Scammonden: what to know before moving day
Work on the M62 and the dam began in 1964, and most of the village was demolished or submerged when the reservoir filled in 1969. The motorway runs across the dam wall between junctions 22 and 23, the only such structure in Britain, then through a cutting spanned by Scammonden Bridge, which carries the B6114. The church school closed in 1970 and is now a private house.
St Bartholomew's church, reroofed in 2002, still stands, and its old vicarage is the home of Scammonden Water Sailing Club. OpenStreetMap shows Church Lane, New Lane, Lower Road and Rye Field Lane near the water, Dean Head as a separate hamlet and Moselden Quarry close by. Across the dam, the Scammonden Steps climb 458 steps in five flights. The land around is Pennine moorland and rough pasture, so send clear directions to the door.
How the van gets to Scammonden
OSRM takes the M606 and the M62 west to the A629 (Blackley New Road and Calderdale Way), then the B6114 Saddleworth Road for almost 10 km up to Scammonden, roughly 35 to 50 minutes from Bradford. The B6114 crosses the motorway on Scammonden Bridge.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 35 to 50 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Services for Scammonden
Each service below links to its Sowerby Bridge page, which covers how the job works in and around Sowerby Bridge.
Scammonden: questions before you book
Why does Scammonden have a Halifax postcode if it is in Kirklees?
Postcode areas and council boundaries do not match here. postcodes.io puts HX4 0DZ in the Colne Valley West ward of Kirklees, unparished, although HX is the Halifax postcode area, and OpenStreetMap shows the Calderdale boundary close by. Check which council is named on your paperwork.
Nearby areas
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): HX4 0DZ is in Colne Valley West ward, Kirklees, unparished
- Scammonden (Wikipedia): Scammonden or Dean Head, valley flooded for the reservoir in the 1960s, M62 across the dam, Scammonden Bridge carries the B6114, Chapel of St Bartholomew, old vicarage used by the sailing club, work began 1964, filled 1969, church school closed 1970 now a private residence, church roof replaced 2002, moorland and rough pasture
- Scammonden Reservoir (Wikipedia): dam carries the M62 between junctions 22 and 23, the only such structure in Britain; Scammonden Steps, 458 steps in five flights
- HX postcode area (Wikipedia): the Halifax postcode area
- OpenStreetMap map data: Saddleworth Road and Scammonden Bridge (B6114), M62 on Scammonden Dam, Church Lane, New Lane, Lower Road, Rye Field Lane, St Bartholomew, sailing club, Dean Head hamlet, Moselden Quarry, Calderdale boundary
- OSRM route estimate from Bradford city centre (OpenStreetMap road data, checked 2026-09-28): M606, M62, A629 Blackley New Road and Calderdale Way, B6114 Saddleworth Road (9.7 km)