Northowram: what to know before moving day
The old centre is Towngate, mapped at 20 mph, with the library, a car park and Northowram Primary School close together, the Shoulder of Mutton pub just south, and St Matthew's Church, a Grade II listed building in snecked local sandstone with a stone-slate roof. Heywood United Reformed Church, also listed, is a little further south. Northowram Hall, with an underground bath house, is among the 32 listed buildings in the area; most of them are stone houses, cottages and farmhouses. If yours is one of the old stone houses, measure the stairs and the front door before booking anything large.
Around that core are later streets such as Northowram Green, Newlands Avenue and Queen Victoria Crescent, with the recreation ground to the south and the Northowram Fields cricket club to the east. The village is best known for its annual scarecrow festival, and the Office for National Statistics counts it as part of the Shelf and Northowram built-up area, with 9,195 people in 2021.
How the van gets to Northowram
The A6036 carries most traffic: as Bradford Road and Back Clough it runs past the village on the south-east side, north to Stone Chair and south to Stump Cross and the A58. Inside the village, Towngate, Upper Lane and Tetley Lane are the main streets, and Westercroft Lane runs east towards Lumbrook and the A644. Coming from Bradford, the drive is roughly 20 to 30 minutes.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 20 to 30 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Services for Northowram
Each service below links to its Halifax page, which covers how the job works in and around Halifax.
Northowram: questions before you book
Is Northowram a separate council from Halifax?
No. Northowram had its own urban district until 1900, when it joined the county borough of Halifax. Since 1974 Calderdale Council has run it directly, with no parish council, so bins and council tax go through Calderdale.
Which side of the Shibden Valley is Northowram on?
The north side, facing Southowram across the valley. Both have HX3 postcodes, so check which one is on the address.
Nearby areas
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): HX3 7EG is in Northowram & Shelf ward, Calderdale, unparished area
- Northowram (Wikipedia): north-east of Halifax on the north side of the Shibden Valley, Shelf and Northowram built-up area of 9,195 (2021), St Matthew's Grade II in snecked local sandstone, Heywood United Reformed Church, Northowram Primary School, annual Scarecrow Festival, urban district joined Halifax county borough in 1900, run by Calderdale since 1974 with no parish
- Listed buildings in Northowram (Wikipedia, from the National Heritage List): 32 listed buildings, mostly houses, cottages, farmhouses and farm buildings; Northowram Hall and its underground bath house; Northowram United Reformed Church
- OpenStreetMap map view (checked 2026-09-28): Towngate (20 mph), Northowram Library, Towngate car park, Northowram Primary School, Shoulder of Mutton, St Matthew's Church, Heywood United Reformed Church, Northowram Green, Newlands Avenue, Queen Victoria Crescent, recreation ground, Northowram Fields Cricket Club, Bradford Road, Back Clough and Halifax Road (A6036), Upper Lane, Tetley Lane, Westercroft Lane