A Yorkshire village has been dubbed “little Italy” by locals and seems to be frozen in time. Golcar, near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, runs along the River Colne just above Colne Valley.
The village is made up of narrow streets lined with original weavers’ cottages that all face the sun, earning it the nickname of “little Italy.” The high street has a butcher, a bakery, pubs, and a number of independent businesses. A ginnel trail around the village offers views, with plaques on walls marking routes. Built for a once-booming textile industry, the village is home to the Colne Valley Museum, a row of traditional weavers’ cottages that features a loom chamber, spinning and cropping rooms, a period living room and a wash kitchen from around 1850, and a gas-lit cobbler’s workshop.
Golcar contains 165 listed buildings in the National Heritage List for England. Two are listed at Grade II* – Dod Lea House and Milnsbridge House – and the others are at Grade II.
Those from the area have great pride in their village, and according to Visitor UK, “all newcomers are treated with a little bit of suspicion by the older generation and have to serve a kind of probation before they are accepted.”
However, one resident, Anne Hodge, who moved to Golcar from Linthwaite, was welcomed to the village “with open arms.” She said: “I came over in 2008, and everyone was really friendly.
“My neighbour, who has sadly passed since, took me line dancing, and she introduced me to the Colne Valley museum, where I have been volunteering for 16 years.
“It’s a lovely place to live, there’s a great community spirit, and everyone is really friendly. It’s described as a little Italy because all of the original weavers’ cottages were built to face the sun and, of course, the views of the Colne Valley as well.”
The village celebrates Golcar Lily Day, when local residents come together for a May fair to celebrate the area, with games, crafts, exhibitions, re-enactments, stalls, and lots of brass bands