Calderdale: History
The Roman settlement of Cambodunum is traditionally associated with the Calderdale area, though its precise location remains a matter of debate. Archaeological excavations have identified a Roman fort and associated civilian settlement (vicus) at Slack, now within the neighbouring borough of Kirklees, which many historians equate with Cambodunum mentioned in Roman itineraries such as the Antonine Itinerary. However, because Slack lies outside the modern boundaries of Calderdale and because the exact correspondence between archaeological sites and Roman place-names is not always certain, the identification of the fort at Slack as Cambodunum is not universally accepted. As a result, while Cambodunum is often described as being located in or near Calderdale, its precise siting remains unresolved in academic literature.
The metropolitan district of Calderdale was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the area of eight former districts and part of a ninth, which were all abolished at the same time:
Municipal Borough of Brighouse
Elland Urban District
County Borough of Halifax
Hebden Royd Urban District
Hepton Rural District
Queensbury and Shelf Urban District (Shelf part only, Queensbury went to Bradford)
Ripponden Urban District
Sowerby Bridge Urban District
Municipal Borough of Todmorden
The area of the new district broadly corresponded to the ancient extent of the parish of Halifax, though not exactly.
In 2022, Yorkshire Water built an emergency water pipeline from Calderdale to Ponden Reservoir in Haworth as Yorkshire experienced its driest period on record.