Sowerby Bridge ( ) is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

in the

Upper Calder Valley The Upper Calder Valley lies in West Yorkshire, in northern England, and covers the towns of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Luddendenfoot, and Sowerby Bridge, as well as a number of smaller settlements such as Portsmouth, Cornholme ...

Calderdale Calderdale () is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England. The Calderdale Council ward population at the 2011 census was 11,703.

History

The town was originally a fording point over the once much-wider River Calder where it is joined by the

River Ryburn The River Ryburn is a river in West Yorkshire, England. It flows through the villages of Rishworth, Ripponden and Triangle before flowing into the River Calder at Sowerby Bridge. Course The river becomes known as Ryburn at the confluence of R ...

. The town takes its name from the historic bridge which spans the river in the town centre. Before the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

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.

19th century

The Anglican

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, Christ Church, situated on Wharf Street, is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It was built in 1819 by John Oates. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

was rebuilt in 1873–74 and the church was re-roofed 1894. The church is still active and the vicar is Revd. Tommy Daglish. 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 Abbott and Smith were a firm of organ builders based in Leeds, England from 1869 to 1964. History Isaac Abbott established the firm in Leeds in 1869. He had worked for William Hill & Sons, William Hill in London for 20 years. Another Hill emplo ...

, was installed, and next repaired in 1979. The current organ was installed in 1983, moved from a nearby closed church. By the mid-19th century the population had grown and the settlement became an urban district in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

in 1894.

20th century

From 1892 to 1930 Pollit & Wigzell manufactured stationary

steam engines A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...

for the cotton and woollen mills of Yorkshire, Lancashire and India. Wood Brothers, an engineering and

millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...

company, also produced engines from its Valley Iron Works. The

Markfield Beam Engine Markfield Road Pumping Station, now known as Markfield Beam Engine and Museum or sometimes just as Markfield Beam Engine is a Grade II listed building containing a beam engine, originally built in 1886 to pump sewage from Tottenham towards the ...

in north

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

is an example of its work.

21st century

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.

Governance

The town is part of the Sowerby Bridge

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the

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

, in

Geography

Sowerby Bridge is situated about from Halifax town centre. It is at the confluence of the River Calder and

, and the name Sowerby Bridge references its situation as a crossing point over the River Calder to the older settlement at Sowerby.

Education

There are two

secondary schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

in Sowerby Bridge. *

Ryburn Valley High School Ryburn Valley High School is a secondary school and sixth form located in the town of Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. Originally built in the 1950s, it moved into a new building in 2005. History Ryburn Valley High School opened in F ...

on St Peter's Avenue *

Trinity Academy Grammar Trinity Academy Grammar, formerly known as Trinity Academy Sowerby Bridge, is a coeducational secondary school in Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The school specialises in maths and computing, and is attended by over 1000 s ...

on Albert Road

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by

BBC Yorkshire BBC Yorkshire is one of the English regions of the BBC. It was formed from the division of the former BBC North region into BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, based in Kingston upon Hull. Serving West, North and South Yorkshir ...

and

ITV Yorkshire ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

. Television signals received from the

Emley Moor The Emley Moor transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on Emley Moor, west of the village centre of Emley, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is made up of a concrete tower and apparatus that began ...

and one of the three local relay transmitters (Halifax, Luddenden and Ripponden). Local radio stations are

BBC Radio Leeds BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of West Yorkshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at St Peter's Square in Leeds. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audienc ...

on 95.3 FM,

Hits Radio West Yorkshire Hits Radio West Yorkshire, formerly Pulse 1, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Leeds, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to West Yorkshire. As of September 2024, t ...

on 102.5 FM,

Heart Yorkshire Heart Yorkshire (previously Real Radio Yorkshire) was a regional radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to South and West Yorkshire.Capital Yorkshire Capital Yorkshire was a regional radio station owned by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcast to South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. Capi ...

on 105.1 FM ,

Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire (previously Radio Aire, Magic 828/Radio Aire 2, Ridings FM and Pulse 2) is an Independent Local Radio station serving West Yorkshire on 96.3 and 106.8 FM, DAB, online and via the app. The station was launch ...

on 96.3 FM and Phoenix Radio on 96.7 FM, which has its studios in Halifax. The town is served by the local newspaper the ''Halifax Courier''.

Transport

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 The Calder Valley line (also previously known as the Caldervale line) is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail routes ...

. 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 The Calder and Hebble Navigation is a broad inland waterway, with locks and bridge holes that are suitable for boats, in West Yorkshire, England. Construction to improve the River Calder and the River Hebble began in 1759, and the initial s ...

and the

Rochdale Canal The Rochdale Canal is in Northern England, between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. Its name refers to the town of Rochdale through which it passes. The Rochdale is a broad canal be ...

;

Tuel Lane Lock Tuel Lane Lock is a canal lock, situated on the Rochdale Canal in Sowerby Bridge, England. It was built in 1996 as part of the canal's restoration, and replaces two previous locks, locks 3 and 4, from the original canal system. With a fall of , ...

on the Rochdale Canal is the deepest lock in the United Kingdom. The canal basin and warehouses where the canals meet, Sowerby Bridge Wharf, are

s 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 Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

(M.o.D. No. 54 Royal Navy recognised) where

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

opened the William Andrew Memorial Headquarters. Shire Cruisers run holiday hire canal barges, build narrow boats and provide mooring facilities.

In popular culture

Sowerby Bridge features in

George Gissing George Robert Gissing ( ; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. In the 1890s he was considered one of the three greatest novelists in England, and by the 1940s he had been ...

's 1890 novel ''The Emancipated'' as the hometown of the protagonist Ross Mallard. The canal basin was used as a filming location for the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

comedy-drama ''

Stay Lucky ''Stay Lucky'' is a British television comedy-drama series ran from 8 December 1989 to 6 August 1993. Made by Yorkshire Television and screened on the ITV network, it starred Jan Francis and Dennis Waterman. Plot Drama about a small-time gang ...

'', and the ITV drama ''

Dead Clever ''Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley'' is a British black comedy film, first screened on ITV on New Year's Day, 2007. Directed by Dearbhla Walsh and written by Sally Wainwright, it stars Suranne Jones, Helen Baxendale and De ...

'' was set in the town. The 2014

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

drama '' Happy Valley'' was set in Sowerby Bridge and parts of the series were filmed in and around the town. Catherine's workplace is a former police station. The series writer and director

Sally Wainwright Sally Anne Wainwright (born 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas, which are often set in her native West Yorkshire, and feature "strong female characters". Wainwright has been praised for th ...

grew up in Sowerby Bridge.

Notable residents

* 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 Justin David Hawkins (born 17 March 1975) is an English musician, Internet personality, singer, and songwriter best known as the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness, of which his younger brother Dan is also a member. He is ...

(1975–), front-man of rock band The Darkness, lived in the town as a teenager while studying at

Kirklees College Kirklees College is a further education college with two main centres in the towns of Dewsbury and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. History The college was formed on 1 August 2008 after the Dewsbury College Dissolution order approved th ...

John Tillotson John Tillotson (October 1630 – 22 November 1694) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1691 to 1694. Curate and rector Tillotson was the son of a Puritan clothier at Haughend, Sowerby, Yorkshire. Little is known of his early youth; he stu ...

(1630–1694),

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

* Max Crabtree (1933–2023), professional wrestling promoter *

Glyn Hughes (writer) Glyn Hughes (25 May 1935 – 24 May 2011) was an English poet, novelist and artist. Early life and education Glyn Hughes was born on 25 May 1935 in Altrincham. His father was a bus conductor, who had been unemployed in the 1920's. His mother "clea ...

(1935–2011), English poet, artist and novelist

Traditions

Rushbearing Rushbearing is an old English Religious festival, ecclesiastical festival in which Juncaceae, rushes are collected and carried to be strewn on the floor of the parish church. The tradition dates back to the time when most buildings had earthen fl ...

, 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.

Boxing Day floods 2015

Local river monitoring stations recorded a level of between 12 pm and 6 pm, surpassing previous recorded highs of (23 June 2012). Known flood plains, such as Dixie Woods and Sowerby Bridge Cricket Club, were submerged to an estimated depth of . The floods were reported as the worst in the area since 1968. The town was flooded again on 9 February 2020 by

Storm Ciara Storm Ciara was a powerful and long-lived extratropical cyclone that was the first of a pair of European windstorms to affect the United Kingdom and Ireland at peak intensity less than a week apart in early February 2020, followed by Storm Den ...

, causing a similar amount of damage to the 2015 floods.

References

External links

Partial archive of ''Sowerby Bridge Chronicle'' newspaper, 1896 to 1907
{{authority control Market towns in West Yorkshire Unparished areas in West Yorkshire Wards of Calderdale Former civil parishes in West Yorkshire Geography of Calderdale