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The Three ‘Thong’ Villages
Actor Bill Owen - better known as Last of the Summer Wine’s loveable rogue Compo - so loved the Holme Valley that he chose to be buried in the churchyard of St John’s Church, Upperthong.
Bill, who died several years ago in 1999, said he always felt at home in the valleys and villages surrounding Holmfirth and wished to be laid to rest in the place he came to call ‘home’ in the latter years of his life.
Now, as possibility the most famous name to be buried at St John’s, his name will always be associated with Upperthong - one of the three local villages bearing the name ‘thong’ which sit on the fringes of the much larger town of Holmfirth.
The name ‘Thong’ is believed to be associated with Viking invaders who took control of a large part of Northern England. The name is most likely to be derived from the Viking word ‘thong’ which meant a strip of land. It is therefore likely that Upperthong means ‘an upper strip of land’ while Netherthong refers to ‘a lower strip of land’, while Thongsbridge is the strip of land in the valley bottom by the river.
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All three villages have their own parish representatives sitting on Holme Valley Parish Council which meets regularly in the centre of Holmfirth.
Upperthong, Netherthong and Thongsbridge are today popular residential villages combining a mix of traditional cottage-style homes with modern development. Each of the three villages has their own individual character which makes them all popular with local people looking for a semi-rural lifestyle.
Both Upperthong and Netherthong are well known for their narrow village centres, stunning rural views and charming traditional cottages. Thongsbridge, on the other hand, is also home to several businesses including a veterinary surgery, home furnishing specialists and a mill complex as well as a thriving tennis club, cricket club and bowling club.
It is also the village through which hundreds of young people walk everyday on their way to Holmfirth High School, one of the best known high schools in the Huddersfield area.
Netherthong is said to be one of the most ancient settlements within the Graveship of Holme and the buildings that give it character are said to have originated from the time of the Industrial Revolution starting around 1760. Cottages which are typical of the area are made of local stone with stone mullion windows.
The village church, All Saints, was not completed until the turn of the 19th Century, and is situated right in the heart of the village. Originally built in 1830, it was restored and reseated in 1877 when two galleries were removed, a stained east window added and gas lights installed, all at a cost of £2,400. The baptism and burial register dates back to 1830 and before it became a separate parish, Netherthong was part of the ancient parish of Almondbury.
The first Wesleyan chapel to be built in the Holme Valley was Thong Chape at Deanhouse which became only the sixth chapel to be built by Methodists in England. John Wesley himself visited it in 1769 shortly after it opened. The chapel closed in the 1970s and is now in private ownership.
Netherthong is also home to two pubs, The Cricketers at Deanhouse and The Clothiers in the village centre, and its own village school Netherthong Junior and Infant School which also has an Early Years Unit.
The village school was originally built in 1875 and has been extended several times over the years and today provides an education for around 225 children before they leave for their high school years.
A recent population census showed that Netherthong is today home to around 1,620 people covering a relatively even spread of all ages from the very young to the elderly. Figures reveal Netherthong to be very popular with young families.
Moving upwards to the village of Upperthong, it is evident that this popular area has very strong community ties. A committee of local people run Upperthong Village Hall, organising various events during the year including the gala, themed events and a Christmas concert. Groups who use the hall include brownies, the Womens Institute, cricket club and karate group.
The hall, a listed building, was originally a school built in 1837. To avoid strong winds blowing off the nearby moors, the front door was moved to the back in 1875. The building became a village hall in 1970.
Every year Upperthong holds a village gala at the end of June and is well known for it’s welly wanging championships which have been part of the gala celebrations for many years.
The village has a thriving cricket club which plays in local Huddersfield leagues. The cricket ground, Stack Field, on the junction of Wickins Lane and Dean Road is situated in an idyllic location and epitomises a typical English cricket scene. Surrounded by dry stone walls with sheep and lambs grazing in an adjoining field, it really is an ideal setting.
With a population of almost 1,200 people (according to the last population census), Upperthong is an idyllic Holme Valley village and in great demand by local people looking to buy a home there. A new Upperthong School was built in the 1970s to accommodate all the local children.
Looking back in time Upperthong had various names: Thoac & Tohac in 1086, Thwnge in 1274, Uverthwong in 1277 and Overthwonge in 1576. The oldest part of the village is in a Conservation Area with several buildings and nearby farms being Grade II listed buildings.
In the early 19th Century cottage industries thrived in Upperthong and saw hand loom weaving in upper rooms by the men while women and children sorted and washed the wool. Some weavers kept donkeys in adjoining barns for transporting their wool.
Other workmen included joiners, stone merchants and farmers who kept homegrown oatmeal in large oak chests before threshing on the stone flags. Oatmeal was used to make porridge or ‘lumpy dicks’ which was the main food in the village.
The stone and slate industry also took on considerable significance – all buildings made with locally hewn stone.
Folklore was very strong at this time, suggested by the presence of witching perches on several houses – used to keep witches at bay.
Upperthong is mentioned in various historical records dating back to the 11th Century and the Domesday Book. The village church St John’s was built in 1846 and designed to hold 700 people.
The church has many points of interest including: a memorial to the Shackleton family (husband, wife and three children) who were all drowned when Bilberry Reservoir burst its banks and flooded the valley in 1852, a Lych Gate which was added to commemorate the fallen of the 1939-45 world war, and, of course, its most ‘famous’ inhabitant Bill Owen or Compo who is laid to rest in the church grounds.
Moving down the valley, we come to the village of Thongsbridge which has records dating back to the 13th Century when the area was owned by the Bisset family.
The village expanded in the early days of the industrial revolution when its location, within the steep sided valley, proved ideal for the water powered textile mills. A whole concentration of mills was located along the River Holme in the valley bottom.
Albion Mills, today home to many small units, was built for the manufacture of woollens. There was also a small mill close by which was a bone and manure works.
The homes and businesses located in the valley bottom were affected by a number of severe floods that hit the Holme Valley, the worst being the Holmfirth Flood of 1852, when a number of houses and parts of the local textile mill were swept away.
The village originally had a station on the railway branch line going from Brockholes and terminating in Holmfirth which was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway company in 1850.
The railway partially closed in 1959 with passenger services being stopped and then finally shut down to freight trains as well in 1965. The goods yard and railway track bed have now mostly been built on but can still be seen in places.
Thongsbridge Station was situated in a deep cutting, spanned by two bridges at either end. The platforms were staggered and this led to criticism from the Board of Trade after a number of accidents involving passengers.
In 1852 the station was the location of a narrowly avoided accident when, due to the slight gradient between Thongsbridge and Holmfirth, half of the carriages became detached from the rest of the train. Luckily the station guard spotted another train approaching and managed to sound the alarm – the second train stopped just inches from the wayward carriages.
So that’s a quick journey through the history of the three ‘thong’ villages in the Holme Valley. Looking back, it’s a history which contains some heartache and trauma over the years – thankfully today Upperthong, Netherthong and Thongsbridge are three of the most pleasant peaceful places to live and among the most desirable residential villages in the Huddersfield area.
Published Winter 2007. All information correct at time of print
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