Stone terraces, steep streets and a lot of stairs
Calderdale has the oldest and most terraced housing of the six areas we have pages for. In the 2021 Census, 41.3% of its households lived in terraced houses, against 23.0% in England. The Valuation Office Agency’s Council Tax stock for 2024 puts 32.0% of dwellings as built before 1900 (England 15.1%) and 36.0% before 1919.
Calderdale is also a little older than England as a whole: 19.0% of residents are 65 or over, against 18.4%. Many of the clearances we are asked about follow a death, and our page on probate house clearance sets out the order things usually go in.
On the valley sides, some houses are stacked on top of each other. Historic England lists 19 to 41 Lees Road in Hebden Bridge as mid-19th-century “house-over-house dwellings”, where the “entry to underdwelling in basement directly under overdwelling doorway to ground floor”. That is a Calder Valley feature rather than a Halifax one, but it shows how steep ground was built on: doorways at different heights, steps between them, little room to turn.
Tell us about the steps, the stairs and where the van can stop when you ask for a quote.
Why not wait for the council’s bulky collection?
Because Calderdale’s crews work from the outside in. The council says they “will not enter homes, sheds, garages and outbuildings”, so everything has to be carried out and left outside first, and a collection can take “up to 28 working days”.
Its published charge is “£25 per 5 items, then £5 for each extra item”, with fridges and freezers £25 each. A clearance works inside the house: we look at what is there, sell what will sell and clear the rest.
Checked October 2026 against the council’s bulky item collection page, which was last updated on 25 June 2026.
Calderdale’s tips
Calderdale’s sites are for residents, who need a free permit. Vans need a commercial permit, the Halifax site has a 1.8 m height barrier, and the council says “Trade waste is not accepted”. The five sites:
- Halifax: Lee Bank, Ovenden Road, HX3 5PN (closed Wednesdays)
- Brighouse (Atlas Mill): Atlas Mill Road, HD6 1ES
- Elland (Ainleys): Huddersfield Road, HX5 9JR
- Sowerby Bridge (Milner Royd): Mearclough, HX6 3LF
- Todmorden (Eastwood): Halifax Road, OL14 5RJ
A relative who lives outside Calderdale can’t use them. Checked October 2026 against the council’s Halifax tip page.
How far is it from our saleroom?
Halifax town centre is about 12 miles from Armley as the crow flies, and about 16 miles by road along the M621 and the A58. If you are not sure your address is within reach, ring the office on 0113 250 2626.
A town built around a trading hall
The Piece Hall in Halifax, now Grade I listed, was built between 1775 and 1779 so that handloom weavers could sell “pieces” of cloth, in 30-yard lengths. It reopened after restoration in 2017.
Our clearances in Halifax
How our clearance works
Anything that will sell goes into our fortnightly Saturday auction in Armley, and the proceeds come back to you after fees; what won’t sell is cleared responsibly or donated. A clearance is chargeable, but what sells may cover or reduce the cost (more on how our clearance works).
After a death in Halifax
If you are clearing a home for an estate, have the contents valued before anything is cleared, and sell or give away nothing of value until the person dealing with the estate agrees. Our page on probate house clearance sets out the order things usually go in. This is not legal advice, and a complicated or disputed estate is a job for a solicitor.
Questions about clearing in Halifax and Calderdale
The council will collect bulky items. Why pay for a clearance?
The two do different jobs. The council collects what you have already carried outside. We work inside the house.
A free verbal valuation tells you what is worth selling, and that goes into one of our Saturday sales. A clearance is chargeable, but the cost may be covered or reduced by what sells.
Can I use the Halifax tip for my late aunt’s things if I live in Leeds?
Not as things stand. Calderdale’s sites ask for a Calderdale resident permit, and Leeds’ own sites are for Leeds residents.
We also clear homes in
Banner photograph: “Piece Hall, Halifax (36239750242).jpg” by Tim Green, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
