The village of Heptonstall is set high on a prominent hillside above its close neighbour, Hebden Bridge. Heptonstall is one of West Yorkshire’s best kept secrets; a wonderfully preserved village with a main street that has changed very little in the last 200 years. Formerly an important centre for hand-loom weaving, the village still retains its original trading hall, while the old Grammar School, by the churchyard, is now a museum testifying to the village’s illustrious past. The churchyard is also the burial home for the American poet, novelist & short-story writer Sylvia Plath, perhaps best known for her collections of published poems & novel “The Bell Jar”. Heptonstall was a place she stayed in before & during her marriage to the poet Ted Hughes. In the centre are the two remaining pubs, the Cross Inn, believed to date from the early 17th century, and the White Lion, rumoured to be haunted by a Roundhead on a horse, a throwback to when the village was besieged during the Civil War. Nearby is the attractive town of Hebden Bridge, while the area is a must for steam railway enthusiasts who will enjoy the thriving Worth Valley Railway. Skipton, the Gateway to the Dales, is an easy and scenic car ride away.
