Pieces of the past are uncovered

A fascinating piece of history has been revealed during the renovation of a flood-hit business.
Builder Russ Waring with the posters from 1882, uncovered during restoration work at The Deli, Market Street, Hebden BridgeBuilder Russ Waring with the posters from 1882, uncovered during restoration work at The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge
Builder Russ Waring with the posters from 1882, uncovered during restoration work at The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge

The Deli, at Market Street, Hebden Bridge, was badly hit during the floods and is currently being refitted, while the owner is in India.

But when builders began working on the building, the last thing they expected to uncover was a wall of posters and adverts dating all the way back to 1882.

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Suspended in time, and largely preserved, they reveal a snapshot of life in the Calder Valley in the 1800s.

The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge.The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge.
The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge.

Sunday Schools, sermons and shop openings are just some of the advertisements which lay hidden beneath the timber pannelled wall for 134 years.

Halifax travel agent Altham’s - still operating today - even gets a mention with its Whit Monday day excursion to popular seaside spot Blackpool.

And contractor Russell Waring believes there could be as many as four layers to still be uncovered.

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He said: “It’s a real piece of history - somebody has suggested that it might have been an outside wall.

The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge.The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge.
The Deli, Market Street, Hebden Bridge.

“There’s four layers of it, so there could be even more.

“We’re just going to leave it as the the owner would like to preserve it in one way or another.

“There has been a lot of local interest in it, with people coming in to have a look.”

Commenting on Facebook, owner Alison Pearson said the posters will have to be covered up as part of the restoration process and as The Deli is a food business, they can’t be exposed permanently.

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She said: “Please feel free to photograph them but bear in mind that you will be entering a building site with all the associated risks. We will board over the posters so they will be there for the future.”