Escape to The Country
Taking a retrospective look so soon into the new decade may seem a tad hasty seeing as we are a mere eight weeks into 2010. Yet since Christmas... |
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Madchester made its long overdue return when Peter Hook, Ben Kelly and Funktion One dusted down the immortal Factory Records head office for their new venture - FAC251.
Whilst Soundcontrol in the self-named Southern Quarter popped up and put itself firmly on the radar. Offering yet another venue in which to drink party and witness the best new musical talent.
With such an abundance of new bars and clubs assimilating seamlessly on to the Mancunian social scene it has been a dizzying and not entirely sober two months here at Manchester Gossip.
Therefore as a change of scenery and a much needed break from the bright lights of the city, Adam Yare escaped to the country to look at the colourful history of bohemian hotspot Hebden Bridge.
Up against the likes of Daylesford (Australia), Tiradentes, (Brazil), and Burlington (USA), Hebden Bridge has been voted by Reuter’s magazine as one of the ‘Worlds Funkiest Towns.’
Secluded within the Calder Valley about 15 miles from Manchester it was originally a cloth-producing town with a handful of mills, smallholdings, and of course an all important Bridge.
Yet the onset of the industrial revolution changed all this. Out went the hardnosed mill workers, and the town came to a productive standstill. Jump ahead 200 years and it is a very different story.
In the 1960’s the hippies arrived with flowers in their hair, and ‘scented’ cigarettes in their hands. The smell of which still lingers profoundly amongst many locals to this day. During the 1980’s the lesbians joined the increasingly liberal population, and twenty years on the influx of Sapphic sisters has refused to slow down, giving Hebden Bridge the title ‘Lesbian Capital of Britain.’
However Hebden’s unique history goes well beyond the Laissez-Faire inhabitants that now comprise its populace. In 1643 the bridge that gave Hebden its moniker was the location of a bloody battle, with Royalist troops led by General Mackworth attempting to capture a Roundhead stronghold in the neighbouring village of Heptonstall. Unfortunately this failed, with Mackworth and his army suffering a humiliating defeat, and ultimately drowning in the river.
Nowadays modern hordes succeed where Mackworth failed. As rambling tourists cross the bridge to climb the cobbled ascent of the Buttress; an ancient pathway used for transport in Hebden’s once thriving cloth industry.
The Buttress is now more likely to see unruly armies of female literary fans, as they make their way to view the grave of writer and poet Sylvia Plath. Best known for her book the ‘The Bell Jar’, Plath was wife to one of Hebden’s most famous sons – the former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes.
Born a mile down the road from Hebden Bridge in Mytholmroyd - Yes I know it sounds like a disease. Hughes’s work was obviously significantly inspired by the Calder Valley which surrounded him throughout his early life:
Freezing dusk is closing,
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But as you can see he is possibly not the best ambassador for the town. In fact Hughes is perhaps one of the most pessimistic men I have never had the honour of meeting.
Hughes observed that Hebden was perpetually dark in the winter, with the sun barely rising over the valley. And people wonder why both his wives committed suicide.
A film starring Gwenyth Paltrow was released in 2003 depicting Hughes’s tumultuous relationship with Plath. However Hebden Bridge was not featured and nor was the town mentioned; saying that Hebden has had its fair share of productions over the years.
In 1999 Ray Winstone came to the town to create the flop known as ‘Fanny and Elvis’, in 2002 Hebden Bridge became home to the Dickens classic Nicholas Nickleby, and of late the psychological thriller ‘Dead Man’s Shoes, and the BAFTA award winning ‘My Summer of Love’ were also filmed on location there. Not to mention the Christmas Sainsbury’s adverts starring everybody’s favourite cherub-like, pucker lipped cockney chump Jamie Oliver.
Perhaps more impressive than that though is the full array of celebrities you are likely to see around Hebden’s tightly packed streets. At any given time you could bump into at least, well a few Emmerdale characters, including Lisa Dingle, Cain Dingle, and that Dingle woman who died of cancer.
Alongside Hebden Bridge is the smaller settlement of Cragg Vale. One of the main highways through the valley, it is situated upon the longest continuous gradient in England, with the road rising to 968 feet over 5 ½ miles.
Around the latter part of the 18th Century a much heard term around Cragg Vale would have probably been “I haven’t two ha’ pennies for a penny”; which for those of you unacquainted with the complexities of Yorkshire dialect translates to “I’m Skint!”
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The Yorkshire man; I should just point out here that though the politically correct term would be ‘Yorkshire Person’, in these parts equal rights have yet to be developed beyond the female being allowed to drink pints. Anyway, the Yorkshire man has always been notorious for not being exactly forth-coming with his wealth. So therefore the hard-up hillside dwellers of Cragg Vale sought another means to replenish their empty purses – Fraud.
Led by the ‘King’ (you should see his rendition of Jail House Rock) David Hartley, a group of farmers and weavers engineered a counterfeit money making scheme. This consisted of clipping the edges off legitimate gold coins, melting down the shavings and then forging a new currency.
Providing a lucrative dividend, the coiners prosperity was unfortunately short lived. In 1769 a public official investigating the rumours of a counterfeit gang operating from the rural Cragg arrested Hartley.
This was the beginning of a downward spiral for the gang. When Just over a month later thirty more of the coiners were arrested, and King David and his brother Isaac were hung at Tyburn near York.
With the Calder Valleys fraudulent past long behind it, Hebden Bridge has now developed into a prosperous and wealthy town. Houses that were once sold for as little as £10,000 are now changing hands for more than £500,000; with many people moving to the town for both its culture, and the effortless commute to the larger cities of Manchester and Leeds. Hebden Bridge has greatly benefited from this property boom recently topping a list of towns with the most local identity.
Up and coming highlights to look out for in the Bridge include the annual arts festival, which in past years has seen performances from the likes of Germaine Greer, Phil Jupitus, Sean Hughes, and singer Gruff Rhys from the Super Furry Animals.
In the summer months Hebden hosts the International Cider festival at the Stubbing Wharf pub, whilst all year round you can stumble across an assortment of live music from folk to Hip-hop in the vast number of bars, and traditional pubs the town has to offer.
So when the weekend comes around and you find yourself once again waking from Friday nights drunken stupor, rather than planning your usual jaunt to the Locks, why not get yourself down to Victoria train station and take the 45 minute trip to Hebden Bridge. Trust me you will not be disappointed.
By Adam Yare
