A Place Apart - Christopher Collier

The textile industry in the nineteenth century opened the Pennines to the world, and one small Yorkshire town which made its mark was Hebden Bridge. Sheltering below the moors, at a junction of two rivers, it excelled at making clothes for working men. A Place Apart tells the story of the town through the experiences of three generations of the Spencer family. Mills dominated the landscape, along with the Non-conformist chapels which gave a moral compass to people's lives. Education was opened to everyone and, as working hours relaxed, people had time to relax and enjoy themselves. - - - - The book provides a valuable perspective on life and attitudes during the Victorian era, brought into an unfortunate focus in 1901 when the daughter of Joseph Spencer, a successful local tailor, found herself pregnant by a local lad. Reputations had to be preserved and the family left town. The business held on, but finally closed in 1907. - - - - This wide-ranging portrait of the area's social and industrial history is written by a descendant of the Spencer family, and features first-hand accounts, authoritative source material and contemporary illustrations. It provides an engaging, well-researched study of a town and its people at a time of immense change.