Stainland Cross On the roadside across from St Andrew's Church stands the Stainland Cross, relocated here in the twentieth century. It represents a
saltire carved on a block of stone. The block is scooped out in the form of a cup but the cover that was formerly attached to it has been removed. The column is circular and plain without any of that rich, strange sculpture or scroll ornament which
antiquarians generally attribute to
Saxon or
Danish sculptures. Its height from the base to the top of the sculpture is about , the column doesn't exceed . Neither history nor tradition have preserved the date or purpose of its construction. On 3 September 1875
The Building News announced that the cross was to be restored according to plans by a "
Mr Barber of Halifax." The railings in old images of the cross in its previous position, were probably added by Barber.
Stainland Mechanics' Institute Stainland Mechanics' Institute was built by the Shaw family in 1883 by public description, "to improve the moral, social and intellectual habits of the inhabitants". The building was opened by the Mayor of Leeds on 7 June 1884. Over the years it suffered as income declined. By 1952, the trustees decided to sell the building but offered it to Elland UDC. In 1954, a Community Centre was formed by the Trustees. In 1967 it was taken over by Elland UDC. Some maintenance was undertaken but by 1974, when Calderdale MBC became the owners, it needed repairs. In 1977, the council demolished the twin towers at the entrance. Several surveys were carried out but £500,000 was required to bring it up to standard. A committee tried to raise this money but was not successful and the centre closed on 18 December 2009. The building was signed back to the council and declared surplus to requirements. In January 2011, councillors voted to sell the building as the cost to bring the building up to standard is too much.
St Helen's Well St Helen's Well at the eastern end of the village is mentioned in
John Watson's monumental
The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Halifax, 1775. He gives no description but says a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Saint Helen, nearby had been converted into a cottage, but in its walls was a large stone known locally as 'the Cross'. Strangers, presumed to be Catholics, made pilgrimages to the well. Watson also possessed a deed which mentioned a grant made to
Henry de Sacro Fonte de Staynland. dated between 1279 and 1324. The well was restored in 1843 in response to interest in drinking 'spa' water. The 'Halifax Guardian' for September 1842 described the scene around Well Head spa where crowds carrying drinking utensils jostled each other in their eagerness to take the waters. Well Head was the most popular of the Halifax spas but several other springs in the area were frequented. Similar scenes may have occurred around Stainland's well. In the late 19th century the well was declining. The stone trough had cracked and was leaking. Local placenames reflect the importance of the well. The eastern end of the village is known as
Holywell Green, there is a
public house called 'The Holywell Inn' and a 'St Helen's Court'. The well was further restored in 1977 and the crumbling trough of the woodcut has been replaced by a solid modern one, no water flows into it.
Carr Hall Castle Carr Hall Castle, located on the edge of Thunnerley Wood in the Holywell Brook valley, was built in the mid-nineteenth century by the Shaw family, local mill owners, to improve the view from their mansion at Shaw Park. It provided a stable block and housing for the bailiff who bred the shire horses for Brookroyd Mills. The building has been restored and modernised since 2002. In 2008 the castle won
Channel Five's TV show ''I Own Britain's Best Home''. ==Religion==