The Heavy Woollen District: The Spen Valley
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The Spen Valley area has a long and rich
history which, in parts, can be traced back to the Norman
conquest in 1066.
However, the Spen Valley, a collection of small towns and
villages, first came to prominence during the Industrial
Revolution.
Around town
In 1815, it was here that the most severe of the Luddite
uprisings by workers frightened by the rapid advance
of mechanical manufacturing took place. This new
technology turned textiles into big business on
which the wealth of towns such as Heckmondwike
and Cleckheaton would be based.
Textiles had provided jobs for the people of the Spen
Valley for centuries, but during the 19th Century
the area grew massively. Populations rose five-fold
across the course of just 100 years. This led
to the villages of Roberttown, Norristhorpe and
Millbridge being formed.
Factories at this time would have a workforce in the
region of 1,500 people and production would be
as high as 9,000 blankets a week.
This growth did have its troubles - the introduction
of new technology sparked civil disturbances which
were most fierce on the banks of Spen Beck.
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Heckmondwike Market Place
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Cleckheaton
Town Hall
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The Luddites enjoyed considerable public support
and their uprising culminated in an attack on
Rawfolds Mill at Cleckheaton in 1813. Before
the attack, they gathered at the Shears pub
in Hightown, before setting off to smash the
newly installed equipment.
In 1842 there was further unrest when 5,000 marchers
descended on Peg Mill in Cleckheaton to draw
the plugs on steam boilers.
The arrival of trains in the West Riding in the
1830s engendered more growth and by the 1840s Cleckheaton
and Heckmondwike were part of the district's
rail network.
However, the stations in both towns closed during
the 1960s.
A local authority for the district was formed
in 1915 and Brighouse and Spen became a parliamentary
constituency in 1937. In later years it became
Batley and Spen.
Today, the district is in Kirklees, a local authority
based in Huddersfield, which was formed in the
local government shake-up of 1974.
Textiles still play an important part in local
life in Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton, but many
of the old mills have closed or been bulldozed.
Many locals are still employed in textiles, while
other local industries include chemicals and light
engineering.
For rugby union fans, Cleckheaton play at Moorend
(near junction 26 of the M62) and there are many
local league cricket sides in the area.
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