The sheep now standing at platform 1... (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Old photographs of Haworth, Oxenhope and Stanbury

2:20pm Wednesday 11th January 2012 in Remember When? By Helen Mead

What a wonderful sight it must have been to see a flock of black-faced sheep on the platform at Oxenhope railway station.

Sadly, there is no chance of that happening in the 21st century, but in 1935 the event was captured on camera, the photograph appearing in the T&A’s sister paper the Keighley News. The flock had been brought from Kettlewell to overwinter on Oxenhope moor.

Farmers in the Haworth area concentrated largely on small-scale dairy farming, but some sheep were kept on the rougher pastures and moors. Surprisingly, they were brought to this area from the Yorkshire Dales for winter.

The large flock gathering on the platform, their hooves only inches from the edge, is one of the many fascinating historic images included in local author Steven Wood’s book Haworth, Oxenhope & Stanbury From Old Photographs.

It is the second volume by the same author examining life in the three Pennine villages, the first focusing on domestic life as well as schools, churches and leisure. This companion volume looks at trade and industry and is divided into ten sections including shops, pubs, farms, mills and transport.

In 1901, according to Kelly’s Directory of the West Riding, Haworth had around 150 shops, about a third selling clothing and footwear: cloggers, boot and shoemakers, drapers, milliners, dressmakers and tailors. Another third sold food – butchers, confectioners, fried fish dealers, greengrocers and grocers.

The remaining 50 included chemists, coal merchants, a musical instrument dealer, an umbrella-maker and a watch-maker. Oxenhope had 40 shops, and Stanbury eight.

* Haworth, Oxenhope & Stanbury From Old Photographs, Volume 2 Trade & Industry, is published by Amberley Publishing at £14.99.

* To read the full version of this feature, and see more nostalgic pictures, see today's T&A.