Number 15

Introduction

A story from pork pies to pizza

Number 15 Carr Lane has stood at the heart of Slaithwaite since John Jagger built the parade of shops in 1925. Over the last hundred years it has been home to generations of butchers, a fish and chip shop, and today a modern bakery and co-working café. Let us tell you its story, drawing on family memories, local interviews, and newspaper archives.

Legacy and Anomalies

Nearly a hundred years after Fred Crowther first opened his doors, No. 15 Carr Lane still carries the same spirit of neighbourly service. From pork pies to cappuccinos, its trades may have changed, but the sense of pride and welcome endures.

Among the records lies one puzzling footnote – a 1933 advert seeking “a gent stylist at 15 Carr Lane by Mr Sykes.” No link to the Crowthers has been found, and it remains a curious anomaly in an otherwise well-documented story.

Fun Fact

The longest family owned business at 63 years

Listen to the history of the shop or scroll through the timeline. Narrated by David Jobber

Creative Response

Pork Pies to Pizza is a sea shanty–inspired song created by children from Slaithwaite C of E Primary School (Two Gates) in collaboration with Huddersfield-based singer, songwriter and community musician Jess Baker.

Through playful storytelling and local research, the song charts 100 years of a much-loved food shop, celebrating changing tastes, memorable characters, and the enduring spirit of the community—while wondering what the future might hold.

1925–1941

Fred Crowther, Butcher

Fred Crowther bought No. 15 in 1925 for £1,000 and quickly became one of the parade’s first well-known traders.

He ran a busy butcher’s shop while tenants lived upstairs, and his name appeared in village programmes throughout the 1930s and early 1950s — showing how firmly the Crowther business had rooted itself in local life.

Fred died in 1941, but his family’s long legacy had already begun.

1941–1988

Hilton & Donald Crowther

After Fred’s death, a manager ran the shop until son Hilton was old enough to take over. His twin brothers, Norman and Donald, returned from wartime service, and the shop became D. & W.H. Crowther, Butchers. Hilton baked and kept the books; Donald served at the counter. Their pork pies became famous across the Colne Valley, known for a secret spice that even attracted wagon drivers from Lancashire. Christmas meant working through the night, with barely a week’s holiday each year. Chickens came from Whitwam’s in Linthwaite, and van deliveries were a family effort. The Crowthers were devoted Methodists and central to community life — running youth groups, organising events, raising funds and helping neighbours. Their upstairs bakehouse lives on in local memory: “Keep them upright — they’ve just been gravyed, they’re still wharm.”

1988–1990

Brook Turner & Sons

In the late 1980s, Brook Turner & Sons briefly continued the butcher’s trade at No. 15.

Their tenure was short, but they formed a bridge between the long Crowther era and the next transformation of the shop.

1990–2021

The Captain’s Table Fish & Chip Shop

Around 1990–91, The Captain’s Table, run by Richard Fella, took over and quickly became a village favourite. Queues often stretched through the shop, fuelled by Richard’s friendly banter and the irresistible draw of “chips wi’ scraps.” A small kitchen fire caused by a pan of peas once brought out the fire brigade — but the damage was minor and frying resumed quickly. Upstairs, a cosy wood-furnished diner served Pensioners’ Specials and endless mugs of tea. Staff like “Pink Pam,” known for her bright hair and warm chat, became local characters. After a change of ownership before Covid, the fryers finally switched off in 2021

2023–Present

Culture Café & Co-working Hub

In 2023, the building was transformed into Culture Café — a bright, modern space serving bakery goods, coffee and evening pizzas. Manager Alex Litu said it took almost a year to remove the lingering smell of decades of frying! During renovation, builders uncovered a hidden cellar that doesn’t appear on the 1925 plans — perhaps once used for storing meat, or added later. Its purpose remains a mystery. Upstairs, owner Doug Friend opened Rise, a co-working hub supporting Slaithwaite’s freelancers, makers and remote workers — giving the building a new life as a space for meeting, creating and gathering.

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Number 15

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