If you live anywhere near Kirkburton, Shelley or Denby Dale, the mast has probably been part of the scenery for as long as you can remember. It sits up on Emley Moor above the villages and fields, and you can spot it from miles away on a clear day. For many people it’s become a marker of home, a familiar sight at the edge of the landscape that quietly tells you where you are.
A Landmark With a History
The site at Emley Moor has been used for broadcasting since the 1950s. The first mast went up in 1956, followed by a taller guyed mast in 1964 when colour television was being rolled out across the region. That second mast stood until March 1969, when a combination of ice and high winds caused it to collapse onto the surrounding fields and a nearby Methodist Church. Fortunately, no one was hurt as the church warden had left for his tea!
The mast that replaced it, the one we see today, was built between 1969 and 1971. It’s a reinforced concrete tower topped with steel broadcasting equipment, and it remains the tallest freestanding structure in the UK. Over the years it’s been referred to as the Emley Moor Mast, the Emley Transmitter and the Arqiva Tower, but most locals simply call it “the mast” or more in more Yorkshire terms, simply, "Mast". In recent years a second tower stood alongside it, whilst renovation works were being carried out, however this was dismantled, via a helicopter, a few years back in 2023.
"You Can See 'Mast For Miles"
It also has a reach far beyond the immediate area. You can see it from parts of Leeds and Wakefield, and it often becomes a quiet orientation point during a walk or a drive. It’s one of those structures that blends into your mental map even if you don’t think of yourself as someone who pays attention to landmarks. It's usually spotted (weather permitting) as you drive northbound on the M1 and offers that feeling of home, after a long drive. As kids we were often offered a prize for "the first one to spot it" - a 10p spice mix - that's sweets for any none Yorkshire folk by the way!
Photo Location: Pugney's, Wakefield
Celebrations & Remembrance
The mast has also been used in the past to represent key milestones and events throughout time. One particular event that stays with us is when the mast was lit up purple to commemorate and celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II. The entire sky glowed purple, it was one of those goosebump moments and one that still has that effect looking back at the image.
Northern Lights Showstopper
Another key memory that sticks with us is the night we witnessed the Northern Lights glowing brightly over the structure. We were on our way home from the local and had to stop in amazement. I'm pretty sure we stood there for at least 15 minutes watching the amazing light show, and what an incredible view to go with it!
Walking Near the Mast
One of the reasons the mast also features so much in our family memories is simply because we spend a lot of time walking in the area. It’s close to home, and there’s a good variety of routes to choose from. These range from short parish circuits to longer circular trails that take you further into the countryside.
The Kirkburton Parish Walks are regular favourites for us. They’re well signposted and take you through fields, farm tracks, lanes and patches of woodland, often with long views across the hills towards the mast. They’re ideal for days when you want something local without having to drive far to get started.
The Shelley Welly Walk is another familiar route. It’s usually held on New Year’s Day and takes you right up close to the mast. The ground at that time of year can be unpredictable, and over the years we’ve found ourselves tackling mud, frost, slush and occasionally ice. It’s a walk that seems to collect stories, mainly based around footwear choices and weather conditions. Yes...that's me, on the New Year's Day Shelley Welly Walk, contemplating which muddy path is the least muddy!
There are also other fantastic routes such as the Emley Circular, the Emley Boundary Walk, the Oxley Trail and Ruins & Rebuilds. Many of these can be found through local parish councils, Kirklees walking resources or community groups. Each route offers slightly different terrain, from open fields and rolling hills to shaded paths and stretches that run close to farms and hamlets. The mast appears and disappears along the way, depending on where you are, and that sense of orientation becomes part of the experience.
Our walks are often fueled by snacks, which helps in keeping the kids legs going, although they do pretty well walking long distances "up hill and down dale".
Weather, Terrain and Shared Memories
Our family has walked the area in every kind of weather over the years. We’ve had hot summer days and cold winter mornings where the ground had frozen solid. We’ve also had plenty of walks where we came home splattered in mud, or soaked through after being caught out by rain that hadn’t been forecast.
One winter stands out in particular. Heavy snow had drifted along the paths and piled up against dry stone walls. The drifts were deep enough in places that the dog had to be carried because he simply couldn’t get through on his own. It became one of those stories that gets mentioned whenever snow arrives and someone asks if it’s “walking weather” or not - "always" we say!
We’ve also walked with friends, and those routes have been filled with conversations about everyday life work, family, plans for the year ahead, or simply catching up about nothing in particular. The mast becomes a quiet backdrop to those conversations, which is part of the reason it feels tied to our memories.
Pubs, Ice Cream and the End of the Route
A good walk is often improved by something at the end of it, and this area has no shortage of options. On warm days, Dearne Lea Ice Cream is difficult to resist and has become a regular stop for us. It’s close enough to various routes that it’s easy to incorporate into a circuit or use as the finish point. The kids and the dog love a stop-off here.
There are also several pubs that feature regularly in our post-walk routine, depending on which direction we’ve come from. The Woodman at Thunderbridge, The Rising in Shelley, The George in Upper Denby and The Rose & Crown in Thurstonland have all been popular stop-offs where we’ve taken off muddy boots or warmed up after cold miles through the fields. Those refreshments, often including a packet of pork scratching or a pork pie, become part of the outing, and in their own way part of the memory, especially for the children.
Maps and the Landscape
Maps have always played a role in how we interact with the area. We have a 1960s OS map that shows a little icon marking the spot of Emley Mast. We also have a 1907 OS Map of the area - There’s something interesting about seeing how footpaths, field boundaries and settlements have changed and how much has remained exactly the same.
When we trace routes we’ve walked, or mark the locations of favourite viewpoints, we realise that maps aren’t just tools for getting from A to B. They record where we’ve been, who we were with, and in some cases the conditions we were dealing with at the time - in our case, it varies...wildly!
Why It Stays With You
Looking back over the years, it’s the combination of the walks, the weather, the conversations and the small rituals that come together to form the memories and the mast has a way of tying those memories to a specific place. It’s the landscape that holds them.
For us, that’s what “Maps, Memories and The Mast” really means. It’s about the walks we’ve done as a family and with friends, the routes we return to, the paths we’ve discovered by accident, and the stories that have come home with us, sometimes muddy, sometimes weather-beaten, but always worth it.
Do you have a Emley Moor Mast memory? Share it with us!