Forthcoming Events
Halifax Festival 9th - 17th July 2011
A treasure hunt for the whole family.
Once again we are pleased to support Halifax Festival by presenting our Town Trail Quiz for 2011. Discover the hidden secrets in the architecture of Halifax. Follow the 15 questions around Halifax town centre and write your answers below each question. Completed trails will be entered into a prize draw. Pick up a quiz sheet from Square Chapel, or download it here:
Halifax Festival Civic Trust Trail
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TALK by Dr John Hargreaves – Saturday 10 September
We are invited to an event hosted by the Halifax Organists’ Association at the Halifax Minster. The subject is “Susan Sunderland (1819-1905) the Calderdale Nightingale and Yorkshire Queen of Song”, an accolade attributed to Queen Victoria. She was a founder of the Huddersfield Choral Society and the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival, both of which have gained great renown over the years. An opportunity not to be missed. The meeting starts at 7-30.
Last year we hosted a visit to Halifax by about 70 members of Skipton Civic Society. A reciprocal visit has been arranged which will be guided by Sue Wrathmell the Chair of SCS who is a listed buildings consultant and very knowledgeable about current issues in Skipton. The arrangements have not yet been finalised so please ring June Paxton-White on 01422 834448 to express an interest so that we can keep you informed.
TALK by Dr Anne Brook – Monday 14 November
“Citizen Soldiers: Reflections on Boer and Great War Memorials”.
This event has been arranged to coincide with Remembrance Sunday and to follow up on concerns that have been expressed about a proposal to move the fine Boer War memorial at West View Park, which has been subjected to vandalism, to a site at Boothtown. The speaker is an expert on war memorials dating from the Boer War and the Great War. It will be held at 7 pm in Room A at the Town Hall and promises to be interesting.
And into the Festive Season - Saturday 10th December
Christmas Social and Lunch
12 for 12-30 at Long Can Hall, Ovenden Wood Road, recently reopened as a pub with refurbished function rooms and a large new car park. Local Historian Stuart Crowther will show us the building and tell us about its fascinating history.
Please register an interest with June Paxton-White on 01422 834448 or at june@paxtow.demon.co.uk so that details of menus, prices and tickets can be sent to you in due course. We hope you will enjoy a meal with us in this historic setting.
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Past Events
Civic Day 2011
Saturday 25th July was the first annual national Civic Day, inaugurated so that communities can celebrate the places where they live. To mark the occasion, Halifax Civic Trust joined forces with Shibden Hall for a guided walk. Led by Deborah Comyn-Platt, the Shibden Estate Manager, the walk started at the gates of Halifax Minster, crossed Clark Bridge, and ascended Bank Bottom. The path then led up Old Bank, part of the original main route into Halifax from the east, known variously as the Wakefield Gate or “Magna Via”, an ancient right-of-way which, some years ago, Halifax Civic Trust was instrumental in having restored. Climbing the steep cobbled route, the group arrived at the top of Beacon Hill, and paused to enjoy the splendid panoramic views over Halifax. The more gentle descent followed the recently completed footpath to Shibden Hall, passing the fine battlemented chimney of the Walker Pit; erected for the coal mine opened by Anne Lister, named after Ann Walker, and mentioned in the recent BBC dramatisation of Anne Lister’s life. Finally, a detour through Cunnery Wood where Deborah pointed out two disused fishponds which are in the process of being restored, and also the remains of the original walled kitchen garden. From here the path led through the restored tunnel under Shibden Hall Road, and into the estate grounds near the hall, where most of the party stopped for lunch. Deborah was thanked by Dee Weaver and David Glover for a most enjoyable and informative walk.
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Visit to Calderdale Archives
On Thursday 24th February 2011, members of Halifax Civic Trust and guests were shown around Calderdale Archives, by staff members Pat Sewell, Dan Sudron and John Patchett. Pat Sewell explained the origin and functions of the Archives, and the varied collections it contains. The prime Estate papers are those of the Listers of Shibden Hall and the Armytages of Kirklees Hall. Various documents, maps and books were placed on display. These ranged from a 12th century charter (the oldest item in the collection), a copy of Moore’s map and terrier of 1797, and Crossleys’ Guest Book, containing the signatures of King George V, the Princess Mary, and Margaret Thatcher. Old photos were also shown, and a volume from Anne Lister’s famous Diary. The visitors were treated to a tour of the actual archival store, located mostly below ground-level, under carefully-controlled atmospheric conditions, and protected by great security. The Archives staff were thanked by June Paxton-White, the H.C.T. secretary.
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Somerset House
Halifax Civic Trust are proud to have been instrumental in the renaissance of the award-winning Somerset House, which for so long was a neglected gem in the centre of Halifax.
On Saturday, December 11th 2010 we were delighted to host a festive celebration in the splendid Grand Salon. Visitors were greeted with refreshments and welcomed by Keith Watson, Calderdale's newly elected Mayor. A capacity audience listened enthralled to an entertaining talk on “Hatching, Matching and Dispatching” by Chief Registrar John Jackson. Afterwards he was thanked by our Chairman Dr John Hargreaves, and then everyone took the opportunity to mingle and to inspect the Salon’s fine rococo plasterwork in close detail.
The Grand Salon was also graced by the surprise appearance of “Mr John Royd”, last seen being buried in the Parish Church (now Minster) in 1771. He built Somerset House in the second half of the eighteenth century, and his likeness can be seen in the guise of Neptune on the ceiling of the Grand Salon, although on this occasion he bore a striking resemblance to David Glover, Halifax Civic Trust’s Publicity Officer.
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On November 15th 2010, Margaret Usher gave a lively talk to members of Halifax Civic Trust and others at Halifax Town Hall. Entitled “Stone in Calderdale,” this began with a brief account of how Halifax came to have a Town Hall in the first place. Records show that the use of millstone grit as a valuable paving and building material in this district goes back at least as far as the early 14th Century, though few could afford houses built of stone in that era. Quarrying stone was a hazardous business, and might involve digging huge holes in the ground, descending narrow shafts into lateral underground galleries, or delving into the sides of hills. Huggers were men who carried large slabs of stone on “saddles” on their backs, the weight of which was phenomenal. The speaker added to the interest of her talk by displaying relevant tools - including chisels, plugs and feathers. Relevant documents relating to 19th century quarrying and building in the Rastrick area were also shown. As we all know, stone is still quarried today in some parts of Calderdale. Margaret Usher was thanked by Dr John Hargreaves.
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On Monday October 11th 2010, in the splendid surroundings of the Town Hall, Halifax Civic Trust hosted a fascinating talk by Nick Wilding on Ted Hughes and the Calderdale Landscape. When the late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes was growing up in the Mytholmroyd area in the 1930s, he and his brother Gerald used to explore the nearby countryside. Mr Wilding used evocative film clips and interviews with Donald Crossley, Hughes’ childhood friend, to explain the location of many of their haunts. Through correspondence with Gerald (now living in Australia), Mr Crossley has established the location of many of these, including Sacred Place and The Ancient Briton’s Grave, which inspired notable poems. The Calder Valley landscape has changed drastically in the last seventy-five years, and society too, but in Hughes’ poetry, much of that which is gone, may be recalled. Mr Wilding was thanked by John Hargreaves.
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Halifax Festival Town Trail August 14th to 22nd 2010
Follow a treasure hunt around Halifax Town Centre to discover all sorts of intriguing secrets, from elephants to Royalty, you're sure to be surprise. The questionaire will be available to pick up from any of the venues during the festival, or it can be downloaded from www.halifaxfestival.co.uk. All correct entries will go into a prize draw.
For details of our Autumn\Winter events in 2009, please click here.
For details of our events in 2009, please click here.
For details of our Spring events in 2008, please click here.
For details of previous events in 2008, please click here.
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For further information on all the events mentioned above, please contact June on 01422 834448.
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Halifax Playhouse
On 21st March 2011, members of Halifax Civic Trust and friends visited the Halifax Playhouse, to learn about the building’s history, and hear the story of the Halifax Thespians. With the kind help of other Thespians, Jeanne O’Rourke, president, showed the group around the building, and explained its current functions: backstage was visited, the dressing-rooms and the sound and lighting section. She also recounted the building’s history. Built as a Wesleyan New Connexion Chapel and opened in 1836, the structure survived as a place of worship until World War II, when dwindling funds and a declining congregation forced its closure. In 1945, the building was purchased by the Halifax Thespians, a thriving group of amateur actors who had been performing locally since 1927. They converted the structure, and continue to care for it; their full programme of plays each year is much appreciated by many. John Hargreaves, HCT chairman, thanked Mrs O’Rourke and the Thespians for a fascinating evening.
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Trip to Skipton – Thursday 22 September