Stoodley Pike is a hill in the south Pennines in

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 ...

in northern England. It is noted for the Stoodley Pike Monument at its summit, which dominates the skyline above the market town of

Todmorden Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and 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, Halifax. In 2011, it had a popul ...

and the moors of the upper Calder Valley. The monument is near the villages of Lumbutts and Mankinholes,

, and was designed in 1854 by local architect John Green, and completed in 1856 at the end of the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. The monument replaced an earlier structure, started in 1814 and commemorating the defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and the surrender of Paris. It was completed in 1815, after the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

(

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

), but collapsed in 1854 after an earlier lightning strike, and decades of weathering. Its replacement was therefore built slightly further from the edge of the hill. During repair work in 1889 a lightning conductor was added, and although the tower has since been struck by lightning on numerous occasions, no notable structural damage is evident. There is evidence to suggest that some sort of structure existed on the site even before the earlier structure was built. The monument is approximately south west of

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

and approximately east of

town centre. The monument was Grade II listed in 1984. The inscription above the entrance is worn and covered with lichen but it is legible and reads:

STOODLEY PIKE
A PEACE MONUMENT
ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION
COMMENCED IN 1814 TO COMMEMORATE
THE SURRENDER OF PARIS TO THE ALLIES
AND FINISHED AFTER THE BATTLE OF
WATERLOO WHEN PEACE WAS ESTABLIS-
HED IN 1815. BY A STRANGE COINCIDENCE
THE PIKE FELL ON THE DAY THE RUSSIAN
AMBASSADOR LEFT LONDON BEFORE THE
DECLARATION OF WAR WITH RUSSIA IN 1854
WAS REBUILT WHEN PEACE WAS RESTORED IN
1856
REPAIRED AND LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR FIXED
1889

Access

The site is accessible by the

Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...

and other well-defined public footpaths and the moor surrounding it is on access land. There is no vehicular or bicycle access to the monument, although it is reached by many mountain bikers who ride the technical trail following the Pennine Way. The Pike stands on Langfield Common, and is therefore the responsibility of

Calderdale Council Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Calderdale Council, is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local gove ...

. Langfield Common is a SSSI. Stoodley Pike Monument contains a spiral staircase of 39 steps, accessed from its north side. During repairs in 1889 a grille was added to the top step, allowing more light in, so that only 6 or 7 steps are in darkness. There are no windows. The entrance to the balcony, the highest point that can be reached, and some 40 feet above ground level, is on the west face. Being accessible by right-of-way footpaths and Access Land restrictions, the site serves primarily as a destination for hikers and fell-runners. It is close to Mankinholes Youth Hostel, The Shepherd’s Rest and the Top Brink pub. Just below it on the contour shelf at roughly lies the Harvelin Park housing estate. From here walkers can enjoy an easy 30-minute walk to the Pike. Many fell races visit the Pike, primarily those organised by Todmorden Harriers including the Noonstone, Hebden Bridge, Shepherd's Skyline and the Stoodley Pike Fell race. Stoodley Pike Monument can be easily seen on the horizon from many miles away, such as standing in front of Beacon Hill, in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

or from Roper Lane in Queensbury, Bradford. In recent years the entrance to the tower has been re-paved and a seat has been provided to the southwest of the monument.

References

External links

{{commons category, Stoodley Pike
Walking route to Stoodley Pike
Obelisks in England Buildings and structures in Calderdale Hills of West Yorkshire Monuments and memorials in West Yorkshire Grade II listed buildings in West Yorkshire