Slaithwaite
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  Map sources for Slaithwaite at grid reference SE079141
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Slaithwaite (pronounced Slathwait or Slawit but never Slaythwait; pronunciation varies) is a village in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England, near Huddersfield, on the River Colne and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.
Slaithwaite as well as Marsden, which is a couple of miles up the valley are famed for being the Skelthwaite in the British TV show 'Where the Heart is'
Apart from the 'Silent Woman' there are several other public houses in Slaithwaite. An apocryphal story associated with 'The Shoulder of Mutton' is that in the 1800's when tenants came to the village to pay their annual rent, The Earl of Dartmouth (the Dartmouth estate remains the major landowner of the region) would give rent dinners and that the Shoulder of Mutton was the most sought after with the tables of hot roast beef, mutton and tongue cooked together in the set pot being available there at that time.
Slaithwaite contains several other pubs, restaurants and cafes. Monsoon is an Indian Restaurant in the centre. Nearby is Endogans, a mediterranean/tapas-style restaurant which is typically booked some weeks in advance. In 2005 a new ice cream shop opened selling ice cream and sorbets that are made on site from local produce - Vanilla Bean. A wine-bar/restaurant recently opened opposite Monsoon, called the 'Little Bridge'.
Shops cater to Saturday-afternoon tourism driven by the pleasant scenery, and to the increasing gentrification of the village which stems from a variety of causes. Possibly the most characterful is the local second-hand bookshop, which is so full of stock that it is almost impossible to enter.
Recently, Slaithwaite has seen the restoration of the canal, which had to be completely re-excavated having been filled in during 1956. The change has revitalised the high street area and Slaithwaite is currently the only village in England with a canal running alongside its main street.
More modern transport is provided by the local railway station, which has direct trains to Leeds and Manchester. The colne valley defines local geography by channeling the railway line, the canal and the A62: each of which has at one time been the primary means of transport across the pennines.
Legend has it that local smugglers caught by the excise tried to explain their nocturnal activities as raking the moon from the canal and definitely not as fishing out smuggled brandy. A "Moonraker" is now the official nickname for a native of the village. Similar stories and nicknames exist for the neighbouring villages of Golcar ("Lillies"), Marsden ("Cuckoos") and Linthwaite ("Sows" or "Sairs").
Each February Slaithwaite celebrates the Moonrakers legend with various activities including local children parading with homemade lanterns. The Moonrakers is a week long celerbration that includes lantern making and ending with the parade of lanterns along the canal side, worth a look if you are in the area. The festival will not be held in 2007, due to excessive numbers of visitors in 2006 having created difficulties for the managers of the event.
The small humpbacked bridge over the canal is called 'Tim Brig' this is said to be named after a local inn keeper who used the bridge during smuggling operations with the narrowboats passing through.
External Links:
Slaithwaite Moonraking Website [[1]]
