Sharing Moor Stories: A heritage drop-in heritage gathering

Come and share your stories and knowledge of the moors lying between Todmorden and Cragg Vale

This drop-in session is part of PeatZine: Moorland Stories along the Calderdale Way, a collaborative project exploring the history, heritage and living landscape of Calderdale’s moors. Artists, writers and naturalists are working alongside local heritage groups, students and community members to gather stories, creative responses and material that will be shared in a pop-up exhibition and a collaborative zine (fancy word for a creative, illustrated booklet) in November 2025.

The project is funded by Culturedale Heritage through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and focuses on the section of the Calderdale Way between Todmorden and Cragg Vale. We are therefore especially interested in histories and memories connected to the moors above Mankinholes and Lumbutts, and surrounding Withens Clough Reservoir – so, from Gaddings Dam, across Langfield Common to Stoodley Pike, and on to Erringden Moor.

Come when you like, stay as long as you like
These are relaxed, drop-in sessions. You can arrive at any point during the gathering, spend as much time as you like sharing your stories or material, and leave when it suits you.

What we’ll be doing
This is not a talk or lecture or information session – it’s your chance to share your memories, knowledge and any materials about the moor to help us tell their story. You might bring:
 

• Personal memories or family stories passed down
• Recollections of farming or other work on the moors, of walking and other kinds of recreation
• Photos, maps or documents, or information on where to find them
• Reflections, impressions or tales about the moors and their heritage

Themes to help spark your stories
To give some ideas, you might think about:
 

• Farming, grazing, the workings of the commons
• Packhorse tracks, old paths, and routes across the moor
• Moorland enclosure and changes to land use
• Recreation, leisure and outdoor activities
• Industrial and economic use, including quarries and reservoirs
• Folklore, place-names and local legends
• Restoration, conservation, wildlife and environmental work
• Peat, turf cutting and historical turbary rights
• Geology, landforms and moorland habitats
• Connections between people and place across the generations

How we will gather and record your contributions
We will carefully record stories, take notes and may photograph materials or documents you bring, always with your permission. There will be opportunities to be audio recorded, to draw a sketch map, to write things down. You will be able to indicate any restrictions on use, and choose whether you wish your contributions to be credited or to remain anonymous if you prefer.

How your contributions will be used
Your stories and materials will help create the PeatZine collaborative zine (a pamphlet or booklet), and also go towards creating a larger online resource of Calderdale moorland stories. Your words, images and memories may also inspire creative responses from artists and writers involved in the project.

Who’s running the workshop
 

• Paul Knights – landscape writer and local heritage researcher, passionate about Calderdale’s moors and their stories.
• Rowanne Smith – heritage trainee with Culturedale, helping to capture and share local stories.
• Jo Kennedy – sound artist, field recordist and podcaster