Historic Ainleys -
The Gateway Between Two Towns
Historic Ainleys
For over a century, Historic Ainleys has served as the dramatic gateway between Halifax and Huddersfield. This steep, winding road—one of Calderdale's most challenging highways—has witnessed trams struggling up impossible gradients, trolley buses negotiating hairpin bends, and the complete transformation of the landscape with the arrival of the M62 motorway.
The story of Ainleys is the story of transport evolution, industrial ambition, and the determination of communities to stay connected despite the formidable geography of the Calder Valley.
One of Calderdale's Steepest Roads
Ainleys Hill rises dramatically from Elland, climbing with a gradient of 1 in 11—making it one of Calderdale's steepest roads. Combined with a tricky bend near the summit, this made the Ainleys one of the most potentially hazardous highways in the district. For many years, it was the chief link between Elland and Huddersfield, carrying all manner of traffic from horse-drawn carts to modern motor vehicles.
The road's elevation and challenging topography meant that every journey up or down Ainleys was an adventure. In winter, ice and snow made the ascent treacherous. In summer, the steep climb tested the endurance of horses, engines, and drivers alike.
SHeppener
The Old Turnpike Roads
Long before the trams arrived, Ainley Top was an important meeting point on the turnpike road network.
In 1777, Blind Jack of Knaresborough directed the construction of the Huddersfield to Halifax turnpike. This was followed in 1806 by the New Hey to Huddersfield turnpike, which included a spur through Ainley Top. A further turnpike connecting Huddersfield and Elland followed in 1824.
These improvements brought more traffic through the hamlet and required the construction of two substantial bridges, both dating from 1824. A cast-iron mileage marker from the old turnpike road survives as a reminder of this earlier transport network.
The Age of Trams: 1914–1939
January 1914 marked a revolution in local transport when trams first began to climb and descend the Ainleys. The smaller picture from the early 1940s shows a tram negotiating the bend—a sight that would have been familiar to thousands of commuters and travelers.
The trams faced a formidable challenge. The steep gradient required powerful motors and skilled drivers. Descending was equally dangerous, with brakes tested to their limits. Yet for nearly a quarter of a century, the trams persevered, providing a vital public transport link between the two towns.
SHeppener
The tram service between Huddersfield and West Vale came to an end in May 1939. The final tram is recorded as running on 27 May, with trolleybuses taking over the route shortly afterwards. These new electric vehicles operated as far as West Vale and continued to serve the district for many years.
The Horse and Jockey: A Landmark on the Climb
The Horse and Jockey was a familiar landmark on the climb towards Ainley Top. The inn stood on what is now Huddersfield Road and was one of the area's former public houses. It closed on 27 December 1933, leaving its name preserved in the old photographs and local pub records.
The pub's name reflected the era when horse-drawn transport dominated the roads. Horses pulling heavy loads up the Ainleys would often need to rest, and the Horse and Jockey provided refreshment for both animals and their drivers.
Horse and Jockey was on the right as you climb towards Ainley top.
The 1912 Strike: Labor History at Ainleys
Your historic photographs capture a significant moment in local labor history—the 1912 strike. These images show workers gathered at Ainleys, likely connected to the broader industrial unrest that swept through Britain's textile and manufacturing districts in the years before the First World War.
The Calder Valley's mills, factories, and workshops were centers of industrial action during this period. Workers fought for better wages, improved conditions, and recognition of their unions. The fact that Ainleys—a major transport route—was chosen as a gathering point suggests the strategic importance of the location for labor organizing.
The Old Ainley Bridge: 1970 Demolition
For decades, a modest bridge stood at the top of the Ainleys, carrying the road over a small valley. This bridge became a familiar landmark for travelers—a signal that the steep climb was finally over and Ainley Top had been reached.
July 11, 1970 marked the end of an era when the old Ainley Bridge was demolished. The demolition was necessary to make way for the construction of the M62 motorway—a project that would completely transform the landscape and transport infrastructure of the region.
The last photograph of the bridge while it was still open to traffic was taken on the day before its demolition. After that Saturday night, the last bus journey up the Ainleys had been completed, and the old bridge was gone forever.
The old Ainley Bridge, built in 1824, was demolished in July 1970 during the construction of the M62. Its dated capstone was preserved and placed in the roadside wall beside the Elland Bypass. It should not be confused with the separate Whitehaughs Bridge, which stood lower down the hillside and was also lost during the motorway construction.
Old trolley bus posts, being used here for street lights.
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The 1834 Election and the Ainley Top Beacon
Ainley Top once had a role in an extraordinary episode of local political history.
During the Huddersfield election of 1834, fears of unrest among Huddersfield radicals led to an army contingent being secretly stationed at Elland. According to records, a beacon was placed at the top of Ainley Top. If trouble broke out, it could be lit as a warning, allowing the message to be seen at Elland and the troops called into action.
As events turned out, the soldiers were never required. The story nevertheless illustrates the strategic importance of Ainley Top's elevated position and its commanding views across the surrounding valleys.
The old bridge was taken down overnight and the road was open again the next day.
Trolleybus Karrier E6 to Almondbury went as far as West Vale, Elland pictured here in the late 1930s
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The M62 Construction: 1971 Transformation
July 1971 brought dramatic change to Ainley Top. Aerial photographs from this period show the massive construction project underway—a new highway being carved through the landscape, with the M62 motorway and the A629 dual carriageway taking shape.
The scene at Ainley Top was one of industrial-scale transformation. Where once there had been fields and modest roads, now there were massive earthworks, concrete bridges, and the infrastructure of modern motorway travel.
The new bridge at the top of the Ainleys became a concrete arc carrying the M62 across the A629, giving drivers heading towards Elland or Halifax a dramatic first glimpse of Calderdale spread out below.
Ainley Top road system - a slip road has also been added to the left side of this picture in 2026 . This was for west bound M62 traffic to avoid the roundabout.
The Border Dispute: 20 Years of Uncertainty
An interesting footnote to the Ainley Top story concerns the border between Halifax and Huddersfield local authority areas. For many years, there was confusion and dispute about exactly where the boundary ran.
It was feared that Ainley Top would be bisected by the new motorway, creating administrative complications for both councils. The dispute ran for 20 years before being finally resolved. The new hotel built at Ainley Top—opened in 1972 as the Saxon Inn (later changing names multiple times)—stood right on this contested border.
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The Nag's Head – An Old Ainley Top Inn
Another historic inn at Ainley Top was the Nag's Head, which began life as two cottages believed to be more than 300 years old. As stagecoach traffic increased, the cottages were converted into an inn.
The Nag's Head became a popular destination for walkers and day-trippers, including visitors from Grimescar Valley. Cycling and athletic clubs also visited, as did the Colne Valley Beagles with their horses and hounds.
One of the attractions was the game of knur and spell, played in the fields behind the inn. Competitions attracted local champions and spectators who placed bets, with a keen rivalry between the Nag's Head and the Wappy Spring Inn.
Perhaps its best-known landlady was Sarah Clough, who arrived with her husband Sam in 1922. After his death the following year, Sarah continued to run the inn, eventually becoming its longest-serving publican. She remained there until 1960, when she died aged 87.
The pub had a barn, orchard and three acres of land, where Sarah kept poultry and even a pig. It was a reminder of the time when Ainley Top was a small rural community as well as an important transport route.
Nags Head
Nags Head today
When the New Elland Bypass Opened: 1978
1978 brought another major change when the new Elland bypass—the Calderdale Way—opened. At last, there was a modern, streamlined, and much safer main road between the two towns. The Ainleys, which had carried the burden of through traffic for so long, became a slip road.
This transformation was bittersweet. The new road was undoubtedly safer and faster, but it also meant that the historic Ainleys—once the main artery between Halifax and Huddersfield—was now a secondary route. The days of trolley buses and trams climbing the steep gradient were long gone, replaced by the hum of motorway traffic on the elevated M62.
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Ainley Top Today: Roundabout & Landmark
Today, Ainley Top is dominated by the large roundabout that manages traffic between the M62, A629, and local roads. The roundabout has become a landmark in its own right—a place where travelers pause before continuing their journeys to Halifax, Huddersfield, Manchester, or Leeds.
The hotel at Ainley Top (originally the Saxon Inn, later rebranded several times) remains a visible reminder of the 1970s development. The bridge still offers that dramatic first glimpse of Calderdale for travelers heading towards Halifax.
Harry Facks' Note
"I must say, the Ainleys always struck me as one of those places where you could truly appreciate the determination of Victorian engineers and transport pioneers. To think of trams climbing that gradient—and doing it day after day, year after year! And the poor horses before them! The modern motorway is certainly more convenient, but one does miss the character of the old routes. Still, progress marches on, doesn't it?"
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