‘I visited the historic Yorkshire market town which is down on its luck - but could have a bright future’
During the Industrial Revolution, Dewsbury was the heartbeat of the heavy woolen district.
The market town’s pioneering wool and textile industry became renowned for producing recycled cloth.
Nowadays with over half of the town’s population of 64,000 residents being in the top 20 percent of the most deprived neighbourhoods nationally, Dewsbury’s town centre is in stark contrast to when it was a thriving centre for trade.
Dewsbury, which sits on the banks of River Calder in West Yorkshire, faced a slow decline following the Second World War with many of the mills finally closing in the 1980s.
With rising poverty, unemployment and a higher than national average crime rate, a national newspaper even described Dewsbury as ‘the town that dare not speak its name,’ due to high profile criminal cases.
Despite the town’s name being tarnished nationally, Dewsbury’s historic market still hangs on by a thread.
The area is also about to see significant investment with a new £22.5 million regeneration plan to transform the town centre.
The Yorkshire Post visited Dewsbury on market day to discover a true view of the town today from locals.
It’s Wednesday morning, and a crowd of people are waiting outside the Job Centre nervously waiting for the doors to open, a group of youngsters head towards college and several people are walking in the direction of Dewsbury market.
This stunning Victorian town used to be the epicentre of trade, and at first glance despite the closed bars and shops, there are several signs of hope as people desperately search for opportunities, and retired folk fill one of the local cafes.
Wednesday and Friday are the town’s market days. People used to be dropped off by the coach load to shop here.
Today, however, there’s just a handful of people browsing Dewsbury Market, which dates back to the 14th century and was originally used by cloth traders.
Sonia Sykes is watching on as traders tend to their stalls while taking a break from her early shift at a nearby betting shop.
The 51-year-old said: “The town’s got worse and worse and worse. I remember as a 16-year-old working on a fruit and vegetables stall.
“There would be coach loads of people coming from York, Leeds, and everywhere.”
Mrs Sykes said on market days back then, you could barely move around due to the number of people descending on the town centre.
She said: “We had an M&S, Woolworths, and lots of shops, now all we have is empty ones.”
Mrs Sykes said she only comes into the ‘ghost town’ to work otherwise, on her days off, she chooses to go elsewhere.
“What’s there to come to town for? Unless you want a vape or your nails done?” she added.
Dewsbury, however, is undergoing a multimillion-pound regeneration plan over the next ten years, known as ‘Dewsbury blueprint.’
Signs are up sharing the plan to improve the roads around the town hall, parking and pedestrianising part of the town centre.
Mrs Sykes however isn’t convinced.
She said: “It’s a waste of money just sorting the roads and pavements if there’s no shops to come into town for.
“You’ve got to start with the shops. Rents are too high and landlords aren’t maintaining them.”
Mrs Sykes said she feels unsafe at night if she’s working late.
She said: “If I need to go to the bus station I carry a can of deep heat in my pocket.
“There’s no police presence. It’s horrible and rundown. I’d rather go to Morley or Ossett.”
According to a report by Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board, safety is a major issue.
“In 2023, the recorded crime rate was 158.2 per 1000 population, compared to 92.8 nationally and residents consistently report feeling less safe than people in other towns,” it said.
Mrs Sykes said people have forgotten about the town centre.
She added: “It’s been on the downturn for that long, I can’t remember when it started to get bad.”
There’s a nearby Victorian arcade which is also undergoing restoration in tandem with the town’s ‘masterplan’ to create space for 16 independent retail outlets thanks to National Lottery Funding.
Another local resident, Ken Lockwood, said development in the town is too slow.
The 78-year-old said “there’s too much messing around” with the regeneration.
Mr Lockwood said: “Anywhere else all this (roadworks and regeneration plans) would have been done in no time.
“People used to come here by the coachload.”
Mr Lockwood said the market still brings a few more people to the centre when it’s on.
One market trader, who didn’t want to be named, said Saturday is his busiest day but last weekend he had only three customers.
He said: “You only have to look at old photos to see how many people used to come into the centre. Now it’s empty.”
Larraine Davis, 79, who grew up in Batley and now lives in Horbury, still regularly visits Dewsbury on market days.
She said: “It’s just sad. It’s really sad.
“My friends and I would catch a bus into Dewsbury, it was always really exciting. I lived on a farm, so it was totally different.”
Mrs Davis said she still loves the market and the diversity of Dewsbury, although, sadly, there are not as many shoppers.
She said: “I used to teach at the college. There are some great young people in the area, it would be nice to see more young people in town.”
Over a third of Dewsbury’s population is under 25. Over half of under-16s live in poverty compared to the national average of one in five.
Mrs Davis said: “I still try to come regularly and shop here. It’s just really sad to see it so empty.
“It used to be such a lovely day out with my mum and sister. Now it’s just really sad.”
She said one of her main issues with the town which keeps people away is the crime rate.
Mrs Davis added: “If I’m really honest I feel quite scared walking through the precinct.”
She hopes more young people will show an interest in the town once the regeneration is completed.
Market trader Nick Farnsworth, 62, is also optimistic.
He said: “I’ve worked on the market for nearly 40 years and it’s always been a good market, it still is.
“But like all towns it’s changed a lot. It just needs a refurb which is on the way.”
Mr Farnsworth said while trade is quieter and the coaches don’t come anymore, he’s looking forward to the future.
He added: “Once the arcade is finished and the new market is here and there’s more shops hopefully that will attract more customers.”
Dewsbury is widely known as a commuter town with direct links to Batley, Leeds and Huddersfield.
While there’s still a train station in the upper part of the centre overlooking the old mills, in its heyday the town used to have three stations to keep up with demand for its wool and textile industry.
Dewsbury may never return to what it once was, due to trade and shopping habits changing, there is still promise here with the remaining Victorian architecture in the town, alongside the area’s growing population and rich tapestry of cultures.
With the right investment which opens appropriate opportunities to the town’s residents, Dewsbury has enough people of all ages who desire to make the area thrive again.