Todmorden - Definition and Overview

Todmorden is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, southwest of Hebden Bridge, and on the Rochdale Canal. This town is traditionally deputed between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Located in South Pennines, the town occupies three valleys, and the town centre is situated in the middle where the three valleys meet.

Its present population is about 15,000 and it is situated on the Calder Valley Railway line with direct connections to Manchester and Bradford/Leeds.

It used to be a thriving industrial town but is now more of a commuter town for people working in Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, and other large cities.

Famous people from Todmorden

• John Cockcroft who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1951
• Geoffrey Wilkinson, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1973
• Harold Shipman, the serial killer had his first medical practice in Todmorden
• John A Helliwell of the band Supertramp

Music

Music has always played an important part in the life of Todmordians. John A Helliwell of Supertramp was born and raised here, as was Geoff Love a generation earlier. There have also been three groups formed by local constituency:

• Logger and the Lumberjacks
• Peter Daye and the Knights
• The Keys

There has also been wide enjoyment of more traditional musical forms,i.e. the Todmorden Brass Band,the Todmorden Orchestra,the Belvedere Dance Band. There is also a thriving amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society and various other cultural Societies.

Sports

Todmordians have enjoyed cricket, football, tennis, and golf.