Thursday, 29 May 2025
Museum seeks to tell Heptonstall's history
Celebrating two years since reopening as a community asset transfer, Heptonstall Museum has been welcoming visitors to their picturesque hilltop village and the ongoing exhibition of "Criminal Coiners: life and Death in Wild West Yorkshire".
This was their first exhibition, naturally leading on from their starring role as the pub 'Barbs' in BBC iplayer series 'The Gallows Pole'. Produced by Element Pictures and Shane Meadows', it was an adaptation of Benjamin Myer's "The Gallows Pole" (a fictionalised account of the true story of Calder Valley's most notorious historic characters, the Cragg Vale Coiners). Set costumes are on display and there's even a dress up corner for kids and big kids to get in the mood.
However, over 4000 visitors later, the Trustees recognise it's time for the building to soon return to its natural state and they've been developing the next exhibition with the help of community research. They've come up with a unique way to tell the town's story with an eclectic collection of never before seen objects, unearthed (quite literally in some cases) from gardens and personal collections of the families and residents who live there.
With the help of funding from Calderdale's initiative, Culturedale, a short series of creative workshops will explore different future exhibits from matchstick models to ancient votives, plus sentimental stories told through postcards and pottery finds reimagined.
Tim Machin, Chair of Heptonstall Museum said, "Heptonstall is unique. Often described as a "time capsule village", it's also full of unusual, surprising, inspiring and often far reaching stories. Its history includes medieval pilgrims, a battle in the English Civil war and huge changes brought in by the Industrial Revolution. Added to all that - it's been an inspiration to poets, novelists and artists and has many quirky local customs, characters and folklore. It's one of Yorkshire's hidden gems."
Alongside the workshops, the Coiners' history won't be forgotten. A grant from Hebden Bridge Rotary Club has helped fund their schools' workshop offering and the creation of a film telling the Coiners' story for a younger audience. The 'premiere' will be seen by the local Heptonstall Brownies group on 12 June, with a drama workshop to explore the stories it tells, helping them achieve their History badge.
A day of creative workshops funded by Culturedale will kick off on Saturday 14 June - Poetry at the museum with local poet, Sammy Weaver recently awarded Poet Laureate of Rochdale and intergenerational storytelling to include local Heptonstall Rangers and older people at Hebden Bridge Town Hall with Rachel Nesbit, President of the European Storytelling Association, Le Puits. They will be encouraging local residents with stories to share through their own personal treasures or the museum's collection.
Future workshops are being finalised including a pottery workshop and creation of a soundscape. Their affiliated 'Researching Heptonstall' group have also built a fascinating collection of local history around the people and places through census transcription and painstaking detail tracing long-lost properties and archive photos. The final part of the Culturedale bid aims to create a digital map to give future generations access to this forgotten past.
The museum continues to be volunteer-led, though really needs help with all aspects of continuing to operate. If you would like to support or help with volunteering at the museum, you can contact them via their website or email for more info
See the HebWeb "What's on" section for details of workshops on 14 June, 21 June and 19 June.