Thursday, 28 May 2026
Work begins on heritage signal box
Building work is about to begin on Hebden Bridge's signal box to enable this Grade II listed building to have a bright new future under community ownership.
The main area of the signal box, decommissioned by Network Rail more than eight years ago, is set to become a heritage centre. Visitors will have the opportunity to relive the experiences of generations of signal operators by using the original nineteenth-century signal frame to take trains safely through the valley – though the trains that visitors will control will now be virtual rather than real ones.
Photo: HebWeb, October 2018
Meanwhile, the ground floor of the building is to be converted into a quirky holiday let, in order to generate the income needed to ensure the ongoing maintenance of the building.
Calder Valley Community Land Trust, the local member-led charity, finally took over the lease of the building from Network Rail last Summer after several years of detailed negotiation. The Trust has also successfully raised over £140,000 in grants to fund the renovation work, mainly from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Railway Heritage Trust with seed funding from Hebden Royd Town Council.
Photo: photo from October 2025 of volunteers
clearing briars, weeds and saplings
"After many years, our scheme has finally started," says Karin Lowson, one of the CLT's trustees. "It's been sad to see the signal box starting there empty and unloved for so long, but everything is now in place for a new beginning for an important historic building in Hebden Bridge."
Local builders West End will begin work on the building at the start of June, and the work is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. Karin Lowson says that the CLT is already making plans for a big celebratory opening event to be held once the builders have left.
"We held a small-scale pre-refurbishment open day earlier this year when we had more than 200 visitors who wanted to look inside the signal box and pull the levers. We know there are many more people who are keen to come along once the heritage centre is in place. This is a project which has needed patience but we're pleased that the signal for it is now very definitely green," Karin says.
She adds that an active group of local people is already working hard on assembling the material for the heritage centre, including collecting historic photographs and film footage of the box in use. Others interested in joining the group or becoming a volunteer will be welcomed, and can get in touch via the CLT website, www.caldervalleyclt.org.uk.