Upperthong

Town Gate, UpperthongTown Gate, UpperthongUpperthong Village HallUpperthong is a small village above Holmfirth and the Holme Valley. It is 6.5 miles south of Huddersfield by road and just about a mile from the centre of Holmfirth.

Upperthong is centred on an old street of cottages at Town Gate, but has seen a huge amount of new housing built in the last few decades. This now cascades down the hillside to the A635 Greenfield Road, while the village school is now situated in Burnlee, beyond the main road.

The village has put itself on the world map by hosting an annual Welly Wanging World Championship in which all competitors have to do is wang (Yorkshire dialect for throw) a Wellington boot as far as possible as long as it lands between boundary lines defined as Upperthong Gala field to Holme Moss mast and the field to Longley Farm windmill. Needless to say, the game is played with a great deal of sportsmanship and humour.

The character Compo from the BBC's longest-run comedy series Last Of The Summer Wine, which was filmed around Holmfirth, made wellies a popular fashion accessory in the area. Bill Owen, who played Compo in the series before his death in 1999, is buried at St John's Church, Upperthong, near his beloved TV home.

Around Upperthong

The Royal Oak is in Town Gate.

Upperthong has a visit from a mobile Post Office.
Mobile Post Offices call in villages which are now without other Post Office facilities. The stops are generally short, often no more than one hour per week.

Upperthong Village Hall is in the old village school building in Wickens Lane and is used by village groups and for local events.

Upperthong Cricket Club is in Dean Road. The club was formed over 20 years ago, plays in the Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League and has a number of junior teams from Under-11s to Under-17s.

Upperthong Cricket Club social media page

Upperthong Junior and Infant School is in Burnlee Road, Burnlee, Holmfirth.

Upperthong Junior and Infant School website

St John the Evangelist Church, Upperthong, is in Upperthong Lane. Although Holmfirth has a parish church at its centre, the Upperthong parish includes the part of Holmfirth to the west of the River Holme.

St John's Upperthong website

Places to visit

Peak District National Park

Butterley Reservoir, Wessenden Valley, MarsdenThe splendid scenery and wild moorland of the Peak District National Park, the first of Britain's national parks, starts just over five miles from Huddersfield town centre above the villages of Holme, Meltham and Marsden.

Find out more on our Peak District page.

Local government

Civil parish council

Upperthong is in the civil parish run by Holme Valley Parish Council.

Holme Valley Parish Council website

Metropolitan district council

Holmfirth is in the Holme Valley South ward of Kirklees Council.

Kirklees Council website

Travel

Bus services

H3 Monday to Saturday daytime

Holmfirth Bus station - Cooper Lane, Binns Lane, Five Lane Ends - Upperthong Upperthong Lane, Town Gate, Broad Lane, Ash Grove Road, Greenfield Road - Holmfirth Bus station

Timetable at

Metro Timetables (.pdf format) at

Stotts Coach Travel

From Greenfield Road at Parkhead (10 minutes walk from Town Gate, Upperthong):

316

Huddersfield Bus station - Lockwood - Berry Brow Parkgate - Honley Bridge - Brockholes - New Mill - Holmfirth Road - Wooldale New Mill Road - Holmfirth Bus station - Parkhead

Timetable at

Metro Timetables at

First Bus

352 Saturday only (3 journeys each way)

Holmfirth Bus station - Parkhead - Greenfield Road, The Huntsman - Greenfield - Uppermill

Timetable at

Metro Timetables at

South Pennine Community Transport

Other places near Upperthong: Netherthong Hinchliffe Mill Wilshaw

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