250-year-old cobbles on a Halifax street close to Gentleman Jack set have been removed and concreted over

The stones on Woodhouse Lane in Copley are thought to be at least 250 years old and a nearby cobbled street, Wakefield Gate, was used for filming the first series of BBC period drama Gentleman Jack. Woodhouse Lane is an approach to Skircoat Moor and the bluebell woodlands that surround Wood Hall, a 17th-century house.

Contractors began work to remove the cobbles on a 140-metre stretch of Woodhouse Lane this week and they have now been replaced with a modern road surface.

Resident Catherine Gill said there had been no consultation about the work on the road through woodland running from Savile Park down a hillside towards Copley, which has also sparked criticism on social media.

Catherine says as well as heritage impact, her concerns include drivers’ speed on a modern surface, lack of a path for pedestrians and loss of the warning noise vehicles generated on the cobbles.

“Given the road’s history I am surprised the council has not been required to make the people of Halifax aware of the plan to destroy this historic and beautiful road surface.

“I am aware historic road and footway surfaces can be conserved but they need to be either protected from modern heavy vehicles or reconstructed to withstand them.

“I estimate there has been a tenfold increase in traffic using this roadway since planning was given for the Sowerby Bridge Copley Valley Development Scheme - 200 houses and several commercial buildings was always going to create this state of affairs,” said Catherine.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, Coun Jane Scullion, said the council repaired and retained historic surfaces where possible but in this instance the number of repairs over the years, combined with the overall condition of Woodhouse Lane, meant that this was not possible.

“The way that setted roads are constructed means that often microcracks within each sett cause them to disintegrate as they are raised, but any that setts that can be reused are always held at our depot and recycled elsewhere within the borough.

“Unfortunately, setts were not a standard product and come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes meaning individual replacement can be extremely difficult.

“Although cost must always be a consideration, we also look at the overall disruption that could be caused by what are often lengthy road closures.

“In this instance, the only viable solution was to take up the cobbled setts and resurface it.

“It’s important to note that we have sought to minimise this area with only the worse section of setts being removed, leaving the majority of the lane unaltered,” she said.