Historical Overview

Introduction

A Century on Carr Lane: The Life of a Village Parade 1925–2025

If you walk down Carr Lane today, you’re not just popping to the shops.
You’re walking through a hundred years of Slaithwaite history —
and the story of a family named Jagger who laid the foundations for everything you see here.

Legacy

For a hundred years, the businesses on Carr Lane have adapted to whatever the village needed.

As the village continues to change, this parade will only thrive if it remains useful and valued. That means:

Shopping locally when the option exists
Welcoming new businesses to fill gaps and meet modern needs
Supporting improvements that make the street attractive and accessible
Promoting Carr Lane as a destination, not just a convenience

Local shops shape the kind of community people want to live in — safe, friendly, and full of everyday contact. They keep money and opportunities in the valley. And they help build a resilient economy that doesn’t depend entirely on distant retailers or online delivery.

The next century of Carr Lane will be determined by the choices we all make.
The parade has always played its part.
Now the future depends on us.

Listen to the historical context of the parade or scroll through the timeline. Narrated by Susanna Meese.

Gallery

Creative Responses

Creative Response 1

Jessica Burnand-Martin, Song of Earth Ceramics, is a ceramic artist and artist educator based in Marsden. She creates pottery by throwing on the wheel, making pots for everyday use. Her work is decorated using illustrative glazing techniques inspired by folklore, nature, and colours drawn from the local landscape.

To celebrate 100 years of Carr Lane parade, Jess created a ‘Moon Jar’, symbolic of the Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival.

The Moon Jar is an historic Korean ceramic form, traditionally formed in two halves and joined together, and is valued for its soft, rounded form that celebrates the beauty of its imperfections.

The jar is hand-painted with the original lettering and architectural drawings commissioned by John Jagger. In contrast to the traditional moon jar, the piece has been left unglazed to give it a toasty hue, mimicking the tone from the original paper on which the designs were drawn – bringing together local history, community and local stories in a single ceramic piece.

This inspired creative response is currently on display at Mateer Jewellery on Carr Lane.

Creative Response 2

Jimi is a musician, writer, podcast editor, and YouTuber from Huddersfield. He’s made seven unofficial albums, written three unpublished books, and made over 40 EMVs which can be found on his channel. He doesn’t let his epilepsy get in the way of his urge to create and live a free and healthy lifestyle.

Jimi says, “This Epic Memory Video (EMV) lists all shops in the 100 years of the Carr Lane Parade in a fun and catchy way to ensure you never forget them. Whether it’s fonts, colours, animations, references to movies or songs, or even deliberately corrected mistakes (DCMs), anything goes. If you remember them, this video has done its duty. Enjoy!”

Pre 1920s–1946

A Parade Built from Hope

After the First World War, Slaithwaite, like much of the country, was rebuilding. The mills still sustained the valley, but families needed safer streets and better places to shop. Carr Lane had long been narrow and dangerous. A 1924 traffic census recorded nearly 1,700 vehicles a week on a road just 24 feet wide. With the Huddersfield Narrow Canal tight against one side, widening meant demolishing buildings on the other. In November 1924, the Colne Valley Guardian reported on the council’s purchase and clearance of several properties to enable redevelopment. John Jagger, a builder from Brighouse who had previously lived in Slaithwaite while working on Hill Top, bought the cleared land from the council on 26 March 1925 for £2,450. Designed by architects Sharp & Waller, the new parade brought together essential trades — butcher, draper, greengrocer, hairdresser, newsagent and fish fryer — in a distinctive Art Deco–influenced row. Terracotta finials, stained glass and carved details set it apart from the surrounding stone buildings. Before cars and fridges were common, Carr Lane offered daily essentials close to home. Jagger also built new homes, creating places where families could live and work — stories still woven into the shops today.

1930s - 1950s

Everyday Life, Extraordinary Times

The 1930s brought wider hardship, reflected nationally in the General Strike of 1926. Yet in Slaithwaite, Carr Lane remained busy and familiar. Fresh food was bought daily, and children knew shopkeepers by name. The Second World War (1939–45) profoundly shaped shopping and daily life. Rationing made ration books essential, and Carr Lane housed the local offices for food and fuel control, milk distribution and ration administration, carefully managing scarce supplies. During the war, Slaithwaite also became a barracks town. Its location — with moors, reservoirs and a new transmission station on Moorside Edge — made it strategically important. Soldiers from across Britain and Canada filled the village, training on nearby hills and using former mill sites as parade grounds. After the war, the 1950s brought gradual change. Rationing ended in 1954 and new shops began to appear. As the mills declined, so too did the canal in front of the parade, which fell into disuse. Drained and filled in, it made way for a car park, bus terminus and green space — where cherry trees now bloom, marking Carr Lane as the enduring heart of Slaithwaite.

1960s - 1970s

Holding the Street Together

Life in the 1960s brought new comforts — a television in the corner, perhaps even a fridge. Yet Carr Lane remained part of daily life. As one local recalled, “People didn’t have cars… they shopped locally.” The shops proved their value during crises, including the Big Freeze of 1963, when delivery lorries skidded, coal froze in the yard and the parade became a lifeline for those able to brave the snowdrifts. Decimalisation in 1971 brought new coins, new prices and widespread confusion. Shopkeepers patiently learned the system and guided customers through the change — because that’s what local shops do. Behind the scenes, however, problems were emerging. The terracotta frontage above the shops had begun to deteriorate and by the early 1970s had become dangerous. Memories were still fresh of Mary, a local woman killed by falling masonry from the Co-op further along Carr Lane. Determined to prevent another tragedy, shopkeepers banded together to pay builder John Morton to carry out the repairs. John remembers passers-by shouting “Vandals!” as the damaged parapet came down. This wasn’t vandalism — this was saving the parade.

1980s - 2000s

Community, Myth and Renewal

The late 20th century brought major change. Supermarkets arrived, car ownership increased and weekly shopping replaced daily visits. At the same time, work in the Colne Valley had declined sharply. Yet from this low ebb came renewal. The canal returned first in spirit, through story. The Moonraking legend was revived and, in 1985, locals launched the Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival — a lantern-lit celebration that grew into an event of national renown, rooted in heritage and humour. Economic hardship also sparked new community action. In 1984, the Slaithwaite Community Association took over the former Nash School, turning it into a thriving hub for playgroups, youth clubs, arts organisations and social events. The SCA helped draw people back into the village through festivals, carnivals and the first Christmas lights. In 1990, the Colne Valley Trust was founded at 21A Carr Lane, supporting regeneration, training and enterprise, including a Credit Union and car-sharing scheme. Then came the announcement many had waited for: the canal would return. Though the cherry trees planted in its absence were mourned, the restored waterway brought boats, wildlife and renewed life to Carr Lane. These years laid the foundations for regeneration — culminating in Slaithwaite being named one of The Times’ best places to live in 2022.

2010s - 2025

Built for Work, Sustained by Community

Even with the internet, smartphones, streaming services and global shopping giants, Carr Lane remains personal. And in 2025, when the Moonraking Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary and the parade celebrated 100 years, everyone could see: This street isn’t just surviving — it’s thriving. With only two shops retaining their living accommodation, and new shops, like a jewellers, bistro, coffee bar and co-working space, the changing face of Slaithwaite is evident here. The Jagger family once built a parade for a working village. Today, that same parade serves a village that works together — differently, perhaps — but with the same spirit.

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