Akroyd, Wadsworth, c1951

One of the earliest settlements in the upper Calder valley is Akroyd which dates from before 1270, the name meaning ‘oak clearing’. Here in the valleys around Heptonstall the pattern of the medieval landscape can still be seen: densely wooded valleys, and fields above on a shelving plateau which rises to the moor’s edge. Akroyd is one of the finest examples of a yeoman clothier’s house, contrasting in its simplicity with Todmorden Hall. It has a classic hall-and-cross-wing plan with a through-passage set behind the main chimney which heats the housebody. The projecting wing, constructed in the late 16th century, was added on to an open cruck-framed hall. It contains the parlour, approached from the housebody by one of two Tudor arched doorways set either side the dais: heated by a large fireplace on the side wall, it would have provided new levels of comfort. The windows have the same ovolo-moulded mullions as at Todmorden Hall, but those in the hall range have a straight chamfer. The single-story hall was rebuilt in the late 17th century as a stone two-storey structure, re-using many original timbers. Text from ‘Calderdale Architecture and History’ Print in Hebden Bridge local History Archive PH11/1.