HERITAGE AND CALDERTALES

The heritage strand of Calderdale's Year of Culture 2024 is called CalderTales and is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 
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WHAT ARE OUR PLANS?‍
Establish the Calderdale Heritage Collective, bringing together everyone working, volunteering, and actively participating in heritage across the borough.

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The membership of this group will have a say in a Heritage Action Plan for the borough, have access to free training and events, and hear from funders and experts. 
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We’ll also be hosting a range of heritage events and activities for people across the borough to get involved with. Keep an eye on this page and sign up to our mailing list for more details to come.

FUNDING

The CalderTales Heritage Grant has provided funding to 12 heritage projects across the borough. Sign up to our mailing list to stay informed of any potential future funding opportunities.

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HERITAGE DIRECTORY

To support connections between members of the Calderdale Heritage Collective, and to help the public learn more about local heritage organisations, we have made an alphabetical Heritage Directory. Below, learn more about local heritage organisations in their own words.

If you would like to learn more about the Calderdale Heritage Collective, or get involved, please email culturedale@calderdale.gov.uk.

If you would like your organisation to feature in this directory, please fill out this application form.

All Souls Church
All Souls Church in Halifax is a Grade I listed building. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and regarded by many as his finest work, it features a 236-foot spire, beautiful carvings, and stunning stained glass. it’s open to visitors at limited times.
Click here to visit their website
Bankfield Museum (Calderdale Museums)
Calderdale Museums manage three sites across the borough: Bankfield Museum, Shibden Hall and Smith Art Gallery. A Museum since 1887, Bankfield tells the story of Halifax and Calderdale, using its rich and diverse collections.
Click here to visit their website
Calderdale Heritage Walks
Calderdale Heritage Walks runs about 40 walks per year from one end of the valley to the other. We organise 2 hour walks based on local villages and features. We have a summer programme and a winter version with most walks being on Sunday afternoons. A few walks need prior booking but most are ‘turn up & enjoy’.
Click here to visit their website
Calderdale Libraries
In addition to traditional lending and IT services, the Library Service also maintains local history collections in libraries across the borough. Our vast local history collections comprise a wide range of local and family history resources that bring the stories of the borough and its people to life. Resources include books, pamphlets, newspapers, maps, and images. The collection attracts interest from a diverse range of users, including academics, local historians, family historians, students, and the public.
Click here to visit their website
Community Rail Partnership
As part of the partnership we work closely with a number of organisations including TfGM , WYCA, Calderdale Council, Rochdale Council and a number of local councillors and stakeholders. Our priorities are: Providing a voice for the community; Promoting sustainable and healthy travel; Bringing communities together, supporting diversity and inclusion; Supporting social and economic development.
Click here to visit their website
Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery
The Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery was formed in 1999. In collaboration with Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, the volunteers attempt to promote the upkeep and public profile of the site. In 2023, we won the King's Award for Voluntary Service. Though the cemetery is normally closed at present, we do have open days. The next open day will be on 15 September 2024 as part of Halifax Heritage Festival.
Click here to visit their website
Halifax Antiquarian Society
We are Calderdale's oldest local history group, researching, preserving and recording the ancient Parish of Halifax. With a membership of over 250, we host regular lectures and other events for members.
Click here to visit their website
Halifax Civic Trust
Halifax Civic Trust is a voluntary organisation founded in 1962 which aims to improve, enhance and safeguard the outstanding built and natural environment of Halifax. An annual awards ceremony recognises outstanding local projects, such as The Piece Hall's restoration, local community gardens and the Duke of Wellington’s Regimental Memorial.
Click here to visit their website
Halifax Heritage Tours
Halifax Heritage Tours CIC aims to raise pride in Halifax and the surrounding area by sharing the heritage stories of the people, buildings and spaces that many have seen but know little about. A variety of tours, on foot and by bus, offer visitors dedicated time to appreciate and be inspired by the numerous listed buildings and the stories they tell, nurturing a sense of pride and ownership in the place they live or are visiting. Trusted by Calderdale Council’s Halifax Town Hall and Mayoralty team, other partners include CultureDale, Anne Lister Birthday Festival, and York University.
Click here to visit their website
Halifax Minster
Halifax Minster is a stunning 15th Century Grade 1 Listed Parish Church; a site of major historic significance, a place of worship and prayer, of civic engagement, education and culture with a year-round programme of concerts and events. The Minster is open daily 12-4pm. Everyone is welcome to join in one of our daily services or to simply soak up the spiritual atmosphere of this ancient place. The Minster is also a well-used concerts and events space and has an annual Christmas Tree Festival and Summer Arts Festival.
Click here to visit their website
Heptonstall Methodist Chapel Profile
Built in 1764, Heptonstall is one of the only surviving octagonal chapels, as a result it is grade II* listed. Visited on many occasions by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, the building is a key part of the Methodist story in Heptonstall and nationally. A unique space to host cultural and community events and learn more about how Methodism is an integral part of Calderdale's culture and heritage.
Click here to visit their website
Heptonstall Museum
Heptonstall Museum can be found in an atmospheric and authentic Grade II-listed building which dates to 1600. Built as a warehouse; converted to a grammar school in 1771 and closed in 1889. The Yorkshire Penny Bank occupied it 1898 until 1954. It became a museum in August 1972.
Click here to visit their website
Ignite Creativity
Ignite Creativity is Calderdale’s Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP). We advocate for, support and strategically develop the cultural education of children and young people aged 0-25 in Calderdale. Our mission is to ensure that every child and young person in Calderdale has access to enriching and high-quality cultural experiences.
Click here to visit their website
Lumb Bank
North Lumb Bank is the Yorkshire headquarters of the creative writing charity, Arvon. Former home of poet laureate Ted Hughes, this extraordinary collection of heritage buildings nestles deep in the Calder valley, a landscape steeped in people's history. Arvon runs residential and online writing courses for adults and children, individuals and groups. Lumb Bank is currently undergoing a major redevelopment and will reopen in Spring 2025.
Click here to visit their website
Mount Zion Heritage Chapel
A Methodist heritage chapel, community hub for the arts, culture, heritage, education; a testimony for the legacy left by people of faith over generations. Find out more, volunteer, or get involved with community activities at Mount Zion below.
Click here to visit their website
North Halifax Partnership
Founded in 1998, North Halifax Partnership Ltd is a community-led charity working for the social and economic regeneration of North Halifax. Our vision is ‘a better future for all generations.’
Click here to visit their website
Pennine Heritage
Pennine Heritage is a largely volunteer-run community hub and organisation based at the Birchcliffe Centre in Hebden Bridge. Set up in 1978 with the goal of preserving and celebrating the heritage of the upper-Calder Valley, the former Birchcliffe Baptist Chapel now hosts a number of diverse tenants specialising in wellbeing, the creative arts, architecture and more. The centre is home to both physical and digital archives, as well as a partnership with the University of Huddersfield to use these collections educationally.
Click here to visit their website
Rushbearing
Rushbearing is a centuries-old tradition – a late summer opportunity for community merriment and revelry. Our Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing Festival is one of only a few instances of this singular English custom still being celebrated annually. The Rushbearing weekend continues to be a unique local event for family and friends, which contributes greatly to the excellent community spirit that we have in the local area, and which Sowerby Bridge and the surrounding areas rightly hold in high esteem.
Click here to visit their website
Shibden Hall (Calderdale Museums)
Calderdale Museums manage three sites across the borough: Bankfield Museum, Shibden Hall and Smith Art Gallery. Shibden Hall dates to 1420 and offers visitors a fascinating journey through the lives of the people who lived and worked here, including the noted diarist Anne Lister (1791 - 1840).
Click here to visit their website
Smith Art Gallery (Calderdale Museums)
Calderdale Museums manage three sites across the borough: Bankfield Museum, Shibden Hall and Smith Art Gallery. Smith Art Gallery is a purpose-built gallery in Brighouse managed by Calderdale Museum Service and is surrounded by a beautiful park and gardens. Smith Art Gallery is part of the Bloomberg Connects App which provides digital access to collections from over 250 museums and other cultural organizations around the world.
Click here to visit their website
Visit Calderdale
Visit Calderdale is the official tourism body for Calderdale, and part of Calderdale Council. Visit Calderdale champions our ‘Happy Valley’, promoting all that Calderdale has to offer, from breathtaking landscapes to rich cultural heritage and creative industries. We aim to develop the appeal and image of our places for a range of diverse audiences, and do this through a collaborative approach, cultivating strong partnerships across the Borough.
Click here to visit their website
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2024 IS THE YEAR
OF CULTURE
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