Approach: From Tottington B6213, down the footpath named Sunnywood Lane, or from Kingsbury Close (parking), access via Garside Hey Road. Alternatively take a stroll from Brandlesholme Road down the track past Brandlesholme Old Hall.
The cache is a very small plastic box with log and a few swaps. Please watch out for muggles, and re-hide the cache carefully - thanks!
Present day: The Kirklees valley is (mostly) a peaceful place and has Local Nature Reserve and Site of Biological Interest status. Kirklees Brook and the mill lodges are good habitats for birds and amphibians, and foxes, roe deer and bats are among other creatures living in the valley. The Kirklees Trail, part of National Cycle Route 6, is popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
History: During the industrial revolution the valley was a very different place. Numerous mills were sited there due to the convenient supply of water. Mill ponds, waterwheels and aqueducts were constructed, and a railway ran the length of the valley.
To the east of the river was Kirklees bleachworks, established by 1803. In 1883 the works was the site of experiments to develop an artificially produced substitute for silk - rayon. Once the process was eventually refined, production of viscose rayon started in earnest in 1925. However by the late fifties and early sixties, Courtaulds was becoming the leading UK force in the production of viscose rayon, and moreover was producing many new completely synthetic yarns that were competing with the rayon. Profits of Kirklees Ltd. were falling. Courtaulds bought out the company early in 1962, but by December the same year announced its closure. Mr John Bidgood, MP for Bury and Radcliffe at the time, complained in the House of Commons that the factory had been bought with the express purpose of closing it down; Courtaulds now had a monopoly of rayon yarn production and many many jobs were lost. However, there were no technical grounds for referring Courtaulds to the Monopolies Commission after the merger, as it was argued that the Kirklees production of yarn was already a very small percentage of the UK total, and therefore Courtaulds had in fact held the monopoly for some time. This was small comfort for those who lost their jobs, though some managed to find alternative employment at other mills.
The works at Kirklees later operated as a dyehouse up until 1980. The premises were used intermittently by small businesses after that, but most of the site became derelict, and the buildings were demolished in 2003; the chimney was the last to be felled by the famous steeplejack, Fred Dibnah. Rusty iron railings and the odd broken sign remain in places, remnants of the valley's former life.