stage-2.html |archive-date=25 July 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}

Governance

File:Calderdale Council Buildings, Hebden Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 142518.jpg]]

Hebden Bridge was a chapelry in the parish of Halifax.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/place/529|title=History of Hebden Bridge, in Calderdale and West Riding|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=11 August 2023}} On 31 December 1894 Hebden Bridge became a civil parish formed from Wadsworth, Heptonstall, Erringden and Stansfield.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10432273|title=Relationships and changes Hebden Bridge CP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=11 August 2023}} On 1 April 1937 the parish was abolished to form Hebden Bridge.{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/todmorden.html|title=Todmorden Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=11 August 2023}} In 1931 the parish had a population of 6312.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10432273/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Hebden Bridge CP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=11 August 2023}}

Hebden Bridge Urban District was established in 1894.{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10098464 |title=Hebden Bridge UD|publisher=Vision of Britain|access-date=13 December 2021}} In 1937, the council merged with Mytholmroyd Urban District to become Hebden Royd Urban District. Hebden Bridge Urban District was administered as part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. These were abolished in the reforms introduced in the Local Government Act 1972. They were replaced by West Yorkshire, the metropolitan borough of Calderdale and Hebden Royd Town Parish. The town council is a parish council. Recently, it has attracted praise for its commitment to eco-friendly policies,Sunday Telegraph 22 July 2007, p.C12. following the example of Modbury in effectively banning all plastic shopping bags, thus becoming the largest community in Europe to do so. The ban is not legally enforceable, but rather a voluntary agreement between local shop owners and the community at large.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/sep/22/recycling|title=From Scotland to the Channel Islands the cry goes up: 'Banish the plastic bag'|date=22 September 2007|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=13 December 2021}}

Hebden Bridge Town Hall and adjoining fire station is a Grade II listed building, built in 1898.{{NHLE|desc=District Council Office, St George's Square|num=1230338|access-date=13 December 2021}} The building was transferred from Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council to Hebden Bridge Community Association on a 40-year lease (now extended to 125 years) on 1 April 2010, along with funds for basic maintenance work. Substantial volunteer time was put into renovation works and fundraising to secure the building's future.{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/get-involved/take-ownership/case-studies/HebdenBridge |title=Hebden Bridge Town Hall |website=English Heritage |access-date=21 October 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061504/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/get-involved/take-ownership/case-studies/HebdenBridge |archive-date=21 September 2013}} The £3.7 million raised was used to create a small enterprise centre and new community facilities on land adjacent. More than 450 local people signed up as "Friends of the Town Hall" and became able to vote for the trustees.{{cite news |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/community_to_take_over_town_hall_1_2315592 |title= Community to take over Town Hall |first=Fiona |last=Evans |date=8 December 2009 |newspaper=The Yorkshire Post |access-date=21 October 2019}}

Geography

File:Calder valley hebden bridge.jpg around Hebden Bridge]]

File:Hardcastle Crags 1.jpg near Hebden Bridge, a National Trust estate]]

Hebden Bridge lies close to the Pennine Way and Hardcastle Crags and is popular for outdoor pursuits such as walking, climbing and cycling. It lies on the Rochdale Canal – a through route across the Pennines.

The town is on the route of the Calderdale Way, a circular walk of about {{convert|50|mi|km|0}} around the hills and valleys of Calderdale, and it is connected with the Pennine Way through the "Hebden Bridge Loop".

=Flooding=

The town's location in the valley causes problems with flooding particularly between Hebden Water and the cinema on New Road, Brearley Fields in Mytholmroyd, and further up the valley at Callis Bridge by the sewage works and the old Aquaspersions factory. Flooding at Callis Bridge is so frequent that the level of the River Calder has been lowered and special perforated kerbstones fitted so that water can drain back into the river. Brearley on a flood plain contains the playing fields for Calder High School and local football, rugby league and cricket teams. Hebden Bridge suffered two devastating floods in the summer of 2012,{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/09/flash-floods-hit-hebden-bridge |title=Flash floods hit Hebden Bridge |first1=Martin |last1=Wainwright |first2=Ben |last2=Quinn |date=9 July 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=21 October 2019}} and again on Boxing Day 2015; Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge and York were also affected, with houses, pubs, shops and community centres suffering damage to property. The extent of the Hebden Bridge flooding was shown in drone videos of the flooded areas, the most severe flooding occurring in Hebden Bridge town centre.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2015/dec/27/drone-footage-of-flooding-in-hebden-bridge-and-mytholmroyd-video |title=Drone footage of flooding in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd – video |date=26 December 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=21 October 2019}}

Demography

File:Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge.JPG

Hebden Bridge is a popular place to live. However, space is limited due to the steep valleys and lack of flat land. In the past, this led to "upstairs-downstairs" houses known as "over and under dwellings" (cf the back-to-back houses in nearby industrial cities). These were houses built in terraces with 4–5 storeys. The upper storeys face uphill while the lower ones face downhill with their back wall against the hillside. The bottom 2 storeys would be one house while the upper 2–3 storeys would be another. This also led to unusual legal arrangements such as the "flying freehold", where the shared floor/ceiling is wholly owned by the underdwelling.

Population changes in the 1990s led to a demand for more houses. This has proved to be extremely controversial for a number of reasons. The limited availability of houses has meant that prices have risen sharply (for example, a house valued at £54,000 in 1998 was valued at nearly £150,000 in 2004). Demand for new houses is also a contentious issue as many of the sites for proposed development are areas such as fields or woodland that some local residents feel should be left as they are.

Hebden Bridge has attracted artists, and has developed a small New Age community. In the 1980s and 1990s, a prominent lesbian intentional community grew up in nearby Todmorden, and subsequently{{cite web |url=https://www.qmul.ac.uk/history/people/postdoctoral-researchers-/profiles/goldingvictoria.html |title=Dr Victoria Golding |publisher=Queen Mary University of London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115182046/https://www.qmul.ac.uk/history/people/postdoctoral-researchers-/profiles/goldingvictoria.html |date= |archive-date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022 }} Hebden Bridge,{{cite news |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/hebden-bridge-the-gay-friendly-town-where-everyone-feels-welcome-1096168 |title=Hebden Bridge: The gay-friendly town where everyone feels welcome |author= |work=The Yorkshire Post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115183047/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/hebden-bridge-the-gay-friendly-town-where-everyone-feels-welcome-1096168 |date=26 July 2017 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022 }}{{cite web |url=https://wyqs.co.uk/stories/todmorden-and-hebden-bridge/ |title=Todmorden and Hebden Bridge |first=Dominic |last=Bilton |work=West Yorkshire Queer Stories |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115185055/https://wyqs.co.uk/stories/todmorden-and-hebden-bridge/ |date=11 November 2018 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022 }} "promot[ing] forms of queer intimacy outside of the nuclear family unit", with "a close-knit community of care" and mutual support, sharing childcare{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/29/theobserver.uknews2 |title=Lesbians the toast of the Two Ferrets |first=Amelia |last=Hil |date=29 July 2001 |newspaper=The Observer |access-date=17 November 2016}} and community events,{{cite web |url=https://www.history.ac.uk/events/using-oral-history-trace-lgbtq-intimacies-and-politics-late-twentieth-century-northern |title=Using Oral History to Trace LGBTQ Intimacies and Politics in late Twentieth Century Northern England |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115175842/https://www.history.ac.uk/events/using-oral-history-trace-lgbtq-intimacies-and-politics-late-twentieth-century-northern |date=2022 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022 }} such as a "famous Todmorden Women’s Disco" held monthly.{{cite news |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2022/03/the-inside-guide-to-hebden-bridge-west-yorkshires-inclusive-hotspot |title=The inside guide to Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire's inclusive hotspot |first=Ella |last=Braidwood |work=National Geographic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115184326/https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2022/03/the-inside-guide-to-hebden-bridge-west-yorkshires-inclusive-hotspot |date=29 March 2022 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.visitcalderdale.com/love-revolution-5-reasons-why-calderdale-is-the-best-lgbt-friendly-destination-in-the-uk/ |title=Love Revolution: 5 reasons why Calderdale is the best LGBT-friendly destination in the UK |publisher=Visit Calderdale |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115183837/https://www.visitcalderdale.com/love-revolution-5-reasons-why-calderdale-is-the-best-lgbt-friendly-destination-in-the-uk/ |date=17 March 2022 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022 }} The nature of that community has changed with evolving queer politics, away from lesbian feminism and towards "homonormative assimilation".{{cite book |first=Lisa |last=Duggan |chapter=The New Homonormativity: The Sexual Politics of Neoliberalism |title=Materializing Democracy: Toward a Revitalized Cultural Politics |editor1=Russ Castronovo |editor2=Dana D. Nelson |pages=175–94 |publisher=Duke University Press |date=2002 |doi=10.2307/j.ctv125jgrq.10 }} {{As of|2004|post=,}} Hebden Bridge had the highest number of lesbians per head in the UK.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/weekend/story/0,3605,1177708,00.html |title=Location, location, orientation |first=Julie |last=Bindel |author-link=Julie Bindel |date=27 March 2004 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=17 September 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16962898 |title=Why is Hebden Bridge the lesbian capital? |last=Robehmed |first=Sophie |date=9 February 2012 |work=BBC News |access-date=29 October 2014}}

In April 2005, Hebden Bridge was named the fourth quirkiest place in the world by High Life (the British Airways flight magazine) and was described as "modern and stylish in an unconventional and stylish way".{{cite web |url=http://www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/news/news05/17.html |title=Hebden Bridge: 4th funkiest town in the World |date=1 May 2005 |website=Hebden Bridge Web |access-date=17 September 2016}}

The town was documented in the 2009 film Shed Your Tears And Walk Away,{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531010/ |title=Shed Your Tears and Walk Away (2009) |date=1 October 2009 |website=IMDb.com |access-date=11 September 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/news/2010/070.html |title=Shed Your Tears and Walk Away reviews |date=July 2010 |website=Hebden Bridge Web |access-date=11 September 2016}} which made controversial claims about the levels of drug and alcohol abuse in the town, and consequent deaths among young people.

Economy

File:Greens-Vegetarian-Cafe-Hebden-Bridge.jpg

{{As of|2017}}, the weekly market has moved to Lees Yard adjoining the pedestrian centre of St George Square, and the market days have been increased from two and a half to four full weekly market days: Thursdays to Sundays.

Walkley's Clog Mill is one of the country's leading clog manufacturers. It moved from its original home at Falling Royd to a site on Midgley Road in Mytholmroyd.{{cite web |url=http://www.clogs.co.uk/index.htm |title=Welcome page |website=Walkley Clogs |access-date=21 October 2019}}

Acre Mill was an asbestos factory in the hilltop settlement of Old Town, owned by Cape Insulation Ltd.{{cite web |url=http://www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/features/acremill.html |title=Asbestos and the legacy of Acre Mill |website=Hebden Bridge Web |access-date=11 September 2016}} It was opened in 1939 to meet the demand for gas mask filters made from blue asbestos during the Second World War, and diversified into the production of other asbestos products, including rope, pipe lagging and textile, after the war. In 1970, the company closed the mill and moved to Westmorland. The mill was the subject of a 1971 World in Action investigation entitled "The Dust at Acre Mill" which revealed how the factory broke the law regarding asbestos-dust control between 1940 and 1970.{{cite web |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/193761 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717130752/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/193761 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2010 |title=World in Action: The Dust at Acre Mill |work=BFI Film & TV database |access-date=21 October 2019}} By 1979, 12% of a total of 2,200 former employees had asbestos-related disease.{{cite web |url=http://www.lhc.org.uk/members/pubs/books/asbestos/asb10.htm |title=The Myths About Asbestos |work=London Hazards Centre |access-date=19 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414071148/http://www.lhc.org.uk/members/pubs/books/asbestos/asb10.htm |archive-date=14 April 2010}} The mill was demolished in 1979. Cape Insulation also operated a second factory at Hangingroyd Mill.

Hebden Bridge has built a reputation for "great little shops" and has an unusually high density of independent shops for a UK town of its size with more than 20 cafes and tea rooms, and about 20 pubs, micro pubs and restaurants. In a national survey by the New Economics Foundation in 2010 Hebden Bridge was ranked sixth on a diversity scale and was praised for its independent shops and unique shopping experience.{{cite news |url=http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/community/local-businesses/think_tank_praises_thriving_and_diverse_town_1_2028638 |title=Think-tank praises 'thriving and diverse' town |date=12 October 2010 |newspaper=Hebden Bridge Times |access-date=27 October 2015}} The Fox and Goose, West Yorkshire's first Co-Operative pub, is owned by 262 residents of Hebden Bridge. It was established in March 2014.{{cite news |url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/mallinsons-fox-goose-hebden-birthday-8758730 |title=Huddersfield brewer supplies birthday beer for West Yorkshire's only co-operative pub |first=Robert |last=Sutcliffe |date=3 March 2015 |newspaper=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |access-date=27 October 2015}}

In February 2016, Hebden Bridge won as the "Best Small Outdoor Market" in the Great British Market Awards run by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).{{cite news |url=https://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/hebden-bridge-outdoor-market-move-stalls-1-8052393 |title=Hebden Bridge outdoor market move stalls.... |date=5 August 2016 |work=Hebden Bridge Times |access-date=19 November 2018}} In December 2016, Hebden Bridge won the "Great British High Street Award" in the "Small Market Town" category, after most shops, cafes and businesses had bounced back better and more flood resilient than before the Boxing Day floods 2015; Hebden Bridge also won a second award as the People's Choice.

File:Rochdale Canal Hebden.jpg

Culture

File:Hebden Bridge Picture House. - geograph.org.uk - 142512.jpg

Hebden Bridge is known as "the lesbian capital of the UK".{{cite news |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/gay-friendly-yorkshire-mill-town-hebden-bridge-everyone-feels-home/ |title=In the gay-friendly mill town of Hebden Bridge, everyone feels at home |first=Dean |last=Kirby |date=22 July 2017 |work=iNews |access-date=29 December 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/hebden-bridge_uk_5c77936fe4b0952f89de4f2c |title=Hebden Bridge Is Famously A Safe Home For Gay Men, Women And Allies – Here's Why |last=Pert |first=Sean |date=28 February 2019 |website=HuffPost UK |access-date=3 July 2019}}

The Stubbing Wharf is an 18th-century inn located alongside the Rochdale Canal, in which the poet Ted Hughes set his poem "Stubbing Wharfe".{{cite book |last=Gifford |first=Terry |title=Ted Hughes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVwa4P1KqlEC&q=%22Stubbing+Wharfe%22&pg=PA68 |date=2009 |location=London, UK |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-41531-189-2 |page=68 |access-date=21 March 2010 |via=Google Books}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/pubs/5438784/Yorkshire-pub-guide-Stubbing-Wharf-in-Hebden-Bridge.html |title=Yorkshire pub guide: Stubbing Wharf in Hebden Bridge |first=Arthur |last=Taylor |date=5 June 2009 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=21 March 2010}} Hughes was born in neighbouring Mytholmroyd, and his former home Lumb Bank on the outskirts of Hebden Bridge is run as a creative writing centre by the Arvon Trust.{{cite web |url=http://www.arvon.org/centres/lumb-bank/ |title=Lumb Bank |website=Arvon Trust |access-date=13 September 2016}}

The video for the Talk Talk song "My Foolish Friend" was filmed in and around Hebden Bridge in 1983.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nta13TQKDhI |title=My Foolish Friend (Official Video) |date=2019-04-04 |last=Talk Talk |access-date=2024-09-05 |via=YouTube}} The band The Dream Academy filmed the first video for their hit single "Life in a Northern Town" in Hebden Bridge in 1984.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5uxQElYu68 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/X5uxQElYu68| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=[HD] Dream Academy – Life In A Northern Town |date=16 April 2009 |website=YouTube |access-date=15 August 2016}}{{cbignore}} The singer Haddaway also filmed a music video in the town in 1995 for his single "Lover Be Thy Name".{{cite web |url=http://hebdenroydtowncouncil.gov.uk/about.htm |title=About Hebden Royd Town Council}}

The BBC One crime drama series Happy Valley, written by Huddersfield-born Sally Wainwright, broadcast in 2014-2023, was filmed and set in and around the town. Its ironic title refers to the drug users and providers in the area. Local landmarks, such as the graveyard at St Thomas the Apostle Church, the canal and the landscapes provided a backdrop to the narrative. The show received critical acclaim and was expected to lead to a noticeable increase in local tourism.{{cite web |url=http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/business/business-news/happy-tourists-will-flock-to-drama-set-1-6651022 |title=Happy tourists will flock to drama set |date=3 June 2014 |website=Hebden Bridge Times |access-date=3 June 2014}} A second series was filmed in 2015 and broadcast during 2016.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28835051 |title=Happy Valley to return to BBC One in 2015 |date=18 August 2014 |website=BBC News |access-date=7 February 2015}}

In 2020, Steve Coogan's "From the Oasthouse" podcast featured his character Alan Partridge stating that his daughter Denise lived in Hebden Bridge, which Partridge says explains her reluctance to have children.{{Cite web|title=From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast: An Audible Original (Audio Download): Amazon.co.uk: Alan Partridge, Alan Partridge, Audible Original: Audible Audiobooks|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oasthouse-Partridge-Podcast-Audible-Original/dp/B089M8GR4V|access-date=2020-11-17|website=www.amazon.co.uk}}

=Music=

File:Trades Club - Holme Street - geograph.org.uk - 482527.jpg

The Trades Club{{cite web |url=http://thetradesclub.com/ |title=Home |website=The Trades Club |access-date=2 April 2012}} is a nationally recognised music venue and socialist members' club. In the 1980s and 90s, the club became a renowned World Music destination for touring bands from Africa and elsewhere, including Thomas Mapfumo, Ali Farka Touré, and John Chibadura. Heavenly Recordings have a close association with the Trades Club and celebrated their 25th birthday with 'A Heavenly Weekend In Hebden', a four-day festival at the Trades Club, featuring performances from many of the artists on their roster and film screenings from Heavenly Films. The event was given its own catalogue number: HVN300.{{cite web |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/16621-heavenly-recordings-announce-hebden-bridge-event |title=Heavenly For Hebden Bridge Weekend |first=Laurie |last=Tuffrey |date=3 November 2014 |website=The Quietus |access-date=11 September 2016}}

Until 2014, the town hosted the Hebden Bridge Blues Festival{{cite web |url=http://yorkshirebluesfestival.co.uk/ |title=Hebden Bridge Blues Festival, May 23rd to 25th 2014 |website=Yorkshire Blues Festival |access-date=26 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228081611/http://yorkshirebluesfestival.co.uk/ |archive-date=28 December 2014}} during the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May. Established in 2011, the festival was voted the Best British Blues Festival in the 2012 and 2013 British Blues Awards.{{cite web |url=http://www.britishbluesawards.com/winners-2012/4581377358 |title=Winners of The British Blues Awards 2012 |website=British Blues Awards |access-date=21 October 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://www.britishbluesawards.com/winners-2013/4581356415 |title=Winners of The British Blues Awards 2013 |website=British Blues Awards |access-date=21 October 2019}}

The indie band Bogshed were formed in Hebden Bridge in 1984, originally as the 'Amazing Roy North Penis Band'.{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin C. |title=The Great Alternative & Indie Discography |url=https://archive.org/details/greatalternative0000stro |url-access=registration |year=1999 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Canongate Books |isbn=0-86241-913-1}}

In 2017, the Hebden Bridge Community Association received The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for voluntary groups.{{cite news |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/queen-s-awards-highest-honour-for-volunteers-1-8575098 |title=Queen's Awards 'highest honour' for volunteers |date=2 June 2017 |work=The Yorkshire Post |access-date=4 September 2017}}

= Local media =

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire. Television signals are received from the Emley Moor and the local relay transmitters.{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Hebden_Bridge |title=Freeview Light on the Hebden Bridge (Calderdale, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=2 September 2023}}

The town's local radio stations are BBC Radio Leeds and community station Calder Valley Radio.{{cite web |url=https://www.caldervalleyradio.co.uk/ |title=Home page |publisher=Calder Valley Radio |access-date=2 September 2023}} The area's commercial stations, which include daytime West Yorkshire news and travel, are Hits Radio West Yorkshire, Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire, Heart Yorkshire and Capital Yorkshire.

The Hebden Bridge Times is the town's local newspaper.{{cite web |url=https://www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/features/pressgazette.html |title=Hebden Bridge Times and the Press Gazette |date=Autumn 2001 |publisher=Hebden Bridge Web |access-date=2 September 2023}}

Transport

Hebden Bridge railway station lies on the Calder Valley Line between Manchester Victoria and Leeds. It is served by frequent rail services to towns and cities in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, as well as West and North Yorkshire including Leeds, Blackpool North, York, Manchester Victoria and Todmorden. There are also some infrequent services to Dewsbury via Brighouse. The station is still in the original Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway colours, decorated with hanging baskets, original signage and luggage trolleys.

Bus services in the town are operated by three companies. First West Yorkshire operate the 12-minute frequency 592 service between Halifax and Todmorden, with services extending to Burnley (592) and Rochdale (590) in evenings and at weekends. Keighley Bus Company connect Hebden Bridge with Haworth, Oxenhope and Keighley with its hourly BrontëBus service. The "Hebden Bridger" is a local bus network operated by TLC Travel, that operates across seven services to local towns and hilltop villages. TLC Travel also operate the hourly 900 and 901 services between Hebden Bridge and Huddersfield.

Leeds Bradford is the nearest airport, accessible by bus and train.

Notable people

Kirk Barker, actor, grew up in Hebden Bridge and was at school there.
Richard Bedford, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, lives in Hebden Bridge.
Lynn Breeze, illustrator and author of children's books, settled in and has written about Hebden Bridge.{{Cite news |last=Stephenson |first=Chris |date=June 2006 |title=Lynn Breeze: With an eye to the family |pages=8–9 |work=Carousel magazine |issue=33 |url=https://lynnbreeze.tripod.com/latest/uploaded_images/email_01-748857.jpg |access-date=2022-09-23}}{{Cite web |last=Breeze |first=Lynn |title=Seedy River Had Fun |url=http://www.fivehundredwords.co.uk/docs/27.html |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=Five Hundred Words on Hebden Bridge}}
Horatio Clare, author, known for travel, memoir, nature and children's books, lives in the town.
Edward Cronshaw, sculptor, began his career while living at Hebden Bridge.
Bernard Ingham, Chief Press Secretary to Margaret Thatcher, was educated at Hebden Bridge Grammar School.
Paula Lane, actor with roles including Kylie Platt of Coronation Street, remains a resident of the town and also runs a drama school there.
Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun, lives in Hebden Bridge.{{when|date=April 2023}}
Alice Longstaff, photographer at Westerman's Studio from 1921 until 1992.
Benjamin Myers, author and journalist, is a resident.
Martin Parr, photographer, lived in Hebden Bridge, {{circa|1975–80}}.{{cite book |last1= Parr | first1= Martin | last2= Bajac | first2= Quentin | title= Parr by Parr | year= 2010 | publisher= Schilt | location= Amsterdam | isbn= 978-9-053307-37-3 | quote = QB: It is in Hebden Bridge, where you settled for several years ... MP: I moved there in 1975 and left in 1980.}}
Jon Richardson, comedian, lived near Hebden Bridge with his wife Lucy Beaumont
Lindsay Jo Rimer, a 13-year-old girl from the town, went missing in 1994. Her body was found in the Rochdale Canal the following year.
Lavena Saltonstall (1881–1957), suffragette and writer, born and grew up in Hebden Bridge.{{cite web|title=Lavena Saltonstall |url=https://map.mappingwomenssuffrage.org.uk/items/show/145|website=Mapping Women's Suffrage|access-date=1 August 2023}}
Ed Sheeran, singer/songwriter, spent his early childhood in Hebden Bridge.{{cite web | url = https://www.elmetfarmhouse.co.uk/10-fascinating-facts-about-funky-hebden-bridge/

| title = 10 Fascinating Facts about Funky Hebden Bridge | access-date = 25 February 2019 | first = Lesley | last = Jackson | date = 22 February 2016 | work = Elmet Farmhouse | quote = World-famous singer songwriter Ed Sheeran spent his formative early childhood years in Hebden Bridge and seems to have absorbed its quirky, independent spirit.

}}

Adelle Stripe, author and journalist, lives in Hebden Bridge
Thomas Frederick Worrall (1872–1957), blacksmith and watercolour artist, lived in Peckett Well.