Southowram
Encyclopedia
Southowram is a village in Calderdale
, West Yorkshire
, England
that stands on the hill top to the east of Halifax
, on the south side of Shibden valley
. It is a small Pennine village with outlying regions of Bank Top
, Brookfoot and Siddal. Northowram
stands on the northern side of the valley and is roughly equidistant from Halifax and Brighouse
.
Parts of the village centre were demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s and 1980s. But many older buildings remain, as do the ancient stocks
on Towngate http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/282143. Old buildings were unfortunately lost on New Street and were replaced by council housing. More such housing is to be found in the lower part of the village. Southowram retains in the main, however, a mixture of older historic and new housing, council owned and private housing.
A number of old halls and farms which survived until the 1940s and 1950s were lost in subsequent decades.
A National School was built in 1839 and also served as the Sunday school for the church of St Anne in the Grove opposite. The architecture employs Gothic pointed arches but Tudor-style chimneys. In the centre of the front wall are two blocked doorways with round heads. There is also a carved stone plaque, the inscription on which includes "National School".
came to teach at the three-storey house on Law Lane which was then an exclusive boarding school
. She stayed for only about six months, however, because of the strict lifestyle demanded. She was homesick and in a collection of letters, her sister Charlotte wrote about how Emily had to work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day and was more of a governess
than a teacher. Emily wrote poetry while at Law Hill and became fascinated by the story of intrigue and feuding which surrounded the house’s builder, Jack Sharp, and his near neighbours, the Walker family of Walterclough. It is said she reflected the story in the plot of her novel Wuthering Heights
and that the central character was based on Sharp himself. A plaque on the wall commemorates Brontë's stay between 1837 and 1838.
, and stone quarrying and mining. With the exception of farming, and quarrying, which is continued by Marshalls plc
, these industries are more or less defunct. Marshalls continues to extract stone in the area and the company has moved its headquarters to Huddersfield
in recent years.
A number of walls which incorporate quarry waste can still be seen in the locality, especially those on the valley opposite Hove Edge. These walls include a rather splendid set of steps set into the side of the valley, which lead into a small narrow ginnel to permit passage along a public footpath.
Various non-conformist chapels have closed over the years, most recent being Southowram Methodist Church http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/PhotoFrames/WRY/SouthowramMethodist_1.html, which was located at the lower end of Chapel Lane. The building has now been converted to appartments, but the graveyard survives http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1011419. Although the Methodist chapel building has been closed the Methodist Church in Southowram continues to meet for worship and other activities in the village Community Centre.
The 'new' Southowram CC was originally a pub team based at The Cock and Bottle Inn at the other end of the village. In 2002, Southowram CC celebrated their 25th anniversary year by winning the right to host the Parish Cup final.
. The school was relocated and re-built in 1997 when the old school, being inadequate for modern needs, was demolished. The former school site is now a housing estate. The school has been built so that it can easily be expanded if and when the village should expand.
There is a library on Law Lane and a Post Office at the centre of the village.
"The Shoulder of Mutton" on Cain Lane is a popular public house http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1405827. The Pack Horse public house, also on Cain Lane, at the centre of the village http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1011445, is currently untennanted.
Calderdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, through which the upper part of the River Calder flows, and from which it takes its name...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that stands on the hill top to the east of Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, on the south side of Shibden valley
Shibden valley
Shibden Valley is to the east of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, where the community of Shibden lies. The name of the Shibden valley comes from scepe dene meaning "sheep valley"...
. It is a small Pennine village with outlying regions of Bank Top
Bank Top
Bank Top can be one of the following places:*Bank Top, Northumberland*Bank Top, West Yorkshire — neighbouring area to the village of Southowram.*Darlington railway station — also known as Bank Top....
, Brookfoot and Siddal. Northowram
Northowram
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....
stands on the northern side of the valley and is roughly equidistant from Halifax and Brighouse
Brighouse
Brighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
.
History
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
on Towngate http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/282143. Old buildings were unfortunately lost on New Street and were replaced by council housing. More such housing is to be found in the lower part of the village. Southowram retains in the main, however, a mixture of older historic and new housing, council owned and private housing.
A number of old halls and farms which survived until the 1940s and 1950s were lost in subsequent decades.
A National School was built in 1839 and also served as the Sunday school for the church of St Anne in the Grove opposite. The architecture employs Gothic pointed arches but Tudor-style chimneys. In the centre of the front wall are two blocked doorways with round heads. There is also a carved stone plaque, the inscription on which includes "National School".
Law Hill House
In 1837, 19-year-old, Emily BrontëEmily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
came to teach at the three-storey house on Law Lane which was then an exclusive boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. She stayed for only about six months, however, because of the strict lifestyle demanded. She was homesick and in a collection of letters, her sister Charlotte wrote about how Emily had to work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day and was more of a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
than a teacher. Emily wrote poetry while at Law Hill and became fascinated by the story of intrigue and feuding which surrounded the house’s builder, Jack Sharp, and his near neighbours, the Walker family of Walterclough. It is said she reflected the story in the plot of her novel Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
and that the central character was based on Sharp himself. A plaque on the wall commemorates Brontë's stay between 1837 and 1838.
Industries
Local industries have included farming, mining for coal and fireclay, brick-manufactureBrick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, and stone quarrying and mining. With the exception of farming, and quarrying, which is continued by Marshalls plc
Marshalls plc
Marshalls plc is a British construction materials company headquartered in Huddersfield. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.Marshalls was established in the late 1880s. It operates quarries and factories producing natural stone and concrete hard landscaping products including bricks, slabs,...
, these industries are more or less defunct. Marshalls continues to extract stone in the area and the company has moved its headquarters to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
in recent years.
A number of walls which incorporate quarry waste can still be seen in the locality, especially those on the valley opposite Hove Edge. These walls include a rather splendid set of steps set into the side of the valley, which lead into a small narrow ginnel to permit passage along a public footpath.
Religion
The Anglican church of St Anne's, situated below the village proper, surrounded by trees and fields, is an old stone built church with a bell tower with a clock. It is the only remaining place of worship in the village. Originally situated as part of a house belonging to the lord of the manor, Pope Eugenius IV issued a license in 1440 to enable the Mass to be offered. The legal name of the parish is "St Anne-in-the-Grove, Southowram". The church was restored in 2006 after a four year appeal. It features a beautiful rood cross and icon as well as a gallery, a fine carved stone pulpit and some fine stained-glass windows.Various non-conformist chapels have closed over the years, most recent being Southowram Methodist Church http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/PhotoFrames/WRY/SouthowramMethodist_1.html, which was located at the lower end of Chapel Lane. The building has now been converted to appartments, but the graveyard survives http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1011419. Although the Methodist chapel building has been closed the Methodist Church in Southowram continues to meet for worship and other activities in the village Community Centre.
Sport
Southowram is home to Southowram cricket club, who play at Ashday Lane, and Beacon Rangers who play on Beacon Hill. Beacon Rangers are a junior team only whereas the cricket club is home to three senior teams and U11, U13, U15 & U17 teams at junior level. All senior teams played in their respective premier divisions until the 2009 season, where all three senior teams were relegated. The club's first and second teams were promoted to the Towergate Halifax Cricket League premier divisions at the end of the 2011 season.The 'new' Southowram CC was originally a pub team based at The Cock and Bottle Inn at the other end of the village. In 2002, Southowram CC celebrated their 25th anniversary year by winning the right to host the Parish Cup final.
Education and amenities
The local school, Withinfields Primary School, is in the centre of the village, on Law lane and is a feeder school for Brighouse High SchoolBrighouse High School
Brighouse High School is an outstanding Academy School in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England.-Admissions:It has approximately 1,400 pupils. The school contains around 1,050 pupils while the Sixth form contains around 350 pupils. The school is a Business and Enterprise College, rated 'outstanding'...
. The school was relocated and re-built in 1997 when the old school, being inadequate for modern needs, was demolished. The former school site is now a housing estate. The school has been built so that it can easily be expanded if and when the village should expand.
There is a library on Law Lane and a Post Office at the centre of the village.
"The Shoulder of Mutton" on Cain Lane is a popular public house http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1405827. The Pack Horse public house, also on Cain Lane, at the centre of the village http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1011445, is currently untennanted.
External links
- Mines around Southowram
- Southowram Cricket Club website
- http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kuYVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA361&lpg=PA361&dq=North+Bridge+Halifax+history&source=bl&ots=c4jJHKBRwb&sig=x3xLAXszlfDqYkk-RUytoxKduqA&hl=en&ei=OiaoSqGiApTb-QbSqYDJCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#v=onepage&q=North%20Bridge%20Halifax%20history&f=falseNorth Owram in "A concise history of the parish and vicarage of Halifax, in the county of York" by John Crabtree, published 1836]
- Southowram Chapelry at genuki.org