Hidden Gem at St Hilda Cowcliffe

There has been a church presence in Cowcliffe since 1850. Initially, this was in the form of a church school in a temporary building, overseen by the Vicar of Christ Church, Woodhouse. On 12th November, 1850 a Trust Deed was signed for a new church school and Sunday school, to be built with money and land bequeathed by the late Sir John Ramsden, to educate the ‘poor’ and ‘labouring classes’ of the area. The school building was designed by W H Crossland, a famous Victorian architect, when he was still a pupil architect. The school was completed in 1855 and officially opened in March 1856. Initially, services were held on an occasional basis, alongside the Sunday School, but from 1868 weekly Sunday services were held. Eventually the building became known as Cowcliffe Mission Church. The school closed in 1947 and this was when the church discovered that it did not actually own the land and building. The congregation raised sufficient funds to buy the property and it was eventually dedicated to St Hilda of Whitby on 17th September 1953. Extensions have been added over the years, the most recent being the new disabled access foyer and toilets, completed in 2014. The triple-glazed, stained-glass window in the chancel, installed in 2013, was designed by Holmfirth artist, Celia Kilner, from an initial idea by Sarah Glover, to replace the original transfer-printed window. We hope to have some heritage crafts on display. Refreshments will be available.

Timings & Tours

Saturday 20 September:

10.00 to 16.00 Refreshments available

Sunday 21 September:

12.00 to 16.00 Refreshments available

Location & directions

Netheroyd Hill Road, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD2 2LZ

Directions:

St Hilda's Church is in north Huddersfield. Take Junction 24 from the M62 and turn towards Brighouse. Turn right at the traffic lights in Rastrick and the next turn right into Lightridge Road. Turn right into Netheroyd Hill Road. If approaching from Bradford Road, turn into Netheroyd Hill Road, just below ASDA. Take the left hand fork at the junction with Lightridge Road. If approaching from Cowcliffe Hill Road, turn right at the Shepherds Arms public house. The church is on the 548/549 bus route.

Contact on day:

Mrs Rita Jones

Telephone number:

+447718199824

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

There is no car park but visitors are welcome to park on the opposite side of the road to the church. We advise against parking on both sides of this road as the church is situated on a bend. St Hilda's Church is on the 548/549 bus route.

Additional information

Refreshments available. There may be demonstrations of heritage crafts such as lacemaking and quilting. There may also be a stall selling wood-turned products (cash only). There are three steps to the chancel and one step to the vestry. Most of the building is wheelchair accessible.

Max no of people per tour:

60

Est. tour duration:

2 hour(s) 0 minute(s)

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