Todmorden

West Yorkshire

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

Todmorden is 4 miles south-west of Hebden Bridge, 10 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles west-north-west of Huddersfield, although road distances are longer than this.

The town straddled the border between Yorkshire and Lancashire until a local government reorganisation in 1889. It was then placed entirely within the West Riding of Yorkshire when the historic Riding became an administrative county. It continued as part of West Yorkshire in 1974.

The grade one listed Todmorden Town Hall is an iconic feature of the town in the style of a Greek temple.

When it opened in 1875 it was on the boundary of Lancashire and Yorkshire and its frontage has an impressive pediment featuring groups of Lancashire cotton workers to the Lancashire side and Yorkshire engineering and farm workers to the Yorkshire side and at the centre two figures on a pedestal linked in friendship.

The industrial revolution saw the development of cotton mills in Todmorden, a feature more typical of Lancashire towns while woollen mills were prevalent in towns of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Many of the mills in Todmorden were, however, at the Yorkshire side of the historic county boundary.

Rochdale Road, TodmordenThe town had good tranport links to both Lancashire and Yorkshire, initially improved by the building of the Rochdale Canal. Crossing the Pennines without tunnelling, it was in 1804 the first of the trans-Pennine canals to fully open. The canal was closed as a through route for most of latter half of the 20th century, but was restored and in 2002 it was fully reopened.

The building of the canal was soon followed by the Manchester and Leeds railway, the full route of which opened through Todmorden with the completion of the Summit Tunnel in 1841. George Stephenson's seven-arch railway viaduct over the town is grade two listed. A branch was opened between Todmorden and Burnley in 1849, a couple of years after the railway had become part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway.

The railway still provides an important and very popular link to towns along the long and winding Calder Valley where the only travel alternative is the busy single carriageway road running along the narrow valley floor.

Todmorden MarketThe town's indoor market, opened in 1879, was given the Best Small Indoor Market prize in the 2018 Great British Market Awards. It is open from Monday to Saturday with Tuesday its official early closing day. From Wednesday to Saturday it is complemented by an outdoor market which also has stalls on Sundays.

A pioneering project known as Incredible Edible was started by a small group of Todmorden folk in 2007 and has spawned more than 100 groups across Britain and around the world. The project grows herbs, fruit and vegetables for everyone to share using community plots of land such as those used for flower beds in the past.

Town features

The town is on the River Calder and Walsden Water.

Todmorden is on the Rochdale Canal.

The town has a range of shops and supermarkets. Todmorden offers bakery goods, butchers, antiques, books, clothes, furnishings.

Todmorden has an indoor and an outdoor market.(Wed-Sun).

The town has a Post Office branch.

Todmorden has banks.

The town has pharmacies.

The town has pubs and social clubs.

Cafe and pub food is available in Todmorden.

Takeaway food outlets in the town include fish and chips, chinese, curries, sandwiches.

The town has a library.

The town has a leisure centre with swimming pool.

Todmorden has a theatre.

There are public toilets in the town. (Calder Street - 20p slot)

Places of worship: Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Islamic.

Todmorden has tourist information.

Places to stay in Todmorden include guest house, holiday home accommodation.

Todmorden was formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
It was partly in Lancashire before 1889.

Travel

Todmorden station

Station managed by: NORTHERN. Operator/s: NORTHERN.

NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station info

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

Bus travel

The town has a bus station.

Road travel

Todmorden can be reached via the A646 A6033

Places to Visit

Stoodley Pike Monument

Langfield Common, near Hebden Bridge and Todmorden
A landmark monument stands at Stoodley Pike on the Langfield Common moor above the Calder Valley about 2 miles south-west of Hebden Bridge and a similar distance east of Todmorden. It is accessible to walkers via footpaths and open access land. It is on the Pennine Way long-distance walking trail and is on the hill just above the Pennine Bridleway. Steps lead up inside the monument to its balcony. The original monument was built towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it having been started in 1814 to commemorate the surrender of Paris to the Allies. It was finished after the Battle of Waterloo when peace was established in 1815. It later collapsed just before the declaration of war with Russia in 1854 and was rebuilt when peace was restored in 1856 at the end of the Crimean War.

Heptonstall churches

Church Street and Northgate, Heptonstall
Heptonstall parish church has a unique history in that the shell of the original 13th century church of St Thomas a Becket stands next to its 1854 replacement, St Thomas the Apostle. The original church was built around 1260 but saw extensions over the years including a heightened tower which ultimately saw the church damaged when part of it fell away in a storm in 1847. Heptonstall village is about 1 mile up the hill to the north-west of Hebden Bridge.

Church website
Heptonstall Methodist Church in Northgate is among the oldest octagonal chapels of the Methodist Church and is believed to be the oldest Methodist Church to have continued use. Although Methodism in the village was founded after the preachings of William Darney, John Wesley became a frequent visitor to Heptonstall and visited at the time of the building of the chapel in 1764. The chapel was later extended in 1802.

Chapel website

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.
More information at the

National Trust - Hardcastle Crags web pages.

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

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.

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

Civil parish council

Todmorden Town Council
Provides some local services in the area.
Link to council website:

Todmorden Town Council

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

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