Sowerby Bridge

File:Former Lloyds Bank Building, Town Hall Street, Sowerby Bridge (geograph 5800987).jpg, which originally accommodated the offices of the local board and, later, became a branch of Lloyds Bank]]

The town was originally a fording point over the once much-wider River Calder where it is joined by the River Ryburn. The town takes its name from the historic bridge which spans the river in the town centre. Before the Industrial Revolution the area was divided between the parishes of Sowerby, Norland, Skircoat and Warley. The boundaries between them being the rivers Calder and Ryburn and Warley Clough, which is now largely culverted. Textiles and engineering industry grew up around the bridge. Sowerby Bridge Town Hall, which accommodated the offices of the local board, was completed in 1857.{{cite web|url=https://sowerbybridgehshaz.org.uk/heritage/sowerby-bridge-town-hall/|title= Sowerby Bridge Town Hall|publisher=Sowerby Bridge High Street Heritage Action Zone| access-date=7 May 2022}}

The Anglican parish church, Christ Church, situated on Wharf Street, is a Grade II listed building. It was built in 1819 by John Oates. The chancel was rebuilt in 1873–74 and the church was re-roofed 1894.{{cite web|author=Good Stuff |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-339436-christ-church-#.VZMYaPlVhHx |title=Christ Church – Sowerby Bridge – Calderdale – England |publisher=British Listed Buildings |date=15 November 1966 |access-date=30 June 2015}} The church is still active and the vicar is Revd. Tommy Daglish.{{cite web |url=http://www.christchurchsb.org.uk/home |title=Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge |publisher=Christchurchsb.org.uk |access-date=30 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923203027/http://www.christchurchsb.org.uk/home |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }} The church's first organ was installed in 1825 and replaced in 1865. The organ and much of the church was destroyed in a 1894 fire. A larger organ, built by Abbott and Smith, was installed, and next repaired in 1979. The current organ was installed in 1983, moved from a nearby closed church.{{cite web |title=The Organ at Christ Church Sowerby Bridge |author=Nigel Castledine |url=http://www.christchurchsb.org.uk/history-of-the-building-2/organ |publisher=The Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge |date=2015 |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923203025/http://www.christchurchsb.org.uk/history-of-the-building-2/organ |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}

By the mid-19th century the population had grown and the settlement became an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1894.{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10026477|title=Sowerby Bridge UD|publisher=Vision of Britain|access-date=7 May 2022}}

From 1892 to 1930 Pollit & Wigzell manufactured stationary steam engines for the cotton and woollen mills of Yorkshire, Lancashire and India. Wood Brothers, an engineering and millwright company, also produced engines from its Valley Iron Works. The Markfield Beam Engine in north London is an example of its work.{{Cite book |last=Brereton |first=Ken |title=Tottenham Sewage Works and the Wood Bros. Beam Engine |publisher=Markfield Beam Engine and Museum |year=2013 |pages=7}}

In January 2019, it was announced that the council buildings on Hollins Mill Lane, which include the former offices of Sowerby Bridge Urban District Council, the old swimming pool and old fire station will be transferred to a community group, Sowerby Bridge Fire and Water, and will be renovated for community use.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sowerbybridgefireandwater.org/ |title=Information |access-date=7 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114214734/https://www.sowerbybridgefireandwater.org/ |archive-date=14 January 2019 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://sowerbybridgehshaz.org.uk/heritage/sowerby-bridge-fire-and-water/|title=Revitalising Sowerby Bridge Fire and Water|publisher=Sowerby Bridge High Street Heritage Action Zone|access-date=7 May 2022}}

The town is part of the Sowerby Bridge ward of the Metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire.{{cite web |url=http://mapit.mysociety.org/area/8876.html |title=Sowerby Bridge |year=2010 |access-date=20 January 2014}}

Sowerby Bridge is situated about {{convert|3|mi|km}} from Halifax town centre. It is at the confluence of the River Calder and River Ryburn, and the name Sowerby Bridge references its situation as a crossing point over the River Calder to the older settlement at Sowerby.

There are two secondary schools in Sowerby Bridge.

• Ryburn Valley High School on St Peter's Avenue
• Trinity Academy Grammar on Albert Road

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire. Television signals received from the Emley Moor{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Emley_Moor|title=Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=1 November 2023}} and one of the three local relay transmitters (Halifax,{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Halifax|title=Freeview Light on the Halifax (Calderdale, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=1 November 2023}} Luddenden{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Luddenden|title=Freeview Light on the Luddenden (Calderdale, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=1 November 2023}} and Ripponden{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Ripponden|title=Freeview Light on the Ripponden (Calderdale, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=1 November 2023}}).

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Leeds on 95.3 FM, Hits Radio West Yorkshire on 102.5 FM, Heart Yorkshire on 107.6 FM, Capital Yorkshire on 105.1 FM , Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire on 96.3 FM and Phoenix Radio on 96.7 FM, which has its studios in Halifax.{{Cite web |url= https://www.phoenixfm.co.uk/|title=Phoenix Radio |access-date=1 November 2023}}

The town is served by the local newspaper the Halifax Courier.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-yorks/halifax-courier/|title=Halifax Courier|date=13 April 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=1 November 2023}}

The town is served by Sowerby Bridge railway station, which sees a regular service to Manchester, Huddersfield (via Brighouse), Halifax, Bradford and Leeds on the Caldervale Line. This station has no public toilets although there are many interesting information panels about the local area.

The town is at the junction of the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the Rochdale Canal; Tuel Lane Lock on the Rochdale Canal is the deepest lock in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/locks.htm|title=Deepest Canal Locks|publisher=Pennine Waterways}} The canal basin and warehouses where the canals meet, Sowerby Bridge Wharf, are listed buildings and house the Moorings Bar and Restaurant, 12-04 Restaurant and Temujin Mongolian Restaurant. The basin is the headquarters of the 12th Halifax Sea Scouts (M.o.D. No. 54 Royal Navy recognised) where Prince Charles opened the William Andrew Memorial Headquarters. Shire Cruisers run holiday hire canal barges, build narrow boats and provide mooring facilities.

Sowerby Bridge features in George Gissing's 1890 novel The Emancipated as the hometown of the protagonist Ross Mallard.{{cite book |editor1-last=Coustillas |editor1-first=Pierre |editor2-last=Partridge |editor2-first=Colin |title=Gissing, the critical heritage; |date=1972 |publisher=Routledge and Kegan Paul |location=London |isbn=9780710073679 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/gissingcriticalh0000cous/page/432 432–434] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gissingcriticalh0000cous/page/432 }}

The canal basin was used as a filming location for the ITV comedy-drama Stay Lucky, and the ITV drama Dead Clever was set in the town. The 2014 BBC One drama Happy Valley was set in Sowerby Bridge and parts of the series were filmed in and around the town.{{cite news | url=http://www.creativeengland.co.uk/index.php/2014/creative-england-provides-filming-location-and-crew-support-to-new-bbc-drama-happy-valley-when-filming-in-yorkshire/ | title=Creative England provides filming location and crew support to new BBC drama Happy Valley when filming in Yorkshire | work=Creative England| date=29 April 2014 | access-date=12 June 2014}}{{cite news |last=Gildea |first=Samantha |date=19 May 2014 |title=20 facts about the police drama set in Sowerby Bridge |url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/happy-valley-tv-series-trivia-7090272 |newspaper=Examiner Examiner|location=Huddersfield |access-date=10 February 2017}} Catherine's workplace is a former police station. The series writer and director Sally Wainwright grew up in Sowerby Bridge.{{cite news |last=Calkin |first=Jessamy |date=9 February 2016 |title=Behind the scenes of Bafta-winning drama Happy Valley |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/02/08/behind-the-scenes-of-bafta-winning-drama-happy-valley/ |newspaper=Telegraph |location=London |access-date=10 February 2017}}

{{see also|Category:People from Sowerby Bridge}}

• James Walton (1803–1883), inventor and industrialist
• Walter Lees (1875–1924), professional cricketer for England
• Joe Riley (1876–1954), professional rugby league player for England
• Justin Hawkins (1975–), front-man of rock band The Darkness, lived in the town as a teenager while studying at Kirklees College
• John Tillotson (1630–1694), Archbishop of Canterbury
• Max Crabtree (1933–2023), professional wrestling promoter
• Glyn Hughes (writer) (1935–2011), English poet, artist and novelist

Rushbearing, the annual ceremony of (now nominally) taking rushes to churches for covering the floors throughout winter, still takes place in Sowerby Bridge over the first weekend of September.

The Fire & Water Festival is an annual festival to raise awareness for the Fire & Water Buildings in Sowerby Bridge. It showcases all the events that Fire & Water put on throughout the year and the Music Festival showcases local artists on an open and accessible stage.

Local river monitoring stations recorded a level of {{convert|3.55|m|ftin|order=flip}}{{cite web|url=https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/station/8191|title=gov.uk flood information service|publisher=gov.uk|access-date=10 February 2020}} between 12 pm and 6 pm, surpassing previous recorded highs of {{convert|2.43|m|order=flip}} (23 June 2012). Known flood plains, such as Dixie Woods and Sowerby Bridge Cricket Club, were submerged to an estimated depth of {{convert|2|ft|cm}}. The floods were reported as the worst in the area since 1968.{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2015-12-26/worst-floods-to-hit-sowerby-bridge-since-1968/ |title=Worst floods to hit Sowerby Bridge since 1968 | Calendar |work= ITV News |publisher=ITV |date=23 December 2015 |access-date=27 December 2015}} The town was flooded again on 9 February 2020 by Storm Ciara, causing a similar amount of damage to the 2015 floods.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-leeds-51436623/sowerby-bridge-in-calderdale-hit-by-storm-ciara-floods/ |title=Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale hit by Storm Ciara floods | BBC News |work= BBC News |publisher=BBC News |date=9 February 2020 |access-date=5 July 2020}}

• Listed buildings in Sowerby Bridge

{{Reflist}}

• [http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sowerbybridgenews/genealogy/ Partial archive of Sowerby Bridge Chronicle newspaper, 1896 to 1907]

{{EB1911 Poster|Sowerby Bridge}}

{{West Yorkshire|state=collapsed}}

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Category:Market towns in West Yorkshire

Category:Unparished areas in West Yorkshire

Category:Wards of Calderdale

Category:Former civil parishes in West Yorkshire

Category:Geography of Calderdale