Clay House Clay House was built for John Clay and the Clay family around 1650, although there is a 1296 mention of a house owned by Robert Clay on the site. The grounds of the house were opened as a park in 1924, and in 1929, a war memorial was built in the hall. The house is frequently used for weddings and its main hall can seat over 100 people. Its corridors and grand rooms are well known in the area, with a large central staircase, traditional wooden panelling from the 1600s and paintings. The house is currently managed by Calderdale Council. There is another war memorial on the eastern wall of the house. Clay House is the starting point of the Calderdale Way.
Calderdale Way Greetland is the start of the
Calderdale Way, a long-distance footpath popular with ramblers.
Public Houses Druid's Arms (closed 2004) Perhaps the oldest
public house in Greetland, the Druids Arms is known locally as the "Rat". The sign outside the pub was altered by the current landlord to reflect this. The pub has been at the centre of a planning dispute with local residents. Since its closure on 17 October 2004, the landlord has applied for planning permission to turn the pub into flats. However, a local residents' committee is attempting to launch objections to the proposed change. The Druids Arms appears in local folklore: Greetland is the home of 'Brandy Hole Wood'. The origin of the wood's name is ingrained in local folklore. It is said by local residents that, in order to avoid paying excessive tax on his stockpiled alcohol, a pre-20th century landlord of the Druids Arms would roll barrels of spirits into the wood in order to hide them. When the
taxman came to take an inventory of the pub's cellar he could not account for the hidden barrels, and so the landlord avoided paying tax on the barrels stashed in the woods. According to another version of the story, it was the locals who hid the brandy in the wood, and concerned at his lost revenue, the landlord of the Druids Arms informed the taxman of the hidden stash. This is what earned the pub the nickname "The Rat". The cottage attached to the pub was sold in March 2008, and was extended in 2022.
Golden Fleece (closed 2008) This pub came to nationwide media attention in early January 2008. The landlord, who was later found to have been trading under his son's alcohol licence, had been publicly flouting the
smoking ban that was introduced throughout England in July 2007. It was alleged that he had allowed customers to smoke inside his pub, and had either taken down non-smoking signs or written over them with 'Smoking Allowed'. The pub had allegedly received support from smokers and non-smokers alike in Halifax, Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds. The landlord stated that he had received phone calls of support from Germany, Croatia and the USA. He announced in 2008 that he would open another pub in Huddersfield,The College Arms, where he would also allow his customers to smoke. He said that he wished to create a small smoking area, leaving most of the pub a non-smoking venue. ==Education==