Spen Valley Greenway, M62 to Cleckheaton Central

The Spen Valley Greenway is a cycle-pedestrian corridor connecting Low Moor with Ravensthorpe, West Yorkshire, passing through the towns of Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike and Liversedge on route. The route runs for approx. 8 miles along the former routes of the Spen Valley Railway and Ravensthorpe Branch Lines. 

The Greenway was planned after Sustrans acquired the trackbed in 1998, and opened in 2000. In addition to the remaining bridges, occasional railway signposts and ornamental benches along the route, there are artworks including Sally Matthews flock of Swaledale sheep and Trudi Entwistle's Rotate. The route is traffic free and pretty flat along it's length, with a few small gentle slopes up and down. There are supermarkets along the route including a Tesco alongside the former site of Cleckheaton Station and a Morrison's a short walk from the site of what was Heckmondwike Station.

Before conversion from an overgrown and abandoned former railway to a pleasant tarmacked cycle and pedestrian route, the greenway had a life as a railway known as the Mirfield and Low Moor Railway. The original double track line opening was in 2 stages, from Low Moor to Mirfield on the 18th July 1848, and the Ravensthorpe Branch connecting Thornhill with Heckmondwike on the 1st June 1849. At it's height the line had 8 stations along it's route which included Low Moor, Cleckheaton Central, Liversedge Central, Heckmondwike Central after which the line split with stops at Northorpe North Road and Mirfield along the Mirfield route, and Ravensthorpe Lower and Thornhill along the Ravensthorpe Branch Line. The line remained in use until passenger services were withdrawn in July 1965 and goods traffic ended in the late 1980's.

There are currently small campaigns trying to get the line reopened, as much of the trackbed remains clear and unbuilt upon this seems an easy but perhaps expensive plan. There is currently a population of over 50000 along the Spen Valley Route with limited access to rail without commuting. There are competing plans featuring heavy rail and light rail proposals.

I have previously posted the pictures taken on the route from Low Moor to the M62, the following set were taken from the M62 to the former site of Cleckheaton Central Station, they were pictured with a Nikon d3300 on the 30th December 2019.

The M62 Chain Bar Railway Bridge, pictured from the north (Low Moor) side. The line closed here whilst the M62 was constructed, this stretch of track remained open until 1981 as far south as Heckmondwike.

The southern end of the M62 Chain Bar Bridge. Laithe Hill Footbridge can be seen a sort distance down the cutting.

Laithe Hill Bridge.

Whitechapel Road Bridge,

A row of railway sleepers to the north of Cleckheaton, i'm guessing these were placed here as a nod to the greenways railway heritage.

The Spen Valley Greenway on a slight climb up to Whitcliffe Road Bridge. The line started to pen up just beyond the bridge to enter Cleckheaton Central Station and goods yard.

Whitcliffe Road Bridge from the opposite side.

The former trackbed away from Whitcliffe Road Bridge in the direction Cleckheaton Central Station.

The previous 2 pictures show the site of Cleckheaton Central Railway Station, the goods yard was off to the right of the picture and is now a Tesco Supermarket.

Cleckheaton Central was opened in 1847, and remained open to passenger traffic until June 1965, with goods traffic continued until May 1969. The station was demolished in stages between 1968 and 1971 where they story of Cleckheaton Central takes an unexpected turn.

In 1972 a contractor appeared before Wakefield Crown Court accused of stealing stone, timber, metal and other fittings from Cleckheaton Central, or as was widely reported at the time he was claimed to have stolen Cleckheaton Central Railway Station. In August 1971 British Rail's appointed contractor when arriving to clear the site found that it had already been removed. The accused had been contracted by another party to clear the site which had taken him 3 weeks to do. Despite efforts the other party was never traced and the defendant was found not guilty having proved he had been duped and left significantly out of pocket by the incident. To date this remains the only time a "Railway Station has been stolen" in the United Kingdom.

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Halifax Branch Canal Artworks

 Halifax Branch Canal artworks is a set of 6 pictures of the Calder & Hebble Navigation spur towards Halifax from Salterhebble Locks. They are digital creations of prints showing various points along the what remains of the canal that used to run up towards the Halifax.

The Halifax Branch of the Calder & Hebble canal is an approx. half mile waterway that stretchers from Salterhebble junction / locks to the Watermill bar at Salterhebble Wharf.

The canal opened in 1828 and rose through 14 locks to end at Bailey Hall close to where the train station and Eureka museum now stands. The Halifax Branch fell in to disuse with the rise of firstly railways and the road transport and the section from Salterhebble Wharf to Bailey Hall was abandoned in 1942 and this has now become a cycle / pedestrian route known as the Hebble Trail with a little evidence that it was once a canal.

These artworks are based on photographs I took in November 2013 with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

The 3 pictures above show the canal around Wakefield Road Bridge, which is the first crossing over the canal after it branches off from the main waterway at Salterhebble Locks.

The canal was being worked on when the original picture was taken and had been drained beyond the lamp post on the tow path.

The drained canal at Salterhebble Basin.

The canal again at Salterhebble Basin, the Watermill Bar stands on the site of the demolished Salterhebble Mill.

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Ruskin's View, Kirkby Lonsdale

 Ruskin's View is a set of 4 pictures inspired by JMW Turner's A Painting of a Cumbrian Landscape, or better known as Ruskin's View. I took my pictures from a similar position as the original artwork was painted, 2 looking in the same direction, and another couple looking south east from the vantage point.

The picture became known more commonly as Ruskin's View in the late 19th century when art critic, social theorist, painter and poet made the following 2 descriptions of the view of the Lune Valley,

"I do not know in all my country, still less France or Italy, a place more Naturally divine"

and in 1875,

"one of the loveliest views in England, therefore in the world"

The picture by Turner showed the Lune Valley and Underley Hall northwards away from the churchyard of St Mary's. It was sold for over £200,000 in 2012, as i'll never have that kind of money for a painting I thought i'd do the next best thing and visit and photograph the scene. This is under threat now as the local town council tries to raise £1million to help repair the banking that supports the footpath and area known as Ruskin's View. The banking was severely damaged in 2015 by Storm Desmond and bad weather since has forced it's closure until the work can be undertaken. Hopefully it's not lost for good.

The pictures were taken on the 4th April 2015 with a Polaroid is2132 Camera.

The 2 pictures above show the Lune Valley in a south eastern direction.

The picture above and below show the valley in the same direction and from a similar position as Turner's painting.

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Scenes from Ibiza's Northern Coast

 Below are a collection of images taken at various points along Ibiza's Northern Coast between Portinatx and San Miguel. They were taken whilst I was sailing between the 2 Villages for an approx distance of 4 nautical miles along the coast.

The pictures were taken using a Polaroid is2132 camera on the 12th July 2014.

Benirras Cove

Cala Benirras

Calo d'en Calders

Calo des Porcs

Cap Blanc

Punta de Llevant

Sa Polletta des Punset and entrance to Benirras

Sa Polletta des Punset

Illa des Bosc and the entrance to San Miguel cove.

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Radical Steps, Kirkby Lonsdale.

 The Radical Steps at Kirkby Lonsdale are a set of stairs down from the area known as Ruskin's View, Nr St Mary's Churchyard to the banks of the River Lune. The steps are over 200 years old, they were built for Dr Francis Pearson in 1820 to divert a public footpath away from his land. He was said to be radical in his political thoughts, and because of this and local opposition to the reroute the steps became known as The Radical Steps.

The steps are quite steep and uneven in places, there are about 86 to navigate and are not suitable for disabled person's or people with walking difficulties.

The 4 pictures below were taken on the 4th April 2015 with a Polaroid is2132.

The wall that runs the length of the stairs means that quite often the steps can be damp and slippery even on dry days, the wall blocking sunlight and wind from drying the steps.

The River Lune is seen running along the bottom of the picture, the steps leading down to a path the runs alongside the river towards Devil's Bridge.

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Whitacre Mill Viaduct, Huddersfield

 Whitacre Mill Viaduct is a disused railway bridge crossing the Colne Valley at Deighton, Nr Huddersfield, built by the London & North Western Railway to carry the Kirkburton Branch Line, a 4 1/2 mile railway that had been intended to connect Huddersfield with the Barnsley coal mines, this scheme was never completed. Construction of the viaduct started in March 1865 by subcontractors Sigley, Miles and Haynes and the viaduct despite a partial collapse in February 1866 was completed prior to the lines opening on the 7th October 1867. The viaduct along with a short 1 mile section of the line from Deighton to ICI Chemical Works was the last to face closure, the majority having closed in 1965. This short section remained open until February 1971, before complete closure was decided in December that year.

The viaduct still crossers the Huddersfield Broad Canal, River Colne and Valley as a monument to a bygone age, it  can be just about accessed from the Deighton side, but is largely overgrown and impassable on the opposite side of the structure, Kirklees Council have plans to reopen the crossing as a greenway similar to the nearby Bradley Viaduct but as yet those plans have not progressed.

The pictures below were taken on the 27th May 2023 with a Nikon d3300.

The viaduct crossing the Huddersfield Broad Canal.

The top of the viaduct is supposed to be blocked off, I took this from the access point that has been removed. You can get approx 2/3 of the way across before the bushes become to thick to pass, walking along the top of the wall would have allowed me to get further but i'm not great with heights, so I thought better of that idea.

Huddersfield Broad Canal pictured from the viaduct, Longlands Lock number 4 is just visible at the top of the picture.

The Huddersfield Broad Canal from Whitacre Mill Viaduct. The picture was taken in the direction of Huddersfield.

The overgrown former trackbed looking towards the fence off access. The hole in the fence can be seen to the right of the picture if you follow the wall to the trees.

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River Calder at Copley - March 2015

 River Calder at Copley is a set of 6 pictures taken in March 2015 on an approx 1 mile stretch of the river from Copley Valley to the Village. The area around the river Calder at Copley Valley has seen major development since these pictures were taken, with new housing on the north bank of the river, new industrial units on the south side of the river, and a new bridge and roads linking the 2.

The majority of the site used to be covered by Sterne Mills, and the former Sowerby Bridge Sewage Works which had been opened in 1896. A mill had been on the site of Sterne Mills since at least the 18th century, but by the turn of the Millennium the site was unoccupied after the Standard Wire Company had moved away. The opposite banks of the river were originally a fording point until a wooden bridge was constructed, this was replaced by a single track concrete structure in 1914, and again by the current crossing a few years ago. The only remains of Sterne Mills today are the weir that powered the mill, and a sluice gate near the weir.

The pictures below were taken on the 8th March 2015 with a Polaroid is2132 camera, they can also be seen on Clickasnap, un-watermarked.

The former sluice gate is all that remains of the mills that once occupied the site.

The weir and modern bridge crossing, the 1914 bridge abutment can just be seen before the metal banking, behind the watermarked col.

The river passing Copley Village, the stone wall to the pictures left is all the remains of Edward Akroyd's Copley Mill which was demolished in 1974, the site is now covered by housing.

This picture was taken from the side of Copley Playing fields looking towards the bridge and wier.

Taken from the south bank, this path used to pass Sowerby Bridge Sewage Works, the site is now occupied by industrial units. I was told once that the river used to be navigable past this point until the canal came and weirs were built to power the mills.

The river again pictured here to the west of Sterne Mills Bridge, the north bank pictured across the river is now covered by housing on what was once considered a flood plain. Just about visible through the trees is the Halifax Bank's Copley Data Centre, opened in the mid 1980's the centre is earmarked for complete closure in 2025.

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Todmorden Town Hall (2013)

Todmorden Town Hall is a neo-classical Grade I listed building. Building work commenced in 1860 and the hall went through many changes with architect James Green being the original designer, work stopped in the 1860's due to legal and financial problems, before the Fielden family purchased the land and hall in January 1866 at auction. John Gibson of Westminster was then appointed to redesign the building which was completed and opened on 3rd April 1875 at a cost of £54,000.

The building was built across the Lancashire - Yorkshire county boundary to help unite the rivalries, although this boundary was moved on the 1st January 1888, bringing the hall and the town of Todmorden within the Yorkshire county fully.

The pictures below were taken on the 28th November 2013 with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

This was taken from the grounds of St Mary's Church, the A646 Halifax Road heading off and the A646 Burnley Road going off towards the left of the picture.

The Yorkshire Bank Branch pictured here was closed in 2017, plans to convert the building to a branch of McDonalds were ongoing in 2019 prior to the Covid 19 Pandemic, these seem to have been abandoned and the building remains unused as of September 2023.

The front of the town hall, St Mary's Church is pictured to the left of the hall.

The rear of the building, again St Mary's Church is visible this time to the right of the hall.

The waterway that once separated the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire ran underneath the hall, people dancing in the halls ballroom could start a dance in one county and finish in the other.

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Lord Nelson Inn, Luddenden (2013)

The Lord Nelson Inn can be found on High Street in the centre of the village of Luddenden, West Yorkshire. It is the only remaining pub in the village centre making it quite popular with the locals and quite well known and regarded further afield.

The building was built has a house in 1634 for Gregory Patchett, a prominent local landowner and was known as Newhouse, it may have also be used as a dairy around this time but by the middle of the following century the building had become a public house known as the White Swan. In 1805 shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar the pub was renamed the Lord Nelson in tribute to the great British Naval Hero and has kept the name since.

The Lord Nelson was home to Luddenden Library from 1776 until the collection was moved to Sowerby Bridge Library in 1917, a prominent member of the library being Branwell Bronte, brother of the famous sisters who when employed at nearby Luddendenfoot Railway Station was often found in the pub. The Inn has also stood in for the nearby St Mary's Church for various functions when it has been unavailable.

The 2 pictures below are all that remains of a set of 6 I took around the pub, they were taken on the 13th October 2013 with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

I took this from the garden - seating area at the junction of Old Lane and High Street.

I took this picture from the churchyard of St Mary's, the high building directly behind the Lord Nelson used to be the village school known as St Mary's Old School, it was closed in 1993 and is now a private residence.

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