The Rochdale Canal is a waterway in Northern England connecting Sowerby Bridge with Manchester. Built to move trade it opened in 1804, closed in 1952 falling largely in to disrepair and being blocked in a couple of locations before being restored and reopened fully in 2002.
The pictures below were taken on a walk of approx 1.5 miles from Walsden to Todmorden in November 2013, they were taken using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. They can also be seen full size, resolution and un-watermarked on Clickasnap via the links below each.
Gauxholme Viaduct
Pinnel Lock
Smithyholm Lock
Walsden from the canal, St Peter's Church seen in the distance.
This stone chair was near Gauxholme Locks, no idea if it is still there.
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Put together using images I have collected or taken these are 3 recent videos - slideshows I have uploaded to YouTube.
Old Photo's of Brotton.
Brotton is a village in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland in the North of England. Their has been a settlement here since before the Domesday Book was completed in 1086 and name Brotton means Brook Farm. The village has a population of approx. 5400 which is a largely down on it's peak which was when the area was given over to the mining of ironstone, this decreased in the early part of the 20th century and the last mine closed in 1954. The pictures are postcards I have collected or public domain .
Old Skipton in Picture Postcards.
Skipton is a market town in North Yorkshire, it has a population of approx. 14600 and is passed through by the River Aire, Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and the Airedale Railway Line. These pictures were again put together using postcards I have collected.
Walsden in Pictures.
Walsden is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire. It has a population of approx. 5200 and is passed through by Walsden Water which flows in to the River Calder, the Rochdale Canal, the A6033 Rochdale Road and the town has a Railway Station on the Caldervale Line. Although now part of West Yorkshire, Walsden was historically part of Lancashire and administered by Rochdale Corporation. All the pictures were taken by me in August 2017.
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St Peter's Church. Walsden was built as a million pound church, opening on 7th August 1848. Million pound churches were the result of an act of parliament, the 1820 Church Building act which was to build churches in developing towns which had been neglected for places of worship. The act was financed by both government and public money, with the churches commissioned often built to very tight budgets.
The foundation stone was laid by John Crossley in July 1846, he had donated the land upon which the church was to be built. The Grade II listed spire was added in 1864 and is all that remains of this church after fire destroyed much of the building in May 1948 and windows. The clock continued working during the blaze, including marking the moment of midnight The church didn't have adequate insurance and it took the efforts of the local community and parishioners to raise much of the funds to rebuild the church which was re-consecrated on March 10th 1956.
I was in the area of the church on the Rochdale Canal on August 27th 2017, having spotted the spire as I was walking along, I went for an explore of the church grounds, the building being locked up. Clicking any image should open a link in another window to the higher resolution, un-watermarked version on Clickasnap.
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Walsden Railway Station serves the village of Walsden, formerly part of Lancashire now firmly in West Yorkshire a couple of miles to the west of Todmorden. The first station here was opened in 1845 and remained in use until post war economy measures it closed in August 1961 along with many other stations and was demolished soon afterwards. All that remains of this station is the metal footbridge built in 1890 and now providing a connection between the platforms, the original station was also sighted to the west of the footbridge running to the entrance to Winterbutlee Tunnel.
The station used to have a level crossing which has been the scene of a few injuries and deaths, this was removed and the current station was built upon the site of the crossing. It is has a stream running underneath the station close to the iron bridge which regularly causes the station and line to be flooded during heavy rains. It was also the only place in the greater Todmorden area to be bombed during the 2nd World War.
The current station opened in September 1990 a few metres east of the original station site, and averages approx. 2100 passengers per week (2017-18 figures). There are limited facilities at the station with only small shelters to provide protection from the weather. There are electronic information boards and ticket machines, the station unstaffed.
To the west of the station stands the 279 metre Winterbutlee Tunnel, opened by the Manchester & Leeds railway Company in 1841 when the line between Todmorden and Littleborough was completed.
The pictures were taken on the 27th August 2017 with a Nikon d3300 camera, they can be seen below and on ClickAsnap un-watermarked.
Manchester direction, the bridge is all that remains of the original station, it was built in 1890. Winterbuttlee Tunnel can be seen beyond.
Winterbuttlee Tunnel from the 1890 Bridge. The original Walsden Station was sighted near the tunnels entrance.
The 1890 metal footbridge is all that remains of the original station at Walsden. There used to be a level crossing where the gate is.
British Rail Class 144 Pacer train at the Leeds bound platform 2.
The steps up and over the 1890 bridge.
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Train Stations of the Calder Valley is a new slideshow I have uploaded to YouTube which features pictures of every currently open Railway Station in Calderdale taken since 2013. The following station feature. in the video.
Brighouse Railway Station.
Opened 1840 - Closed 1970
Reopened 2000
Halifax Railway Station.
Opened 1844 - Re sighted to current place 1855
Hebden Bridge Railway Station.
Opened 1840
Myholmroyd Railway Station.
Opened 1841 - Rebuilt 1871- Rebuilt again 1980's
Sowerby Bridge Railway Station.
Opened 1840 - Re sighted to current place 1876
Todmorden Railway Station.
Opened 1841
Walsden Railway Station.
Opened 1845 - Closed 1961
Reopened 1990
I look forward to adding Elland to this when it reopens in 2022, and the potential reopening of both Hipperholme Station and Cornholme (Portsmouth), Todmorden Station if they come to pass.
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Images from Calderdale is a YouTube slideshow I uploaded today set to music. It features 60 pictures taken within the boundaries of Calderdale from Walsden to Brighouse, and from Warley to Norland. They were all taken over a period starting in 2013 up to December 2017 and include many notable local landmarks.
A full list of place names can be found underneath the slideshow on YouTube. The images refresh every 8 seconds and has a background soundtrack, please mute the music if not to your taste.
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The Pennines, a formidable range of hills in Northern England, presented a significant obstacle to the burgeoning railway network of the 19th century. But where there's a will, there's a way, and the Victorians, with their characteristic ingenuity, carved a path through the heart of these hills: the Summit Tunnel. This 1.6-mile marvel of engineering, connecting Littleborough in Greater Manchester with Walsden in West Yorkshire, stands as a testament to the vision and determination of its builders, and a fascinating story of both triumph and challenge.
Construction of the Summit Tunnel began in 1837 under the watchful eye of the legendary George Stephenson. This ambitious project aimed to create a crucial rail link between the industrial powerhouses of Leeds and Manchester. The sheer scale of the undertaking is staggering. Around a thousand navvies toiled for four years, excavating through the unforgiving terrain. Tragically, nine men lost their lives during the construction, a stark reminder of the dangers faced by these pioneering workers.
The numbers involved in the tunnel's construction are truly impressive: 23 million bricks and 8,000 tonnes of concrete were used. The final cost, a staggering £285,000, significantly overran the initial budget of £97,000, highlighting the challenges inherent in such a monumental task. Upon its opening in 1841, the Summit Tunnel briefly held the title of the longest tunnel in the world, a testament to Stephenson's ambition and skill. He considered it his greatest piece of railway engineering, famously declaring, "I stake my reputation and my head that the tunnel will never fail so as to injure any human life."
For nearly a century and a half, the tunnel served as a vital artery, facilitating the movement of people and goods across the Pennines. Its continuous service was only interrupted by a dramatic event in 1984. A goods train carrying petrol tankers derailed within the tunnel, triggering a devastating fire. The inferno raged for two days, capturing national attention and raising serious concerns about the tunnel's structural integrity. The fire brigade battled tirelessly to bring the blaze under control, finally issuing the stop signal on Christmas Eve. The aftermath saw the tunnel closed for eight months.
The fire, while dramatic, ultimately revealed the resilience of Stephenson's masterpiece. Despite the intense heat, the brick lining held firm, requiring only minimal repairs. Approximately half a mile of track and the electrical services needed replacing, and some of the air shafts required reinforcement. Before the tunnel was reopened, local residents were given the opportunity to walk through it, a gesture that underscored the community's connection to this vital piece of infrastructure. Train services between Todmorden and Littleborough resumed on August 19, 1985.
The Summit Tunnel stands as a powerful symbol of Victorian engineering prowess. It's a story of vision, hard work, tragedy, and ultimately, resilience. From its construction in the 19th century to its dramatic encounter with fire in the 20th, the tunnel has played a crucial role in the history of the region. It continues to serve as a vital transportation link today, a testament to the enduring legacy of George Stephenson and the men who built this remarkable feat of engineering.
The pictures below were taken with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet on November 14, 2013. The feature is the tunnel's eastern portal, a few of the tunnel's air shafts, and a number taken from the hills above the tunnel looking down into the valley and landscapes below. Clicking any image should open a link in another window to my Colin Green Photography store on Zazzle.
The following 2 short films were taken at the tunnels Northern (Western) portal.
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This shows a Leeds bound train leaving the tunnel in the direction of Walsden. It was filmed in August 2017.
This was filmed in November 2013 and shows a Manchester bound pacer train entering the tunnel.
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A glorious Sunday afternoon beckoned, and with a few free hours, the Calder Valley called. A quick hop on the train whisked me to Walsden, my starting point for a leisurely stroll back along the historic Rochdale Canal to Todmorden. Camera in hand, I was eager to capture the picturesque scenery. My first stop: the eastern portal of the legendary Summit Tunnel, a feat of Victorian engineering. Intrigued by the prospect, I decided to try and film a train's passage through this iconic structure. Fortune smiled upon me; it wasn't long before an eastbound train thundered past, offering a fleeting glimpse into the tunnel's depths.
Sadly I was not aware of the distraction of the weeds in front of the camera at the time but I don't think they remove much of the feel of the video.
A testament to Victorian ingenuity, the Summit Tunnel stands as one of England's oldest railway tunnels. Completed between 1837 and 1841, this engineering marvel once claimed the title of the world's longest tunnel, stretching an impressive 1.6 miles. However, its history is not without incident. In 1984, a devastating fire ripped through the tunnel when a petrol train derailed and burst into flames, forcing an eight-month closure and highlighting the inherent dangers of such subterranean passages.
I also, before walking up, took a short time to film trains in operation at Walsden station, including a westbound train running straight through. An eastbound train was filmed from the iron bridge (the only remaining part of the original station closed in 1961 with the current station reopening in 1990), and another westbound train slowing on approach to platform 1 was filmed from platform 2 as it arrived.
The following video was filmed on November 14, 2014, using my handheld tablet. I was just beginning to take an interest in photography and filmed a short clip of a pacer train passing on its way into the mouth of the Summit Tunnel.
Narrowboats gently bob, their painted hulls reflecting the sky. Waterfalls cascade down mossy rocks, a refreshing counterpoint to the still canal. And then there are the lock gates – leaky, perhaps, but adding a certain charm to the scene. Walsden, West Yorkshire, offers a delightful blend of industrial heritage and natural beauty, perfect for a peaceful canal-side stroll.
The first video was taken from bridge number 32 Copperas Bridge which carries the A6033 Rochdale Road across the canal. It shows a narrowboat sailing along the canal westward away from Gauxholme Railway Bridge.
The second short clip was taken showing a waterfall flowing nearby at the end of Farnboro Street alongside the Rochdale Canal. I just kind of found it relaxing watching the water cascading over the edge.
And the 3rd video shows lock 31 on the Rochdale Canal also known as Lightbank Lock. I just found something very relaxing about flow of water through the side and bottom of the gate.
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