It's hard to talk of Denby Dale without mentioning the pies.

After all, it was the giant pies baked by the villagers over the last two centuries that put Denby Dale on the map.

But there is far more than that to the village that straddles the main A636 Wakefield Road and A635 Barnsley Road in the shadow of the towering viaduct.

It is a bustling, vibrant community that is home to more than 16,300 people.

HISTORY

The name Denby Dykeside appeared in the Domesday Book in 1085. It was a small hamlet and it was to be many centuries before the sparsely-populated area began to grow with a small textile industry at the crossroads of the Barnsley to Shepley Lane Head and the Wakefield to Denby Dale roads. Within 25 years, factories and mills had been built and had a railway station on the Penistone Line. Denby Dale provided the textile industry with raw materials, coal, and transportation. Silk for the Queen Mother's wedding dress was made at Springfield Mill.

The 1928 Denby Dale pie is cut open

The first of the iconic giant pies was baked in 1788 to make the return to sanity of George III. Nine more followed over the next 212 years, with the 1988 pie feeding an astonishing 90,000 people and being recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest meat and potato pie .

PROPERTY MARKET

Denby Dale, with an overall average price of £229,981, was similar in terms of sold prices to nearby Shelley (£227,128), but was more expensive than Skelmanthorpe (£154,720) and Clayton West (£192,596).

In the past year house prices in Denby Dale were 8% up on the year before and similar to 2011 when they averaged at £235,678.

There were 35 house sales in 2016, with prices for the sold properties ranging from £96,000 to £830,000.

Revel Garth in Denby Dale

Terraced properties sold for a current average value of £148,774 and semi-detached properties valued £163,422.

SCHOOLS

Children in Denby Dale have a three-tier system, with First and Middle Schools taking them to the ager of 14 when they move on to high school.

Schools in the village are well-regarded by Ofsted inspectors.

Denby CE (VA) First School - Good

Denby Dale First & Nursery School - Good

Kirkburton Middle School - Good

Scissett Middle School - Good

Shelley College - Outstanding

Shelley College, Huddersfield Road, Shelley Woodhouse.

TRANSPORT

Commuters are able to choose bus or train from Denby Dale, with plenty of services available.

The rail station (Wakefield Road HD8 8RX) has services linking Huddersfield and Sheffield. The first trains are at 06.24am (Huddersfield and 06.34am (Sheffield) and run each hour until 9.31pm and 10.41pm respectively.

Bus services run along the Wakefield Road and Barnsley Road from 06.22am and are provided mainly by Yorkshire Tiger.

Services serving the village include: 82 - Huddersfield to Denby Dale; 83/83A and 84/84A Huddersfield to Denby Dale; 96A - Denby Dale to Barnsley; 435/436 - Wakefield to Holmfirth.

SHOPPING

There are plenty of shops and services throughout Denby Dale including the ever-popular Springfield Mills complex which boasts retailers including Gemini dress agency, Denby Dale Wines and Ashley Interiors. Family shopping is catered for with the likes of the Nisa and Londis stores, the Dale Bakery, The Denby Dale Pie Company and David Gawthorpe's butcher's shop.

Denby Dale's sign even has a pie on it

There are also a range of services including Calder Vets, the Post Office, the Denby Dale Tea Rooms, florists and hair salons.

SOCIAL LIFE

Denby Dale boasts a number of pubs and eateries, both in the village centre and on the outskirts.

Pubs include The Dale Inn, which also houses the Little Chilli Thai restaurant, the White Hart, The Dale Club and The Dunkirk.

Tearooms and cafes include The Denby Dale Tea Rooms, the Yummy Yorkshire ice-cream parlour at Delph House Farm and the renowned Beanies in the Springfield Mills complex.

Yummy Yorkshire, Denby Dale, Huddersfield
Yummy Yorkshire, Denby Dale, Huddersfield

OUT & ABOUT

The sporting fraternity are well represented in the village with Denby Dale Cricket Club, Denby Dale Bowling Club and Denby Dale Tennis Club all thriving.

The village is also well-positioned for country walks, with the Denby Dale Round Walk and popular footpaths through the likes of Wither Wood. There is also a nature reserve well worth a visit at Denby Delf.

DID YOU KNOW?

People power came to the fore when Kirklees Council cuts threatened library services across the region and Denby Dale Community Library is a perfect example of what happens when a community rallies round.