Calderdale is a

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropoli ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exis ...

, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and

dale Dale or dales may refer to: Locations * Dale (landform), an open valley * Dale (place name element) Geography ;Australia * The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean ;Canada * Dale, Ontario ;Ethiopia *Dale (woreda), district ;Norway *D ...

, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the upper river flows, while the actual landform is known as the Calder Valley. Several small valleys contain tributaries of the River Calder. Calderdale covers part of the South Pennines, and the Calder Valley is the southernmost of the Yorkshire Dales, though it is not part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The borough was formed in 1974 by the merger of six local government districts, from east to west Brighouse, Elland, Halifax, Sowerby Bridge,

Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water. The town is the largest ...

and

Todmorden Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Hal ...

. Mytholmroyd, together with Hebden Bridge, forms Hebden Royd. Halifax is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough. Calderdale is served by Calderdale Council, which is headquartered in Halifax, with some functions based in Todmorden.

History

The Roman settlement of Cambodunum was probably located within Calderdale. A Roman fort has been excavated in

Slack Slack may refer to: Places * Slack, West Yorkshire, a village in Calderdale, England * The Slack, a village in County Durham, England * Slack (river), a river in Pas-de-Calais department, France * Slacks Creek, Queensland, a suburb of Logan City, ...

, which is in the neighbouring borough of

Kirklees Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also includes ...

, but its identity is not yet certain. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, by the merger of the then

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent t ...

of Halifax, the boroughs of Brighouse,

and the urban districts of Elland, Hebden Royd, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, part of Queensbury and Shelf urban district and

Hepton Rural District Hepton was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. The district included four civil parishes: *Heptonstall, * Blackshaw * Erringden *Wadsworth It was created in 1894 as the Todmorden rural district. It w ...

. The Coat of arms of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council was granted to the new

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

just a few months after the borough was formed. The Paschal lamb is the emblem of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, the patron saint of wool workers. It was shown on the former arms of Halifax. The green and blue wavy line of the shield symbolises the River Calder and Calder Valley. The white rose is for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. The crest shows a rose bush with nine white flowers representing the nine former authorities that now comprise the Calderdale district. The bush is shown growing out of a mural crown, a common feature in municipal arms. The lion

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coro ...

are taken from the arms of Halifax and also for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. A lion also featured on the shield of the arms of Brighouse. The black crescents, also from the arms of Brighouse, are featured on the arms of the Brighouse family. The blue wave around each lion's collar is from the arms of

and represents the Calder again. The motto, , is Latin for 'Industry, skill, and foresight'. The formal description, or

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...

, of the arms is:

For the arms: Vert a Paschal Lamb proper supporting over the shoulder a Cross Staff Or flying therefrom a forked Pennon of St. George between in chief a Bar wavy Argent charged with a Barruret wavy Azure and in base a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper; and for the crest: On a Wreath Argent and Vert out of a Mural Crown a Rose Tree of nine branches proper each terminating in a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper; and for the supporters: On either side a Lion Or gorged with a collar wavy Azure and holding aloft in the interior forepaw a Crescent Sable; Motto: .

Settlements

As well as the six towns, there are numerous settlements including: * Bailiff Bridge, Bank Top, Barkisland, Blackley,

Blackshaw Head Blackshaw is a civil parish in the Calderdale metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It contains the village of Blackshaw Head. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 935, increasing to 992 at the 2011 Census. ...

, Boothtown,

Boulderclough Boulderclough is a small village in the Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. The village is situated between Sowerby at the south and Mytholmroyd at the north, and is approximately west from the centre of the town of Halifax. ...

, Bradshaw *

Chiserley Chiserley is a hamlet located on a hilltop near the town of Hebden Bridge, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The Hamlet falls within the Calder ward of Calderdale. History It was called Chisley until 1964, but was changed to Chiserley ...

, Clifton, Colden, Copley, Cornholme, Cottonstones, Cragg Vale * Eastwood *

Fountain Head A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

Friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

* Gauxholme, Greetland * Heptonstall, Highroadwell, Hipperholme, Holmfield, Holywell Green,

Hove Edge Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmla ...

, Hubberton * Illingworth *

Jagger Green Jagger is an English surname. Someone who owned and/or managed a team of packhorses was known as a "jagger", so this surname probably originates from that occupation. More rarely, the name is used as a given name. Notable people with the surname ...

Kebroyd Kebroyd is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Ripponden, in the Calderdale district, in West Yorkshire, England, within the valley of the River Ryburn, between Sowerby Bridge and Ripponden. Kebroyd has an approximate population of 548 people ...

King Cross King Cross, originally the site of an ancient stone cross, is an ecclesiastical parish created in 1845 in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. Part of the Diocese of Wakefield, it is located along the top of ...

, Krumlin *

Lee Mount Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

Lightcliffe Lightcliffe is a village in the Calderdale district in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated approximately three miles east of Halifax and two miles north west of Brighouse. Lightcliffe wa ...

, Luddenden, Luddendenfoot, Lumbutts, Lydgate * Mankinholes, Midgley,

Mill Bank Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine earl ...

Mixenden Mixenden is a village in Calderdale, on the outskirts of Halifax in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The name Mixenden derives from the Anglo Saxon 'mixen' (compost or dung heap) and 'den' usually refers to pasture land, usually for pig ...

Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount T ...

, Mytholm, Mytholmroyd * Norland Town, Northowram,

Norton Tower Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan * Norton Parish, New Brunswick ** Norton, New Brunswick, ...

, Norwood Green * Ogden,

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

, Ovenden *

Peckett Well Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George ...

, Pellon,

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

Pye Nest Pye can refer to: Businesses * Pye (electronics company), British electronics manufacturer * Pye Records, British record label ** Pye International Records, a subsidiary People * Pye (surname) * Pye Dubois, musician * Pye Hastings, musician * Pye ...

* Rastrick, Ripponden, Rishworth * Salterhebble,

Savile Park Savile Park Cricket Ground on Lumley Street in Castleford held a list A limited overs game in May 1967 when Yorkshire CCC played Cambridgeshire in the Gillette Cup, bowling the visitors out for 43. In May 2000 the touring Zimbabwe team defeated ...

Shelf Shelf ( : shelves) may refer to: * Shelf (storage), a flat horizontal surface used for display and storage Geology * Continental shelf, the extended perimeter of a continent, usually covered by shallow seas * Ice shelf, a thick platform of ice f ...

Skircoat Green Skircoat Green () is an area to the south of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Skircoat is a ward of the Borough of Calderdale whose population at the 2011 Census was 12,712. In the 13th century, the land was granted to the Earl Warren, an ...

, Siddal,

, Sowerby, Soyland, Southowram, Sowood, Soyland,

Stainland Stainland is a village and civil parish in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The village is part of the Greetland and Stainland ward of Calderdale Council and is approximately west of Elland, south of Halifax and north-west of Huddersfi ...

Stone Chair Shelf is a village in Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. The village is situated halfway, about , between Bradford and Halifax, on the A6036 road. In 2001 it had a population of 4,496. At the 2011 Census Shelf was measured as part of ...

Stump Cross Stump may refer to: *Stump (band), a band from Cork, Ireland and London, England *Stump (cricket), one of three small wooden posts which the fielding team attempt to hit with the ball *Stump (dog): Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (born 1998), 2009 " ...

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colli ...

Upper Edge Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

Wainstalls Wainstalls is a village in the unparished area of Halifax, in West Yorkshire, England. The area is rural and much of the area is farmland. Wainstalls is in the HX postcode area and in the HX2 postcode district and the Luddendenfoot ward of Calde ...

, Walsden, Warland,

Warley Town Warley Town is an area of Halifax in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Warley is a ward of Calderdale. The population of this ward as taken at the 2011 Census was 12,215. History Warley Town was listed in the Domesday book as ''Werlafeslei ...

, West Vale, Wholestone Hill, Wheatley

Education

Two selective schools in Calderdale jointly administer an 11+ admissions exam: The Crossley Heath School, in Savile Park and North Halifax Grammar School in Illingworth. Both schools achieve excellent

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private s ...

and

A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

results, achieving a large proportion of A* to C grades at GCSE level. In 2005 the Crossley Heath School was the highest ranking co-educational school in the north of England. Calderdale College is a local further education college on Francis Street, in Halifax. In December 2006 it was announced that Calderdale College, in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University, would open a new higher education institution in January 2007 called University Centre Calderdale.

Local government

Northgate House from Beacon Hill Road - geograph

The borough is divided into 17 wards and each is represented on Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council by three councillors. Each councillor is normally elected on a

first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...

basis for a four-year period which is staggered with the other councillors of that ward so that only one councillor per ward is up for election at any one time. Exceptions to this include

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election ( Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election use ...

s and ward boundary changes. The wards are: Brighouse; Calder; Elland; Greetland and Stainland; Hipperholme and Lightcliffe; Illingworth and Mixenden; Luddendenfoot; Northowram and Shelf; Ovenden; Park; Rastrick; Ryburn; Skircoat; Sowerby Bridge; Todmorden; Town; and Warley. ;Mayors of Calderdale * 1974–75: Joseph Tolan * 1975–76: Mrs Kathleen M. Cawdry * 1976–77: Mrs Mona Ross Mitchell * 1977–78: Eric Dennett * 1978–79: Richard Deadman * 1979–80: Mrs Betty Wildsmith * 1980–81: Harry Wilson * 1981–82: Eric Whitehead * 1982–83: David Trevor Shutt * 1983–84: Kevin Gordon Lord * 1984–85: John Bradley * 1985–86: Thomas Lawler * 1986–87: David J. Fox * 1987–88: Wilfred Sharp * 1988–89: Albert Berry * 1989–90: Joseph Kneafsey * 1990–91: Joseph Tolan * 1991–92: Thomas J. McElroy * 1992–93: William C. A. Carpenter * 1993–94: Anthony D. J. Mazey * 1994–95: Stephen J. Pearson * 1995–96: Graham E. A. Reason * 1996–97: Dawn Neal * 1997: Susan Tucker * 1997–98: Alan Worth * 1998–99: Alan Worth * 1999–2000: Graham Hall * 2000–01: Peter Sephton Coles * 2001–02: Chris O'Connor * 2002–03: Patrick Phillips * 2003–04: Mrs Geraldine Carter * 2004–05: Olwen Jean Arlette Jennings * 2005–06: John Williamson * 2006–07: Colin Stout * 2007–08: Martin Peel * 2008–09: Conrad Winterburn * 2009–10: Arshad Mahmood * 2010: Ann McAllister * 2010–11: Keith Watson * 2011–12: Nader Fekri JP * 2012–13: John Hardy * 2013–14: Ann Martin * 2014–15: Pat Allen * 2015–16: Lisa Lambert * 2016–17: Howard Blagbrough * 2017–18: Ferman Ali * 2018–19: Marcus Thompson * 2019–21: Dot Foster * 2021–22: Chris Pillai * 2022–23: Angie Gallagher

Demographics

The largest ethnic group within Calderdale at the 2011 census was

White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the native white population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population w ...

at 86.7%, down from 90.8% in 2001. The next largest ethnic group are Pakistanis, comprising 6.8% of the population (4.9% in 2001). In 2011,

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

comprised 60.6% of the borough's population. This was followed by those of no religion (30.2%) and

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

(7.8%). In 2019, those who were not born in the UK formed 8% of Calderdale's population.

Public services, transport and facilities

Health

Calderdale is part of the Calderdale

Primary Care Trust Primary care trusts (PCTs) were part of the National Health Service in England from 2001 to 2013. PCTs were largely administrative bodies, responsible for commissioning primary, community and secondary health services from providers. Until 31 May ...

, South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. The borough has two hospitals and one hospice. The main hospital (part of Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust) is the

Calderdale Royal Hospital The Calderdale Royal Hospital is a hospital situated in the English town of Halifax. It is located in the suburb of Salterhebble and provides general services, emergency services and some specialist services. It is managed by Calderdale and Hu ...

, located on the main route to Huddersfield in Salterhebble. It has specialist departments: Calderdale's A&E department and the Calderdale Birth Centre. The hospital was built and opened in 2001 on the site of the original Halifax General Hospital. After the new hospital opened, the

Royal Halifax Infirmary The Royal Halifax Infirmary was a hospital in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1896 and closed in 2001. History Earlier hospitals The predecessors of the Royal Halifax Hospital were the Halifax Dispensary (1807-c.1836) in Hatter ...

closed and all services were transferred, as were services from

Northowram Hospital Northowram () is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England that stands to the east of Halifax on the north side of Shibden valley. Southowram stands on the southern side of the valley. The village was documented in the 19th century as ...

. NHS Ambulance services are provided by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service from stations in Halifax, Brighouse and Todmorden.

Overgate Hospice Overgate Hospice is a hospice and charity in Elland, West Yorkshire, England. It provides palliative care for the people of Calderdale. History In the 1970s two Calderdale doctors, Drs Brian Quinn and Geoffrey Hyman created a charitable tru ...

provides specialist

palliative care Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wi ...

for adults in Calderdale.

Elland Hospital Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Elland was recorded as ''Elant'' in the Domesday Book of 1086. It had ...

, Calderdale's only private hospital, is located by the Calderdale Way. Formerly BUPA Elland Independent Hospital, it is now owned and operated by

Classic Hospitals A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

Police

Calderdale is served by

West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers. History West Yor ...

; whose Calderdale Division headquarters is at Halifax police station. Other police stations are located in Todmorden and at Brighouse, which reopened in 2009.

Fire and rescue

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue covers Calderdale and it has five fire stations in the borough. These are located at Rastrick (Since 2015), King Cross (Halifax Fire Station), Mytholmroyd, Illingworth, and Todmorden.

Libraries

Calderdale Libraries provides services through 22 local library branches, including a central library in Halifax, and also offer a home library service and digital library service. In 2014, construction began on a new central library and archive building in Halifax, adjacent to the Piece Hall and the

Square Chapel The Square Chapel in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, was designed by Thomas Bradley and James Kershaw at the instigation of Titus Knight, a local preacher. Construction started in 1772 and the chapel was visited by John Wesley in July of tha ...

. The new Central Library and Archive officially opened in September 2017.

Sports in Calderdale

Pools, There are three current swimming pools in Calderdale. These are located in

, Brighouse and Sowerby Bridge. Halifax is currently in the phase of getting a new swimming pool after the old pool shut in 2021. Sports Facilities, Sports Facilities include North Bridge Leisure Centre (Halifax, Currently Closed), Sowerby Bridge Swimming Pool, Brighouse Leisure Centre and Pool,

Swimming Pool, The Shay Stadium ( Halifax Towns Football Pitch) and Spring Hall (Halifax, Track and field).

Transport

Railway stations, Brighouse, Halifax,

, Mythomroyd, Sowerby Bridge,

, Walsden and the currently funded Elland station in planning.

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Calderdale.

Individuals

* Hannah Cockroft: 13 September 2012. * Sally Wainwright: 12 March 2020.

Military units

* The Duke of Wellington's Regiment: 27 July 2002.

References

External links

Calderdale Council website

Calderdale College website

* ttps://www.calderdale.gov.uk/environment/conservation/listedbuildings/list-results.jsp Listed buildings in Calderdale
Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion
* (Twinned with Calderdale)

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...

,Ireland {{Authority control Metropolitan boroughs Leeds City Region Local government districts in West Yorkshire Calderdale Calderdale Calderdale Calderdale Calderdale Calderdale