Stainland Cross

Stainland Cross is a medieval stone cross in the village of Stainland, Calderdale, West Yorkshire. It stands by the roadside opposite St Andrew's Church and is one of the oldest monuments in the area. Historic England's National Heritage List records it as a Grade II listed structure, first listed on 24 January 1968.

What is Stainland Cross?

It is a freestanding stone cross that the national list dates to the medieval period. Neither records nor local tradition say when or why it was put up. Crosses of this kind across Calderdale often served as preaching spots, waymarkers for travellers or trading points, and the Calderdale Companion includes Stainland Cross among the district's crosses and market crosses.

What will you see?

The listing description picks out a few distinctive features:

• a shaft that is square at the base and changes to a round section higher up,
• a carved block at the top, with a St Andrew's cross in relief on each of its four faces,
• a cup-shaped hollow in the top of the block, whose original cover has been lost.

The cross is not where it first stood. It was moved to its present spot in the twentieth century, and local sources place its earlier position slightly to the east. In 1875 The Building News announced a restoration to plans by an architect from Halifax.

What is the village like?

Stainland sits high on a hillside along an old packhorse route that kept to the slopes and avoided the boggy valley floors. Wool and textiles built the village, and today it is a conservation area. Next to the cross you will find St Andrew's Church. The wider Greetland and Stainland ward has 144 listed buildings, a handful of them Grade II*, and the village's old stocks, Stainland Stocks, are listed too.

How to visit

The cross stands beside a public road, so there is no ticket and no booking. A stop takes a few minutes, which makes it an easy addition to a short walk around the village: the church, buildings of local stone and views over the hilly Calderdale landscape. The simplest approach is via Halifax, and the village is best explored on foot.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Stainland Cross? The heritage list dates it to the medieval period. The exact year of construction is unknown.

Is it a listed monument? Yes. It holds Grade II status, granted on 24 January 1968.

Does it cost anything to see? No. The cross is beside a public road and can be viewed at any time.

What is the symbol on top? Each of the four faces of the stone block carries a St Andrew's cross, an X-shaped cross. St Andrew is the patron of the church opposite.

Has the cross always stood here? No. It was relocated in the twentieth century, from a spot a little further east.