SURROUNDING AREA

The Holme Valley, the area south west of Huddersfield, between the town and the Pennines, is a gem of a location. Those of us who live here understand its charms and benefits, and can’t believe our luck. The Financial Times recently featured the area in its property pages so we can probably expect a stampede of ‘comers-in’ very soon now.

Being equidistant from Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield does no harm, with good access to the M1, the M62, Leeds and Manchester airports. The Pennines and the forest fringed reservoirs on the lower slopes are just along the road, with Last of the Summer Wine’s Holmfirth and various picture postcard villages on your doorstep.

There is the remarkable Castle Hill with its Jubilee Tower, the Lawrence Batley Theatre housed in a beautiful neo classical building and Greenhead College, the top ranked sixth form centre. I could go on. Oh, did you know that, outside London, Kirklees is second only to Bath in its number of listed buildings?

Armitage Bridge is one of the nicer villages in the valley and Tolson Farm the nicest part of it. Well, we would say that, but with a field of horses between you and the local cricket green, and mature trees forming a backdrop to the mill pond with its ducks and visiting heron, perhaps its not just bias.