Retired couple Tim and Mary discovered Helme by ‘sheer luck’ almost half a century ago and are so thankful they did.
After visiting from their home near Wakefield they fell in love with the tranquil and compact hamlet near Meltham, Huddersfield, and 45 years on they couldn’t see themselves living anywhere else.
They described Helme as a ‘sought after’ place to live because of its countryside setting, with green fields, woodland and public rights of way in all directions. Mary describes Helme as a ‘little oasis’ and they both enjoy the peace and quiet which is occasionally interrupted by birdsong or dogs barking. Everyone seemed to be out walking their dogs when YorkshireLive visited on Tuesday.
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Mary enjoys the solitude in the hamlet: “It’s peaceful, with lovely countryside walks. There’s a lovely walk down to Morrison’s in Meltham.”
Although there isn’t a pub in Helme itself, locals like to walk to either the Will’s O’ Nats on Blackmoorfoot Road, or the Travellers Rest on Slaithwaite Road.
Tim and Mary say Helme doesn’t generally attract much traffic, apart from at school drop-off and pick-up times for Helme Church of England Academy, a small primary with around 120 pupils. School pick-up time brings out the ‘grumpy old man’ in Tim. The narrow access road makes it tricky for drivers to get in and out of the hamlet, and parking can be a problem.
Tim has watched inconsiderate drivers “park up where ever they want to” which doesn’t impress him much. “I’m a grumpy old man,” he added with a nod.
Meltham resident Martin, who was walking his cockapoo Jasper through Helme, described the hamlet as a ‘friendly little place’ with a good school and lovely walks. He said houses sell for a ‘premium’. But you have to be fairly hardy as the weather can be awful in winter. “It does get a bit of weather being quite high up.”
A woman walker, who was making her way past the beautiful Grade II listed Christ Church, built in 1859, described the area as ‘fantastic’ for ramblers.
(Image: YorkshireLive)
She lives in Helme and says the hamlet is around 600ft above sea level, which means it can get hit by harsh Pennine weather. The lack of a pub or even a shop might put some people off, she adds.
“There are no services, no pub and no shop. The only things it has are the church and the school. It is its own little community on its own. I think the people make the community. People do tend to stay. There are some really big houses as well as the smaller terraces, some of which are listed.”
The hamlet is located on the edge of the Peak District and, being close to Blackmoorfoot Reservoir, does attract a range of birds. People like to walk up and through Orange Wood, and onto open moorland.
(Image: YorkshireLive)
“We do get birdwatchers around here. The birds come to the reservoir.” A check on property websites confirms there are some pricy properties in and around Helme.
One converted barn is up for £475,000, while a five-bed home called Orange Wood is on the market for £1.5m. The hamlet has been a conservation area since 1975 and is described by Kirklees Council as “an idyllic and compact hamlet of mainly eighteenth and nineteenth century stone weavers’ cottages and farm buildings in a rural setting, in which trees are an important element.”
Huddersfield estate agent Paul Keighley of Bramleys described Helme as an “unspoilt” hamlet where properties fetched good prices.
“It is one of the last unspoilt hamlets in the area. Therefore, when they do come for sale, there is always strong interest and prices are generally good.”
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