Brighouse

West Yorkshire

Brighouse is a town in the Calderdale metropolitan district of West Yorkshire.

Brighouse has all the hallmarks of a thriving and successful town centre, particularly in comparison with other centres similarly positioned between larger towns and cities and where large supermarkets have moved in.

The town is well-loved by locals and visitors from further afield who prefer small town shopping to visiting the nearest larger towns of Huddersfield or Halifax or city of Bradford.

It has an amazing range of independent shops and good quality restaurants and cafes catering in just about every cuisine.

The town is particularly busy during theme and market weekends which it holds around the year, including a 1940s Weekend, Canal Festival and Victorian Christmas Market.

Brighouse was once a centre for textile and flour mills. In recent years former textile mill buildings have been converted to apartments while former flour silos now house the UK's highest man-made climbing wall.

Industrial estates stretching along the River Calder downstream from the town centre now house a diverse range of industries.

Town features

The town is on the River Calder

Brighouse is on the Calder and Hebble Navigation.

The town has a range of shops and supermarkets.

Brighouse holds occasional outdoor markets - on event dates.

The town has a Post Office.

Brighouse has bank and building society branches.

The town has pharmacies.

Brighouse has several pubs.

Brighouse has a great selection of places to eat.

A wide range of takeaway food outlets can be found in Brighouse.

The town has a library.

There are public toilets in the town. (20p entry)

Travel

Brighouse station Huddersfield Road

1 Westbound:
Halifax 11 - Low Moor 18 - Bradford 25 ⁗ 4
Halifax 10 - Low Moor 17 - Bradford 25 ♠
Sowerby Bridge 9 - Mytholmroyd 15 - Hebden Bridge 20 - Todmorden 31 - Walsden 34 - Littleborough 40 - Smithy Bridge 43 - Rochdale 48 - Manchester Victoria 1hr 2min - Wigan NW 1hr 45min2 Eastbound: ⅆ
Huddersfield 13 ⁗ 4
Mirfield 6 - Wakefield Kirkgate 22-32 - Pontefract Monkhill 37-44 - Doncaster 1hr 4min - 1hr 15min - London 2hr 48min - 2hr 57min ♣
Mirfield 6 - Ravensthorpe 10 † - Dewsbury 12 - Batley 15 - Morley 21 - Cottingley 24 † - Leeds 3225 - typical fastest journey times in minutes.ⅆ - trains to Huddersfield do not stop at Deighton.
† - few direct services stop here - at other times change at Mirfield with over double journey time.
⁗ - only 4 Grand Central trains daily. Not all trains stop at Pontefract.
♣ - no direct services Sundays - change at Huddersfield or Mirfield.
♠ - no direct services Sundays - change at Halifax.
Red - stations in West Yorkshire ticket area
Recent service reductions • The Northern Huddersfield - Brighouse - Halifax - Low Moor - Bradford service is cut from hourly to two-hourly Monday-Saturday with no late night trains. Service with extension to Leeds continues to run hourly on Sundays when direct services to Leeds via Dewsbury do not run.

Station managed by: NORTHERN. Operator/s: GRAND CENTRAL, NORTHERN.

NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station info

External link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).

Brighouse bus station

Bus travel

Buses operate from Brighouse Bus Station in Ganny Road and from stops including Huddersfield Road.

Destinations include Rastrick 7, Elland 10, Cleckheaton 14, Huddersfield 20, Halifax 22, Bradford 28 28 - typical fastest journey times in minutes.
Red - places in West Yorkshire ticket area.

Metro - Brighouse Bus Station

Link to Metro - external web page with details of services and buses at this bus station.

Road travel

Brighouse can be reached via the (M62) A641 A643 A644 A6025

Places to Visit

Shibden Hall

Shibden HallShibden Hall Road, Halifax
The hall, dating from 1420, is located alongside Shibden Park, which was formed from its estate. Exploring the house reveals a variety of architecture from the various periods of its history and an insight into the people who lived there over the years. One of those was Anne Lister, whose diaries in the early 18th century were the inspiration of the recent BBC period drama series "Gentleman Jack", written by Sally Wainwright. Much of the series was filmed in the real-life location at Shibden Hall. The house also has a 17th century barn housing a carriage collection. Shibden Hall is managed by Calderdale Council museums.
For more information see the

Calderdale Museums - Shibden Hall web page.
Locate on map:

Shibden Hall

Hardcastle Crags

off Midgehole Road, Hebden Bridge
Hardcastle Crags is a delightful wooded valley about 2 miles north of Hebden Bridge with beautiful streams and more than 15 miles of footpaths. A visitor centre, cafe and shop is based in Gibson Mill, a former textile mill built around 1800, in the heart of the valley. The centre gets its power entirely from water turbines, solar panels and a biomass boiler, has a filtered spring water supply and recycles all waste. Hardcastle Crags is managed by the National Trust.
Find out more at the

National Trust - Hardcastle Crags website.

Eureka! The National Children's Museum

Discovery Road, Halifax
This modern museum near to Halifax railway station is full of interactive exhibits in themed galleries aimed at inspiring younger children to learn.
More information at

Eureka! website.

Wainhouse Tower

Wakefield Gate, off Skircoat Moor Road, King Cross
This facscinatingly ornate 77 metre (253 foot) tower overlooks the Calder Valley in the King Cross area of Halifax, 1.5 miles south-west of the centre. Although many legendary tales have developed about its construction, it was started as an elaborate mill chimney but finished as a folly. On bank holidays it is open to vistors, who can pay a small fee to climb its internal spiral staircase.
Locate on map:

Wainhouse Tower

Emergency services

West Yorkshire Police

West Yorkshire Police website.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service website.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust website.

Local government

Metropolitan district council

Calderdale Council

Calderdale Council is centred in Halifax and also covers many other towns and villages, principally along the upper Calder Valley, including Brighouse, Elland, Hebden Bridge, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden.

Part of the district includes seven civil parish councils, four of which are small single ward councils.

Calderdale has 51 elected councillors, 3 per ward across 17 wards. Each councillor serves a 4-year term with one councillor per ward elected each year in 3 out of 4 years.

Link to Calderdale Council website.

Political composition after May 2024 election is:

29116311 W
51 members
W = Workers Party

See our Yorkshire.guide Gazetteer for more about the

Calderdale metropolitan district and places within it.

County strategic authority

West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Covers some combined services of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield — which were at one time provided by a West Yorkshire metropolitan county council, with the addition of the non-contiguous unitary authority area of the City of York council as well as the unelected Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. Since 2021 it has operated with an elected mayor as chairman and decision-maker for some responsibilities. These include transport, housing and planning and finance powers. The responsibilities also include those of Police and Crime Commissioner, a role substantially delegated to an appointee deputy mayor.

Elected mayor: ❚ Tracy Brabin Labour & Cooperative

West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Police and Crime Commissioner

The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire
This role has become one of the many responsibilities of the West Yorkshire elected mayor since May 2021.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Fire Authority

West Yorkshire Fire Authority
The fire authority is made up of elected members of each of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield.

West Yorkshire Fire Authority web pages.

Parliamentary constituency

Calder Valley
Elected MP: ❚ Josh Fenton-Glynn Labour

National government region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county

West Yorkshire

Historic

-1974 Within the West Riding of Yorkshire

Also in Yorkshire.guide

New Places to visit Gazetteer