Clayton West

Clayton WestKaye's Millennium Green, Clayton WestPackhorse Bridge, River Dearne, Clayton WestThe former Clayton West Baptist Chapel and Sunday School in High Street dates from 1840 and 1860Clayton West is a village on the River Dearne, eight miles south-east of Huddersfield (10 miles by road).

Farming, textiles and coal mining were all important to the growth of Clayton West, but Park Mill Colliery in the village closed in 1989.

Kirklees Light RailwaySpring Grove Mills, Wakefield RoadThe village now has a diverse range of businesses in small business parks with industries ranging from communications to coffee supply, sheet metal and precision engineering to the UK base of a US aerospace servicing company.

The village had a station providing a passenger terminus at the end of a branch from the Huddersfield-Penistone-Sheffield line. The branch survived the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, but was eventually closed to passengers in 1983. Today it leaves public transport users with a 56-minute bus journey to reach Huddersfield or a journey to Denby Dale to catch the train.

The route of the branch line, however, has since been reopened as a 15-inch gauge light railway. This was originally called the Kirklees Light Railway but has recently been rebranded at Whistlestop Valley together with child-friendly experience ticketing. The station can be accessed from Wakefield Road at the end of Park Mill Way.

Among historic buildings in the village is the former Baptist chapel, in High Street, which was built in 1840 with a Sunday School attached in 1860. The chapel closed in 1993.

Around Clayton West

Clayton West has a village store in High Street. There are also a number of hair and beauty salons in Clayton West, including one in the village's former bank. A garage and tyre outlet is based in Wakefield Road.

There is a fish and chip shop in High Street.

The Junction Inn is in Wakefield Road, near the junction with Long Lane.

The Woodman Inn is in Wakefield Road.
The Shoulder of Mutton is in Church Lane.

Clayton West Darby and Joan Hall is in Church Lane.

Kaye's Millennium Green in Clayton West was given to the village by descendents of John Kaye, a village landowner who built a house known as The Park in the village in around 1830. It was established as the Kaye's Millennium Green in 2000 with the support of lottery funding and has since been maintained as a village park by a charitable trust of volunteers.

Kaye's Academy (which was peviously called a First and Nursery School) is in Holmfield Road.

Kaye's Academy website

All Saints' Church, Clayton West

All Saints' Church is in Church Lane, Clayton West. The parish church of Clayton West with High Hoyland dates from 1875. The previous place of anglican worship for villagers being the closed All Hallows Church in High Hoyland, about a mile away.

All Saints' Church website.

The United Reformed Church in Church Lane, Clayton West, was a chapel dating from 1866 but held its final service in 2019. The earliest chapel was built on the site in 1794.

Clayton West Methodist Church is in Wakefield Road.

Clayton West Methodist Church website.

Places to visit

Whistlestop Valley

Whistlestop Valley - The Kirklees Light RailwayAlthough operating since the early 1990s as the Kirklees Light Railway, this 3½-mile 15-inch gauge railway between Clayton West, Skelmanthorpe and Shelley was rebranded in 2021 as Whistlestop Valley. Gone are traditional train journey tickets and in their place 'Adventure' and experience tickets which also cover the cost of using the children's play areas and mini railway, admission to the cafes at Clayton West and Shelley and to the picnic area. Big Adventure tickets also include train rides on the light railway.

Find out more on our Whistlestop Valley page.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Yorkshire Sculpture ParkThe Yorkshire Sculpture Park is around nine miles east of Huddersfield at West Bretton. The park is set in around 200 hectares of beautiful parkland within the Bretton Estate adjoining Bretton Hall and offers what is probably the finest outdoor exhibition space in the country for modern sculpture, attracting regional, national and international exhibits.

Find out more on our Sculpture Park page.

Local government

Civil parish council

The village is in the civil parish run by Denby Dale Parish Council. The Denby Dale Parish Council offices are in Skelmanthorpe.

Denby Dale Parish Council website

Metropolitan district council

Clayton West is in the metropolitan district run by Kirklees Council.

Kirklees Council website

Travel

Bus services

D1 Daily including evenings

D1 at Kirkgate, HuddersfieldHuddersfield - Aspley - Moldgreen - Dalton Wakefield Road - Waterloo - Fenay Bridge Penistone Road - Highburton Far Dene, Town Gate, Moor Lane - Kirkburton Paddock Road, Turnshaw Road, George Street - Shelley Huddersfield Road - Skelmanthorpe Commercial Road - Scissett Highbridge Lane, Wakefield Road - Clayton West Long Lane, Scott Hill, Church Lane, Chapel Hill - Scissett Spring Grove, Barnsley Road, Wakefield Road - Kitchenroyd - Denby Dale Gilthwaites Lane, Pingle Rise, Gilthwaites Crescent, Wakefield Road, Village Centre and Denby Dale Station Penistone Line

Timetable at

Metro Timetables and information at

Team Pennine

X1 Holmfirth Explorer Daily (until mid-evening Mon-Sat, late afternoon on Sunday)

Holmfirth - Wooldale New Mill Road - New Mill - Shepley Marsh Lane, Lane Head Lane - Upper Cumberworth -
Denby Dale station Penistone Line - Denby Dale - Lower Cumberworth - Skelmanthorpe - Scissett - Clayton West Chapel Hill, Church Lane, High Street, The Green* , Scott Hill, Long Lane - Calder Grove - Wakefield

Schooltime journeys additionally visit Shelley College and/or Scissett Middle School.
*High Street and The Green at Clayton West served from mid-morning to mid-afternoon only.

Timetable at

Metro Timetables and information at

Team Pennine

99 Saturday only (3 journeys). Route includes circular section at Skelmanthorpe and Denby Dale.

Barnsley Interchange - Wilthorpe - Darton - Kexborough - High Hoyland - Clayton West - Scissett - Skelmanthorpe - Lower Cumberworth - Upper Cumberworth - Denby Dale Station Penistone line
Denby Dale Wakefield Road - Scissett - Clayton West - High Hoyland - Kexborough - Darton - Wilthorpe - Barnsley Interchange Penistone line

Timetable (.pdf format) at

Travel South Yorkshire Timetables at

South Pennine Community Transport

Road travel

Clayton West is near the A636 Wakefield Road about 2.5 miles north-east of Denby Dale.

Other places near Clayton West: Emley Denby Dale Kitchenroyd Scissett Skelmanthorpe

Also in Huddersfield.guide

New Places to visit Villages