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The Village of Golcar
 Former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjamen once described the view from the Golcar Lily restaurant as being like that of Provence in France, with cottages terracing the hillside and the village church in the centre of his view.
Indeed the views from the ‘Lily’ restaurant were also once described as the best in Yorkshire – offering a truly panoramic view of much of the Colne Valley and, on a good day, offering views of up to 40 miles in the distance.
The village of Golcar is perched on the hillside and is one of the highest spots in the Colne Valley, beaten only by neighbouring Scapegoat Hill and Pole Moor.
A popular residential area, both Golcar and Scapegoat Hill have a combination of traditional old weavers cottages sitting alongside modern developments, built with young families in mind.
The name Golcar is thought to originate from one of two sources: firstly, from the monk St Guthlag who travelled the country converting lost souls. Whether he strayed this far north is a matter of much discussion for the historians.
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 A much more likely origin of the name comes from the invasion of the Vikings and the Celts who, after landing in Morecambe Bay and the Ribble Estuary, settled in Lancashire but gradually made their way across the Pennines.
A great leader in the ninth century was Guthlag. Historians point to the local Norse names such as ‘cros’ and ‘kjar’ meaning copse or wood. This was added to Guthlag to create Guthlagkjar and over the years, and many variations, this ended up as Golcar.
In the 19th Century Golcar was spelt Gowcar – thus revealing why locals fail to pronounce the ‘l’ in today’s spelling. One other explanation of the origin of the word Golcar indicates it meant ‘summer pasture’ and therefore not a place suitable for winter habitation.
One of the words most often associated with the village of Golcar is ‘lily’ – indeed local Golcar folk are often referred to as Golcar Lilies. There are many historical explanations for the word ‘lily’ – one particular favourite is that the clear air led to the local girls having bright clear peach-like complexions, similar to lilies.
Another view is that preacher John Wesley visited the area and called the women of Golcar lilies - compared to their ‘wild’ counterparts in Bolster Moor and Scapegoat Hill.
Rumour has it that before the Industrial Revolution one of the most prolific flowers to grow in the Colne Valley was lily-of-the-valley. People who have studied this now believe however that the name ‘lily’ originally belonged to the Huguenots who fled from France and settled in England.
A number of them fled across England and finally settled in the sparely populated Colne Valley where the hills and valleys reminded them of their original home. Being famed for the weaving of textiles and tapestries, they soon settled in to Colne Valley life.
The lily is the emblem of the Huguenot people and as such became adopted by the Golcar settlers.
In recent times Golcar Lily Day has been an annual event to celebrate the unique history of Golcar’s community - similar to the Moonraking Festival in Slaithwaite or Cuckoo Day in Marsden.
The idea for Golcar Lily Day was raised by the local vicar, the Rev Martyn Crompton and church member Sue Starr, as a way of drawing the community together. The impetus behind the day is to promote pride in the village.
 Suggestions for Golcar Lily Day events have flooded in and people are being asked to plant lilies in their gardens for the day. Money raised from any events will go to fund local causes.
One of the most well-known features in Golcar village is the Colne Valley Museum, housed in three traditional weaver’s cottages which date back to the 1850s and still retain the numerous small windows, flag floors etc.
The Grade II listed buildings were originally built by a family of independent cloth manufacturers, the Pearson family, whose relatives still live in Golcar today.
The cottages, named Spring Rock, were built by James and Sally Pearson into the steep hillside.
Records show that in 1851 James and Sally lived in one cottage with their five unmarried children, while their married son Edwin lived nearby. All the children were hand-loom weavers.
The other two cottages were occupied by relatives of James and Sally.
Another son John ventured further into the local textile industry and made an unusually good living out of it. He bought a part share in Victoria Mill and was later joined by his own four sons.
 Walk into the museum today and you’ll see the loom chamber, spinning and cropping rooms for a look at textile history. Venture into the gas-lit clog-maker’s workshop with its full range of period tools.
Most local children from schools across Huddersfield will no doubt at some time or other in their education visited Colne Valley Museum.
School visits are always welcome and children are encouraged to dress in the clothes of the day. Museum staff supervise a range of 19th Century activities including baking, washing, ironing, weaving, spinning and traditional crafts.
A day at the museum is tied in with key national curriculum history subjects and children are encouraged to bring history alive by stepping back in time and discovering how their ancestors lived, worked and ate.
Regular weekend exhibitions are also held suitable for all to enjoy and include subjects such as bread making, traditional crafts and marmalade/pancake making. See www.colnevalleymuseum.org.uk for more details.
Records show that cloth produced in the village of Golcar was highly regarded because of Golcar’s situation in the Pennine chain. The village is built on millstone grit and because there is no lime in the water, it is soft and ideal for processing wool.
Sitting high on the hillside overlooking Golcar is the ever-popular Scapehouse Inn which must have some of the best views in the area.
Now it has even more to offer, following a major refurbishment. Popular as an eating spot, either lunchtime or in the evening, the inn offers a great choice of bar snacks or dishes from the a la carte menu.
Find out more about The Scapehouse Inn in our ‘Out to Lunch’ feature and make sure you pay a visit soon. Garden enthusiasts also flock to the Colne Valley Garden Centre, midway between Golcar and Milnsbridge. This popular garden centre and café is open all year round and has a great selection of plants, furniture and gardening equipment.
Back in Golcar itself is St John’s Church, built in 1829 and set in large spacious grounds in the centre of the village. During the last 14 years it has been extensively and sensitively refurbished and is now used by many local organisations including a mother and toddler group, childminders, rainbows, brownies and guides. The church also has strong links with the Mara Diocese in Tanzania.
Other churches in Golcar include the Baptist Church and Providence Methodist Church. This is what Methodist founder John Wesley had to say about Golcar: “Wilder people I never saw in England. I preached near Huddersfield to the wildest congregation I have seen in Yorkshire.” Remember however this was a long time ago!
With many local shops and services, Golcar is a popular area in which to live and attracts young families with children, couples and more elderly residents. It also combines the neighbouring areas of Wellhouse, Bolster Moor and Scapegoat Hill and has acknowledged good schools, sporting teams, good bus and road links to Huddersfield.
Although there are many local shops today and a Co-op, shopping at one time in Golcar was dominated by the Co-operative Society (Co-op as we know it today). Golcar played an important part in the development of the Co-op and although the first Co-operative was established at Meltham Mills and then in Rochdale, the idea was so good that Golcar had two rival Co-ops, both buying food at wholesale prices, selling it at retail and distributing the profits to its members.
Originally there was the Golcar Central Working Mens Co-Op (known as the blue co-op) and the Golcar Co-operative Society (known as the yellow co-op). Eventually the Working Mens Co-op went into liquidation and the Co-operative Society was taken over by the CRS.
The village is situated on what is called the backbone of England, surrounded by moors and hills with weavers cottages standing almost on top of each other, built into steep hillsides.
It has even been likened to an Italian hill town with its alleyways, ginnels and steep winding streets.
Even many Golcar residents will be unaware that in the 1870s it was possible to watch horse racing at Golcar Flat, the site of today’s Manor Road School. The top rated horse of the time was Golightly and is said to have been stabled in the area. Horse racing however came to an abrupt end in 1885 when the stand collapsed.
Golcar is home to a great range of small village shops and specialist outlets like the ever-popular Renaissance 2 art gallery.
Offering picture framing for artwork, football shirts etc, local souvenirs, fine art printing, gifts and a range of great cards for all occasions, Renaiisance 2 is privately owned and has been part of Golcar life for many years.
Based in Town End, it is a great place to call and browse. Alternatively check out the website www.renaissance2.co.uk where you can buy on-line. For more information ring:01484 659596. So there’s a quick look at the history of Golcar and surrounding areas. There’s certainly more to the village than initially meets the eye!
Published Autumn 2007. All information correct at time of print
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