The village of Hebden in North Yorkshire sits about mid way between Burnsall and Grassington in upper wharfedale. Pedestrians travelling from the western side of the river would cross the perilous River Wharfe by mans of stepping stones as the only two river crossings were at Burnsall down stream and at Grassinton up stream. A great storm in 1883 had demolished the stone bridge in Burnsall, meaning that the only sensible crossing was the stepping stones or a significant detour causing the residents great inconvenience. A man died in the spring of 1884 and his death triggered anger in the village and an action group was formed to build a footbridge, allowing people to cross in safety. Local Blacksmith William Bell was comissioned to carry out the work.
The grand opening of the new bridge was held in September 1885 with a brass band and public tea, just a year after the project had been first been suggested. What was amazing was the speed with which the task was completed, the whole project was funded by public subscription and costs were kept to a minimum by using recycled materials like two hundred and sixty two yards of redundant steel cabling from the Hebden Moor Mining company. Living in a throw away age, a hundred and thirty five years later, trying to cope with the ongoing pandemic and arguably the much larger issue of climate change, we are starting to learn that recycling and upcycling are a modern idea. I find it quite exciting that generations ago, people had already learned this lesson, with quite amazing results.
Two thoughts occur to me as I reflect on Hebden suspension bridge. Firstly, just look at what can be achieved when a community gathers together with a common obstactle to be overcome. I grew up hearing about “the war spirit” as the Nation experienced the horrors of war and worked to a common goal. We have just experienced a life changing pandemic which had changed the way we live and even the way we think and as we look back at the last eighteen months we see how a common need draws communities together to take action.
Secondly, we face an even bigger threat than the pandemic and that is the horrors of the climate crisis, there was a time when the Hitler movement was in Europe and was incidental to us, there was a time when the Coronavirus was in China and didn’t effect us and look at what happened! We can’t avoid climate change any longer and this little incidental Victorian bridge nestling away in the Dales countryside teaches us a lesson.
Recycling and upcycling are not modern, trends, the people of Hebden did it in the nineteenth century, the little things we each do in our own lives can make a difference to society as a whole.