By KLTV Newsdesk –
The Huddersfield Local History Society has published a new book on the History of the Colne Valley from a resident who has lived there for over thirty years.
Former local government officer Rob Vincent has spent his years in the valley not only exploring the countryside, but researching how its history is reflected in its landscape.
His years of research has now culminated in a new book Colne Valley: A History of the Pennine Landscape.
‘Celebrating its impact’
On the publication of the book, Rob said: “I didn’t set out to write a book! I had an urge to express what I found so engrossing and so satisfying in the Valley.
“I knew that the form of the landscape had a deep effect on me, and I knew too the way in which our home, New Ing Farm, had been shaped by the Valley’s dual farming and textile economies.
“I wanted to understand how the landscape had been shaped, and to celebrate its character and visual impact.
“The journey from there to the book has been full of pleasures – in reading texts and studying maps in local and national archives, in exploring the landscape itself with an increasingly educated and discerning eye, in talking to neighbours with deep roots in the Valley way of life.
“It has been deeply rewarding to find the understandings that have allowed me to celebrate the strengths of such a strong purposeful valley.”
Fully Interactive
The book features over 90 full-colour maps and photos of the region, and can even be used by anyone planning a walk in the valley.
For those looking for even more insight into Rob’s research, he is also providing the latest in the society’s programme of free recorded talks. The History of the Colne Valley Landscape is available on their website from Monday 25 October.
Rob’s book marks another in the Local History Society’s active publications programme.
David Griffiths, Publications Secretary for the Society, said: [We] now have a dozen books and booklets in print, on a wide range of aspects of Huddersfield history, but this is our first venture into landscape history, and we’re delighted that Rob Vincent has given us this opportunity to extend our range.
“With the lockdown behind us, we’re now aiming to resume our programme of annual publications.
“Next in line will be a biography of the naturalist Seth Lister Mosley to mark next year’s centenary of the Tolson Museum, of which he was the first curator.”
Colne Valley: A History of a Pennine Landscape by Rob Vincent can be purchased for £11.95 from bookshops, the Colne Valley Museum and online at www.huddersfieldhistory.org.uk.
