Brighouse

Brighouse is the second largest town in the metropolitan district of Calderdale in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 census gave the town's population as 32,198. The town is situated on the River Calder, 4 miles (6 km) east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 and its own railway station on the Caldervale line.

The name Brighouse (or "Bridge House") originates from a building on (or close to) the bridge over the River Calder. In its early history, it was a hamlet of the nearby town of Rastrick.

Brighouse has been represented in the House of Commons by the Labour Party Member of Parliament Christine McCafferty since 1997.

Brighouse is twinned with Ludenscheid in Germany.

History

In prehistoric times, there was a ford called Snake Hill Ford across the Calder - this was part of the Roman route between Wakefield and Manchester.

A wooden structure called Rastrick Bridge was recorded as being present in 1275. The bridge was replaced by one built with timber donated by John Hanson in 1514. Hanson's son funded a stone replacement for this bridge in 1558.

The river provided power for the flour milling industry and the textile mills. Brighouse's industry received a boost through the construction of the Calder and Hebble Navigation, started in 1757 by the engineer John Smeaton.

The Halifax and Huddersfield Turnpike Act of 1823 allowed for the building of Calder Bridge over what was to become the A641 road ; tolls were abolished on the bridge in 1875 and extensive widening work in was undertaken in 1905 and 1999 (both of these latter dates being commemorated in dedication stones on the bridge).

Brighouse was part of Hipperholme with Brighouse Civil Parish until 1893, when Brighouse Municipal Borough was created. This included Rastrick but not Hipperholme, which became an Urban District. The other parts of Hipperholme with Brighouse, ie Norwood Green and Coley, became a civil parish in Halifax Rural District. The borough was expanded in 1937 when Clifton CP, Hipperholme UD, Norwood Green and Coley CP and part of Southowram UD were added. The borough was abolished in 1974 when it became part of the Calderdale Metropolitan District. (Youngs 1991)

Architecture

Two churches in Brighouse have stained glass from the William Morris factory, designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown and Edward Burne-Jones.

Buildings and renovations

Brighouse is an area, in the so called "golden triangle" commuter belt between Halifax, Ripponden and Brighouse (entailing Elland, Stainland, Holywell Green and Greetland). At the moment, due to its proximity to the M62 motorway, there is an extensive programme of renovation of Brighouse mills, being renovated into loft style apartments. Recent high quality developments have taken advantage of the areas well regarded location, being especially close to the M62 motorway and ideal for commuting to Leeds. Points of note are the new Prego restaurant and hotel. There are also many shops on Commercial Street such as Woolworths, Choices and Just Books, as well being near the commercial centres of the near by town centres of Halifax, Huddersfield and Leeds.

Brighouse Library and Smith art gallery

Brighouse library is a huge building and has many services, such as:

• Adult and children's lending
• Wheelchair access
• Language courses
• Internet access
• Fax facilities

The Smith art gallery, within the library has many paintings from the Victorian era displayed in the main hall. There is also a changing program of exhibitions of artwork from local artists.

Arts

Music

Brighouse is home to the chart-topping band Embrace, and is also mentioned in the song "It's Grim Up North".

Brass band

Brighouse is also the home of the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, founded in 1881 and associated with neighbouring Rastrick. They originally formed under the name The Brighouse and Rastrick Temperance Brass Band taking their current title in the early 20th century.

The band won the National Brass Band Contest in 1946 at the Royal Albert Hall and in 1968 they won the first Brass Band World Championship. In 1977 they recorded The Floral Dance which reached Number 2 in the UK Top 40 charts and stayed there for 6 weeks, inspiring radio DJ Terry Wogan to release his own version some time later. In 1993 they became the first Yorkshire team to win the All England Masters Brass Band Championship, a feat they to were repeat in 1998. The band also won the National Brass Band Championship Finals in 1997 and 1998, and the European Championships in 1998.

Drum & Bugle Corps

A local drum & bugle corps: Conquest Alliance was formed, in 1985, by the merger of two other drum corps, the Northern Skyryders and Brighouse RBL (Legion). The following year, 1986, Conquest Alliance made their first, re-organised, appearance on the Drum Corp United Kingdom (DCUK) field of competition. At the end of their first season they were declared co-champions of the DCUK, tying with the Dagenham Crusaders, with a score of 82.4 points |DCUK Roll of Honour. They last competed in 1990, before disbanding.

The next four competitive years saw the following placings:-

• 1987 - 1st with 88.3 points DCUK Archives - 1987
• 1988 - 5th with 88.4 points DCUK Archives - 1988
• 1989 - 2nd with 90.25 points (having merged with Warrington Corps and renamed Northern Alliance) DCUK Archives - 1989
• 1990 - 4th with 83.6 points DCUK Archives - 1990

Following their disbandment many former band and staff members went on to teach other competitive drum corps in England, many very successful. They have judged and marched in the USA in Drum Corps International and Drum Corps Associates events - with the Bayonne Bridgemen (New Jersey), of Atlanta (Spirit of JSU) (Georgia), Crossmen (Pennsylvania), New York Skyliners, and the Lehigh Valley Chieftains.

A successful reunion was held on the 11th November 2006. Pictures of the night, message board and forum can be found on their website www.conquest-reunion.co.uk

Film and televisual arts

Author and inventor Wilf Lunn, whose pioneering approach in Vision On was followed by regular appearances in Magpie and Take Hart, is also based in the Huddersfield area.

Sport

Rugby League

Brighouse Rangers Amateur Rugby League Football Club are part of the Brighouse Sports Club Complex on Russell Way (Off Bradford Road) between Brighouse town centre and the village of Bailiff Bridge. Not many people know that Brighouse Rangers were founder members of the Rugby Football League and the first ever chairman of the RFL was H.H. Waller the chairman of the club. The club currently runs open age teams in the National Conference League Division Two and the Pennine Amateur Rugby League Division Four and has a thriving youth and junior setup.

Football

During the 2003-4 season, the town's football club, Brighouse Town A.F.C. played in the West Riding County Amateur Football League Premier Division at level 12 of the National League System (also known as 'The Football Pyramid').

Notable people born in Brighouse

• Wilf Lunn, Inventor and TV presenter
• Joseph Dennison, Local Writer

Nearby villages and suburbs

Brookfoot, Bailiff Bridge, Clifton, Hove Edge, Hipperholme, Lightcliffe, Rastrick

References

• Frederic A Youngs Jr, Guide to the local administrative units of England, Vol.2 Northern England, London 1991

External links

• Brighouse Rangers ARLFC
• Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
• Brighouse Today - Online news provided by the Brighouse Echo newspaper
• Brighouse Online - A site full of information about Brighouse with guides, shops, maps etc
• Brighouse Chess Club