Holywell Green

History

Holywell Green was recorded in the Domesday book as being "a small hamlet within the township of Stainland." It gets its name from St Helen's Well which was known within the area during medieval times. The location of the original Holy Well is uncertain. It could be St Helen's Well itself, the spring in Shaw Park, behind the chapel or at the top of Thomas Street.

Geography

Holywell Green is the name given to the east side of Stainland. It is based around Stainland Road and Station Road, and built on an east-facing hill. Since West View and Bradley View were built, Stainland and Holywell Green have been conjoined.

Shaw Park

Shaw Park is the largest park in the area. The main entrance is located off Station Road. The park was the garden of Brooklands House until the house's demolition in 1930. In 1955, Raymond Shaw gave the garden to Elland UDC after which it became a public park. It has a playground, astroturf 5-a-side football pitch, well, ornamental lake, reed pond, arches, three follies and woods. The follies are located at the top of the park and were built by John Shaw as aviaries. The park is accessible by four entrances: Shaw Lane next to Brooklands Avenue, Shaw Lane next to Brooklands Close, the very bottom of Shaw Lane and Station Road.

In 2010 a group was formed to restore the park back "to its former glory". Money for restoration has been lacking because of Calderdale Council spending cuts.

St Helen's Well

St Helen’s Well is mentioned in John Watson's monumental The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Halifax, 1775. He gives no description but says a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to St Helen, nearby had been converted into a cottage, but in its walls was a large stone known locally as 'the Cross'. Strangers, presumed to be Catholics, made pilgrimages to the well. Watson also possessed a deed which mentioned a grant made to Henry de Sacro Fonte de Staynland. dated between 1279 and 1324. The well was restored in 1843 in response to interest in drinking 'spa' water. The 'Halifax Guardian' for September 1842 described the scene around Well Head spa where crowds carrying drinking utensils jostled each other in their eagerness to take the waters. Well Head was the most popular of the Halifax spas but several other springs in the area were frequented. Similar scenes may have occurred around this well. In the late 19th century the well was declining. The stone trough had cracked and was leaking. Local placenames reflect the importance of the well. The village is known as Holywell Green and there is a public house called 'The Holywell Inn' and a 'St Helen’s Court'. The well was further restored in 1977 and the crumbling trough of the woodcut has been replaced by a solid modern one; no water flows into it.

Carr Hall Castle

Carr Hall Castle is at the end of Shaw Lane. It won Channel 5's 2008 TV show I Own Britain's Best Home.

Bradley Hall Golf Club

Opposite Burrwood Way's junction with Stainland Road is the road to Bradley Hall Golf Club. The clubhouse is named Bradley Hall. The golf course spreads along the side of the hill below Stainland.

Bradley Hall itself was built in the 16th century and was badly damaged by a fire in 1629. Local places were named after the hall, including Bradley Court, Bradley Lane, Bradley Farm and Little Bradley, all in Greetland, and Bradley View in Holywell Green.

Public houses and restaurants

At the bottom of Broad Carr Lane is The Rock Hotel.The Rock Hotel still has the original Rock Inn at the front of the building which is now the only public House left in the village. It hosts various events and is often used by the community. The Holy Well Inn, previously called The Station Hotel and the Waggon and Horses, is at the junction of Stainland Road and Station Road. The Holy Well Inn, the last true public house in the village closed its doors in January 2012. In January 2013 a group of residents applied to have the pub listed as a community asset and created an action group committed to saving the pub for the community. The Royal Oak, which closed in the early 1990s, was situated at the bottom of Burrwood Terrace; it is now a house.

The Shaw family

The Shaws were mill owners in Holywell Green, John Shaw giving his name to Shaw Close, Shaw Street and Shaw Lane. Thomas Street and James Street are named after John Shaw's sons.

Brooklands House

Brooklands House stood where Brooklands Avenue is now. Brooklands Lodge, on the junction of Stainland Road and Station Road, was the gatehouse for the mansion. The house was demolished in 1930 and the houses on Brooklands Avenue were built from the stone of Brooklands House.

Religion

Located between Chapel Close and Stainland Road is Stainland and Holywell Green United Reformed Church. To the north of the church are recently built houses, and another church stood here until it was demolished in the 1970s.

Community

A Nisa Local shop is at the junction of Stainland Road and Chapel Street. A launderette is next door to the shop. There is a fish and chip shop at the Stainland Road and James Street junction.

Industry

Located on Burrwood Way are two industrial parks: Burrwood Industrial Estate and Springwood Business Park.

Below Shaw Park, in the valley, are two chemical plants. One is Stainland Works, accessible via the former route of the train line from Burrwood Way, and Rhodia Chemical Plant which is accessible via Brook Drive. Stainland Works is partly built on the site where Stainland and Holywell Green railway station used to be.

During the 19th century, there was a large amount of industry in the valleys. Stainland Works stands on the site of the previous Brookroyd Mills that employed over 1,200 people in 1857. Many of the houses in the village were built for the mill workers. Approaching Holywell Green from West Vale is Burrwood Mill, now converted into apartments as Burrwood Court.

Education

Holywell Green has one school, Holywell Green Primary School. It also has a nursery.