Longwood: what to know before moving day
Longwood was built around woollen mills, and most of them have since been demolished and replaced by housing, so new streets sit beside old stone rows. On Church Street, close to St Mark's Church (built in 1876 to 1877, with a tower added in 1914), a run of 18th and early 19th-century stone houses is listed, some of them three storeys high with mullioned windows. There are more listed houses on Side Lane and Thornhill Road, and at 42 to 46 Longwood Gate a mid-19th-century row has doorways framed by Tuscan pilasters.
Above the village stands Nab End Tower, and beside it the open-air amphitheatre where the Longwood Sing is held each year. The Mechanics' Institute, Crow Lane Primary School and Huddersfield New College are all close by, and the Longwood Brook runs down past the old mill sites. For one of the older terraced houses, send a photo of the front door and the stairs before the day, so the bigger pieces can be planned.
How the van gets to Longwood
From the town centre the way out is the A640, Westbourne Road and then New Hey Road, through Marsh to Oakes, and then west through Quarmby. Longwood Gate is the road that climbs through the village to Longwood Edge, with Thornhill Road, St Marks Road and Church Street branching off it. The A640 carries on past Salendine Nook to junction 23 of the M62 at Outlane.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 30 to 40 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Services for Longwood
Each service below links to its Huddersfield page, which covers how the job works in and around Huddersfield.
Longwood: questions before you book
What is the tower on the hill above Longwood?
That is Nab End Tower, a folly built in 1861 by local woollen mill workers who were out of work. Kirklees Council restored it in 2008. It stands near the amphitheatre used for the Longwood Sing, an annual event when choirs from around the area gather to sing hymns and songs.
Nearby areas
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): HD3 4ZP is in Colne Valley East ward, Kirklees, unparished area
- Longwood, Huddersfield (Wikipedia): village and suburb 2.5 miles west of the centre in the Longwood Brook valley, Longwood Sing and amphitheatre, Nab End Tower (1861, restored by Kirklees 2008), mills demolished and replaced by housing, Mechanics' Institute, St Mark's Church
- Listed buildings in Golcar (Wikipedia, from the National Heritage List): 4 to 24 Church Street, Longwood (18th and early 19th century, some three storeys), Side Lane and Thornhill Road houses, 42 to 46 Longwood Gate (mid 19th century), St Mark's Church (1876 to 1877, tower 1914)
- A640 road (Wikipedia): runs through Salendine Nook, Oakes and Marsh, known as New Hey Road from Marsh outwards, meets the M62 at junction 23 (Outlane)
- OpenStreetMap map view (checked 2026-09-28): Longwood Gate (Quarmby to Longwood Edge) and its junctions with Thornhill Road, St Marks Road and Church Street, Crow Lane Primary School, Huddersfield New College, Longwood Mechanic's Hall, Longwood Outdoor Auditorium, Longwood Tower, Longwood Brook