The Gallows Pole: Volunteers given 125-year lease to run Calderdale museum where hit BBC drama was filmed

The historic Heptonstall Museum has been passed on by Calderdale Council to the charity Friends of Heptonstall Museum (FOHM) who have been granted a 125-year lease following a community asset transfer.

It comes just weeks after the Grade II listed 17th century building featured on screens across the nation in BBC drama The Gallows Pole, based on the true story of David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners.

The museum was placed on the council’s community asset transfer list along with several other buildings it was looking to pass on in response to the pandemic and financial challenges.

A group of Heptonstall residents took action to save the museum’s future, founding FOHM and submitting a business plan.

Their bid to take over the museum was confirmed in 2022 and since then, council officers and volunteers from FOHM have been working together to finalise the lease and joint working agreement.

Tim Machin, FOHM Chair, said: "This will be a museum for the whole community, created by the whole community of Heptonstall and the wider Calder Valley.

"Alongside our Gallows Pole exhibition, we have a rich and varied programme of events including talks, walks, poetry readings and music which really help bring this exciting place to life.”

Cpuncillor Silvia Dacre, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for Resources, added: “Thank you to everyone from the council and FOHM who have worked incredibly hard to make this community asset transfer happen.

“The FOHM volunteers share our ambition to help Calderdale’s culture, towns and places to thrive. By working together to secure a sustainable future for the museum, which is a key part of our local heritage, we can maintain a much-loved attraction, boost visitor numbers and build on the success of the Heptonstall-based filming for the major national TV series The Gallows Pole.”

The museum building dates back to 1600. Built as a warehouse, it was converted to a grammar school in 1771 and closed in 1889.

The Yorkshire Penny Bank occupied it from 1898 until 1954. It became a museum in August 1972.