Brighouse

Brighouse
Population
OS grid reference	SE135235
Metropolitan borough	Calderdale
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRIGHOUSE
Postcode district	HD6
Dialling code	01484
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Calder Valley

For the playwright, see Harold 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. In the town centre is a mooring basin on the Calder and Hebble Navigation.

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.

The local newspapers are the Brighouse Echo which is published once per week (Thursday) and the Evening Courier which is published Monday to Saturday.

History

There was a river crossing called Snake Hill Ford across the Calder - this is believed to have formed 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 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)

Buildings

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.

Many further developments are planned for Brighouse but are currently the topic of much debate but not much action. The former Sugden's Mill is due to be developed into either retail or residential use. The site is currently becoming derelict

Brighouse is currently without a Swimming Pool. The previous one was very dated and had to be closed due to the building falling into disrepair. A new pool has been planned for at least 30 years and may be part of the Sugden's development mentioned above

Churches

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

Retail

There are also many shops in Brighouse Town Centre. The main shopping streets are Commercial Street and Bethel Street such as Woolworths, Wilkinsons, Just Books, Design 55, and Lords Photography as well being near the commercial centres of the near by town centres of Halifax, Huddersfield and Leeds.

A large Tesco superstore opened in 2003 replacing the former store which dated from the 1970s. There is also a smaller Sainsbury's store which opened in the 1990s

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 britpop band Embrace, who are most notable for their song "World at Your Feet", the official England anthem for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The town 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 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

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 used to compete in the National Conference League until they were expelled for playing an ineligible player. They still however operate in Division 4 of the Pennine League and have 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').

Transportation

Roads

Roads which pass through Brighouse includes the following

The A641 which links Brighouse northwards to Bradford and southwards to Huddersfield. The A644 runs eastwards out of Brighouse to Junction 25 of the M62. The road then continues to Dewsbury. The A644 also runs north-westwards out of Brighouse to Hipperholme where traffic can then either turn onto the A58 towards Halifax or continue towards Keighley The A643 and A6025 provide less important links around the town

The town centre was bypassed in the late 1970s. The bypass is called Ludenshied Link named after Brighouse's twin town

Buses

Bus services are coordinated by West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (Metro) and are operated by First Bradford, First Calderdale and Huddersfield, Arriva Yorkshire, Loonat Coaches and Ryburn Taxibus.

Services operated are as follows: 255, 278, 363, 380/381, 384, 547, 548, 549, 570, 571, 625, 626, 627, 908, MC4, X6 & X25. (X25 To Leeds only)

Service 227 operates within the south east area of Calderdale at Bailiff Bridge but does not operate via the town centre

Buses operate frequently to Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Leeds as well as providing links around the area

A shophopper style service (C70) is operated by Halifax Joint Committee sponsored by Tesco. The service runs 7 days a week during the daytimes from the Tesco Superstore to the Bus Station and around the town centre

The Bus Station is located behind Commercial Street and currently dates from the late 70s. It is very old fashioned compared to modern designs found elsewhere in West Yorkshire and is a target for vandals and anti-social behaviour. It is not ideal to visit after 6 pm as youths may attack you. A new Bus Station is planned and following many delays, work is due to start in late 2007 or early 2008

Trains

See Main Article: Brighouse railway station

Brighouse Railway Station was reopened in 2000 and provides the town with access to the National Rail network. All services are sponsored by Metro and provided by Northern Rail.

The current service is part of the Caldervale Line and operates from Wakefield Westgate to Selby via Huddersfield, Brighouse, Halifax, Bradford Interchange and Leeds and vice versa.

A peak hour journey operates from Brighouse to Leeds direct via Dewsbury on the Huddersfield Line, taking just over 30 minutes, and from December 2007 this will be extended to run all day between 0700 and 1900 Monday to Saturday. This will provide Brighouse with two trains an hour to Leeds and back.

Events

Brighouse Charity Gala

The annual Brighouse Charity Gala is held every year on the last Saturday of June. The Gala consists of a procession which begins at around 1.15pm at the Crosslee works in Hipperholme and follows a route around the suburbs and town centre of Brighouse. Local groups and businesses are encouraged to design floats and many walking groups and bands also take part. The Gala itself begins around 2.30pm and is held at Wellholme Park. The event comes to a close just after 5.00pm as the popular Duck Race is held. Hundreds of plastic yellow ducks are emptied into the Clifton Beck which runs through Wellholme Park and the public watch their progress. The ducks are all numbered and which ever one reaches the finish line first, the ticket holder wins a cash prize

In 2005 over £12,000 was raised at the Gala which is distributed to local charities

The 41st gala was due to take place on Saturday 30th June 2007 but for the first time ever it had to be cancelled

Wellholme Park was flooded on the 25th June during the 2007 United Kingdom floods when Clifton Beck which runs through the park burst its banks. Gala organisers decided that the event could not go ahead; the Gala then took place on the 15th of September.

Notable people born in Brighouse

• Wilf Lunn, Inventor and TV presenter.

Nearby villages and suburbs

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

External links

• Brighouse Rangers ARLFC
• BrighouseTown.co.uk - A popular website about Brighouse with a discussion forum
• 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