Church of St Thomas a’ Becket, Heptonstall: The Yorkshire church graveyard where Sylvia Plath and David 'King' Hartley are buried

Later additions included a tower and two chantry chapels - mini-churches with their own altars.

It served the spiritual needs of that part of the South Pennines as Heptonstall became an important centre in the cottage industry of hand-loom weaving.

Many of the weavers’ homes remain, with notably large upstairs windows which were designed to provide more light for weaving.

As the Industrial Revolution gathered pace in the 19th century textile production relying on water power moved down to Calderdale towns like Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

The severe north-east gale on 8th December 1847 which caused many shipwrecks along the Yorkshire coast also tore down the west face of the church tower, and despite some repairs it was deemed necessary to construct a new building.

This was completed in 1854 at a cost of £7,000. A decision was taken to dismantle parts of the old church to make it safe and preserve its shell. It became a listed building in 1980.

In the graveyard, between the ruin and the new church, is the grave of David “King” Hartley (1729-1770), leader of the notorious Cragg Vale Coiners, whose counterfeiting racket saw him being hunted down and eventually facing the gallows at York. The story was told in last year’s BBC drama series The Gallows Pole.

Another draw for visitors is the grave of the American poet and novelist, Sylvia Plath, who was married to fellow poet Ted Hughes, who spent his early life in Mytholmroyd.

After a struggle with depression she took her own life in 1963.