Greetland
| Greetland | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 Greetland, from Holywell Green | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SE085211 |
| Location: | 53°41’13"N, 1°52’17"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 11,389 ((with Stainland)) |
| Post town: | Halifax |
| Postcode: | HX4 |
| Dialling code: | 01422 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Calderdale |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Calder Valley |
Greetland is a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire, a mile west of Elland and two and a half miles south of Halifax.
The village is situated primarily around Stainland, Saddleworth and Rochdale Roads, with much of the village on one side of the steep hill that separates the latter two roads. Saddleworth Road and Rochdale Road meet at a double traffic junction in a small commercial area called West Vale.
"The old part of Greetland was strung out along what is now the B6113 to the west. In the late 19C a new town known as West Vale developed in the valley, and a school and church were built (SE097213). The name stems from being at the western end of Elland, although it is at the eastern end of Greetland which was an independent authority only from 1894 to 1937." Humphrey Bolton
History
The village of Greetland may have been the site of a Roman settlement named Cambodunum. A Roman altar stone dated to 208 AD was found in 1597 at Bank Top, Greetland.[1]
In 1870–72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Greetland:
"Greetland, a village and a chapelry in Halifax parish, W. R. Yorkshire. The village stands 1 mile W of Elland r. station, and 3 SSW of Halifax; and has a post office under Halifax. The chapelry is part of the township of Elland-cum-Greetland. Pop. 2, 584. There are stone quarries, and several large woollens, worsted, and cotton mills."[2]
The village was served by the Greetland railway station from 1844 to 1962.[3]
On 6 July 2014, Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France from York to Sheffield passed through the village. The race route travelled east to west from neighbouring Barkisland, through West Vale, and into Elland. It was also the location of the fourth climb of the stage, the Category 3 'Côte de Greetland', at the 74-mile point.
About the village
Clay House was built for John Clay and the Clay family around 1650, although there is a 1296 mention of a house owned by Robert Clay on the site. The grounds of the house were opened as a park in 1924, and in 1929 a war memorial was built in the hall. Another war memorial on the eastern wall of the house. The house is frequently used for weddings and its main hall can easily seat 100 people. Its corridors and grand rooms are well known in the area, with a large central staircase, traditional wooden panelling from the 1600s and paintings.
The house is currently managed by the local council and can be hired as a whole.
Greetland is the start of the Calderdale Way, a long-distance footpath up the dale popular with ramblers.[4] It starts at Clay House.
The village has had a number of pubs: the Rose and Crown, the Branch Road Inn, the Sportsman Inn, the Spring Rock, the Star, the Traveller's Rest, and the Queen. The Druid's Arms and the Shears have closed and the latter has been demolished.
Local legend
By Greetland is the 'Brandy Hole Wood'. The origin of the wood's name is ingrained in local folklore. It is said by local residents that, in order to avoid paying excessive tax on his stockpiled alcohol, a pre-20th century landlord of the Druids Arms would roll barrels of spirits into the wood in order to hide them. When the exciseman came to take an inventory of the pub's cellar he could not account for the hidden barrels, and so the landlord avoided paying tax on the barrels stashed in the woods.
According to another version of the story, it was the locals who hid the brandy in the wood, and concerned at his lost revenue, the landlord of the Druids Arms informed the taxman of the hidden stash. This is what earned the pub the nickname "The Rat".
Sport
The Greetland Community Centre has an indoor multi-purpose pitch, as well as several outdoor natural grass pitches. The venue also has a small bar area.
- Cricket and bowling: Greetland Cricket & Bowling Club, whose pitch is on the banks of a small river and is prone to flooding.
- Football: Greetland Goldstars Football Club
- Rugby: Elland Boxers
The Greetland Social Club has three table tennis teams.
Society
Greetland has a Scout Group operating as the 5th Greetland Scout Group, which comprises Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. Explorer Scouts operate from the nearby West Vale HQ. The group is based in the St Thomas' Church Hall.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Greetland) |
References
- ↑ "The Greetland Altar". 11 June 2010. https://lowercalderlegends.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/the-greetland-altar/. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ↑ "History of Greetland, in Calderdale and West Riding | Map and description". http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/606. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ↑ Joy, David (1984). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain Volume VIII; South and West Yorkshire. David St John Thomas. p. 317. ISBN 0-946537-11-9. https://archive.org/details/southwestyorkshi0000joyd/page/317.
- ↑ "Calderdale Way - LDWA Long Distance Paths". https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Calderdale+Way. Retrieved 28 November 2017.