Heptonstall is a small village nestled within the Calderdale borough of West Yorkshire, just up the hill (a very steep hill) from the popular market town of Hebden Bridge.
And whilst it is known for it’s old buildings, cobbled streets and famous dead residents, the beautiful Yorkshire village is loved by it’s residents for its outstanding community spirit.
The population of Heptonstall, including the hamlets of Colden and Slack Top is just 1,470 according to the 2011 Census, and those who live here agree it’s an incredible place to call home.
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One resident, Mary Ellen, 65, who volunteers in the local post office, said: “I’ve lived here for eight years now. I moved from Norfolk so it was a big move. I didn’t know anybody at all when I first arrived here, but now I’m involved in so many things.
“The people are all so lovely, it’s a fantastic community, I feel very lucky. I cannot believe I live here, it’s so beautiful. I love it in the winter, the town really comes into its own when it’s snowing, everything just looks so pretty.”
Georgia, 31, who is originally from Brighton and also volunteers at the Post Office, said: “I like living here, everyone is really friendly and helpful, it’s a really lovely village to live in. I wouldn’t move back to Brighton so that says a lot.”
The picturesque village is a go-to location for TV and film producers and most recently featured in the TV series The Gallows Pole, which tells the story of the Cragg Vale Coiners, where it stands in for Cragg Vale on the opposite side of the Calder Valley. The most frequently used spot was the local history museum and community centre, which doubled up as the pub.
Local resident Steven, who volunteers at the museum, told YorkshireLive that the BBC spent more than £20,000 renovating the museum into the pub for the set and subsequently saved the struggling facility.
Many of Heptonstall’s local residents, Steven included, were hired as extras for The Gallows Pole, which not only helped them personally during financially difficult times but it also put money back into the local village and the community they all know and love.
The village has also featured in the popular BBC crime drama Happy Valley, with the extended cemetery of St Thomas Becket’s Church used as the burial place of Catherine Cawood’s daughter that she often visited.
Along with Heptonstall’s museum and many beautiful period properties, the village boasts a Post Office, a tearoom and two pubs, The White Lion and The Cross Inn.
Heptonstall also has two St Thomas Becket churches: a ruined one which dates back to the 13th and 14th century and its 1854 replacement on the other side of the graveyard. It’s a popular spot amongst tourists who are often in search of famous poet Sylvia Plath’s grave.
The Cragg Vale Coiners leader ‘King’ David Hartley and his brother and deputy Isaac Hartley are also buried in the graveyard between the two churches.
The village’s history and links to the arts and literature seem to be a common interest of all of the residents. Steven said: “To wake up every day to stunning views and be able to walk in the same footsteps as those such as Sylvia Plath is quite something.”
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