16 Facts About Hebden Bridge

Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England.

Hebden Bridge started as a settlement where the Halifax to Burnley packhorse route dropped into the valley and crossed the River Hebden where the old bridge stands.

The name Hebden Bridge comes from the Anglo-Saxon Heopa Denu, 'Bramble Valley'.

Steep hills with fast-flowing streams and access to major wool markets meant that Hebden Bridge was ideal for water-powered weaving mills and the town developed during the 19th and 20th centuries; at one time Hebden was known as "Trouser Town" because of the large amount of clothing manufacturing.

Hebden Bridge grew to include a Picture House and offices for Hebden Bridge Urban District Council.

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Hebden Bridge has no swimming pool, although for some years there was a small training pool for children in the adult education centre on Pitt Street.

Hebden Bridge had its own cooperative society but, during the 1960s, it was defrauded and went bankrupt.

At a county level, Hebden Bridge was administered as part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Hebden Bridge Town Hall and adjoining fire station is a Grade II listed building, built in 1898.

Flooding at Callis Hebden Bridge is so frequent that the level of the River Calder has been lowered and special perforated kerbstones fitted so that water can drain back into the river.

The extent of the Hebden Bridge flooding was shown in drone videos of the flooded areas, the most severe flooding occurring in Hebden Bridge town centre.

Hebden Bridge has attracted artists, and has developed a small New Age community.

Hebden Bridge has built a reputation for "great little shops" and has an unusually high density of independent shops for a UK town of its size with more than 20 cafes and tea rooms, and about 20 pubs, micro pubs and restaurants.

In February 2016, Hebden Bridge won as the "Best Small Outdoor Market" in the Great British Market Awards run by the National Association of British Market Authorities.

In December 2016, Hebden Bridge won the "Great British High Street Award" in the "Small Market Town" category, after most shops, cafes and businesses had bounced back better and more flood resilient than before the Boxing Day floods 2015; Hebden Bridge won a second award as the People's Choice.

Hughes was born in neighbouring Mytholmroyd, and his former home Lumb Bank on the outskirts of Hebden Bridge is run as a creative writing centre by the Arvon Trust.