Magazine Complete - 23 - December 2023 - PDF

BRIGHOUSE & DISTRICT Heritage Newseum Issue 23 Winter 2023 Edited and Published by Chris Helme

Frontispiece: A winter scene in Bradford Road during the late 1950s. With not a car in sight the pedestrians have complete confidence that it is safe to walk in the middle of what is the major road through the centre of Brighouse. (Photograph from the Roy Black collection). © Christopher D. Helme (2023), Tower House, Holme Mews, Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 8TY. This publication is copyright and apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of study, research, criticism, review or as otherwise permitted under the Copyright Act, no part including text and/or photographs and/or other images may be reproduced by any process without written permission. All enquiries and payments should be directed to the author and publisher. This photograph was taken in the dying days of Wilko’s on Briggate showing customers looking to buy a few last-minute bargains before the staff close the front door for the last time. We have to go back to 1972 when this site saw the first supermarket open in Brighouse. Opening as Hillards Supermarket this was something new to the shoppers of Brighouse. This was not the first shop owned by Hillards in the town centre. John Wesley Hillard had a grocery and provision dealers shop at 36, Briggate, in 1906. Interestingly that shop would have been directly opposite the Hillards supermarket of 1972, which is now the site of Wellington House. Up until 1970 Hillards traded under the name of Lion Stores. Hillards, being a small supermarket chain was bought out in what was described as a hostile take-over in May 1987 by Tesco. In the summer of 2000 Calderdale Council Planning Department approved plans for the Brighouse Cricket and Bowling Club to relocate and Tesco to build a new supermarket on the cricket club site and it was officially opened in 2008. In 2004 Wilkinson’s announced they were to refurbish the 18,000sq ft former Tesco Supermarket in Briggate (Tesco moved out in 2003). Sadly the ’Wilko’ store officially closed in October 2023. There is now speculation it could be demolished and new retail premises built on the site. On behalf of all Wilko’s customers, we send a word of thanks to all the staff for the good customer service they have given for almost 20 years.

1 BRIGHOUSE & DISTRICT HERITAGE NEWSEUM Remember to look at our website where you can also contact the editor and you are able to purchase various local books, including some that are no longer in print, through the online shop, where PayPal is available: www.chrishelme-brighouse.org.uk Issue 23 Winter 2023 Chris Helme Welcome to the winter edition of the Newseum. In this issue we have plenty of nostalgia with some wonderful photographs to help bring back those memories of days gone by. How many readers still use a thimble? If you do is it one of the Charles Horner Dorcas thimbles? If it is it could be worth a pretty penny: but who was Charles Horner? The name of James Dyson - not the inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner - may not be known to most readers but he is someone who could be given the title Mr Brighouse. As well as being the licensee at the George Hotel and one of the first Brighouse Councillors, he built most of the mills in and around Brighouse, along with the tall chimneys, and other notable local buildings: Chapels, the Town Hall and many large Victorian residences and much more. But who was he? Read about his remarkable life in this issue. There is also Dyson Street which was probably named after him. With the Assembly Rooms being for sale we take a look back at some of the organisations which have held events there from when it opened over a century ago. With the Cold War over we take a look back at Brighouse’s secret Nuclear Bunker. Now long gone but some readers may remember it. We have lots more including requests for help from a couple of our readers, will you be able to help them? If you have a story to tell or a photograph you would like to share with otherreaders, please contact me on 07854-755756 or by email: [email protected] 1 Notes from the Editor 2 The manufacturer of the Dorcas thimble 4 All change at the Round House Inn 5 Councillor James Dyson 1893-1895 7 A memorable Royal visit recalled 8 Brookfoot’s romantic castle 9 Extracts from The Rastrickian, Xmas 1915 10 The first Brighouse ambulance van 11 Notes from the Council Chamber 1959/60 12 School uniform -You’ll grow into it ! 13 There was more music than just brass 15 A property full of memories is up for sale 16 Brighouse Parish Church Sunday School 17 The forgotten town centre shops 18 Rastrick old people’s treat 1957 19 The Cold War is finally over, even in Brighouse 20 The mystery diamond sign 21 Anyone for a games of fives? 22 A mystery Brighouse medallion 23 Brighouse connections. PLEASE NOTE — The magazine is now available for sale at the Rastrick Paper Shop on Church Street, Rastrick. We are grateful for the support the shop is giving to the magazine.

2 Charles Horner the manufacturer of the Dorcas thimble A fashionable gift to give to a bride on the announcement of her engagement to be married during the mid to late Victorian era was an ornate silver thimble. Presumably, this suggested that the thimble represented a kind of contract, with not only the lucky lady acquiring a future husband and also the need to repair his clothes. On that basis it could be almost considered as the precursor to an engagement ring. However, there was a problem with silver thimbles, they were not up to the job. The problem was that the silver was so much softer than steel needles which meant when they were being used the silver thimbles were often punctured by needles and wounding the user. In 1885 this was all to change thanks to a man who was to make his home in Lightcliffe. It was Charles Horner who patented a revolutionary new silver thimble with a steel core, it was this that was to become the famous Dorcas thimble. This new quality silver thimble was easily decorated so would serve as an engagement gift, but could also be used safely. Needless to say, the new thimble took the sewing world by storm and made what was then the small Halifax manufacturing jeweller Charles Horner into a household name and a thriving international business. The early Charles Horner thimbles were originally marked Pat with a thimble size (between 1-13), some were marked patent and between 1889 and 1905, some were marked with one of three registered design numbers, one of which was Rd127211. Post 1905 the Dorcas thimbles were marked Dorcas with the Charles Horner mark and size No.- But who was this man who changed the world of sewing and became an international in the world of silver thimble collectors? Charles Horner was born c1838 in Illingworth, Halifax, and began making jewellery in the mid1850s. As the business grew more successful he opened a retail shop in Northgate, Halifax. In addition to the jewellery, he made his first application to the Patents Office, London, in 1884 to improve thimbles. This was followed a year later with the submission of specifications for what he called the Dorcas thimble, a name he took from the bible after a charitable woman who made clothes. In 1896 he died and left the running of the business to two of his sons, James Dobson and Charles Henry Horner. They re-applied to the Patents Office to improve the thimble in 1905 which eventually gave them nationwide success. The overall business had now grown to such proportions that they bought Mile Cross Works in Halifax. The company finally stopped making Dorcas thimbles in 1946 and the company closed in 1982. Charles Horner moved to Lightcliffe in February 1875, when he purchased a property known as The Horse Shoe Inn from the Crow Nest Estate of Evan Charles Sutherland-Walker. It is interesting to read that when he died in 1896 the firm was run by two of his sons James Dobson and Charles Henry because when you look at the 1881 census James had not This is a Charles Horner size 9 thimble c1889- 1905. It is in the Louise pattern and is marked with the registered design no Rd127211 Pat and the number 7. This photograph was taken c:1910 outside the front of the family house and shows two members of the family.

3 even been born. Even at that time Charles Horner still had a large family which included: Florence 12; Charles Henry 10; George Archibald seven; Frederick Stephen four; Francis Mariner two and Elizabeth, just two months. This photograph was taken c:1910 outside the front of the house and shows two members of the Horner family. This once thriving business survived two world wars but in 1984 it went into voluntary liquidation. Many years ago I managed to trace one member of Charles Horner's family to Ambleside where Mrs Betty Park lived, but she could only vaguely remember her childhood days at The Poplars. The Horner family sold the property in 1926. An original property on this site dates back to the 18th century when it was called The Horse Shoe Inn, it was the Horner family that renamed it The Poplars. It was one of four public houses sold in 1867 from the Crow Nest Estates sale which also included The Hare and Hounds, The Sun Inn and The Travellers Rest. Looking at the 1850 Ordnance Survey Map very closely you can see the Wakefield Turnpike Road originally passed between the front door and a triangular piece of garden. This I believe could have been the Lightcliffe Village Green. Even when you look at the front bay windows they appear to have almost been stuck on at a later date, indicating the original frontage would have been a flat faced building which would have been more typical of the period. The earliest reference to the Horse Shoe Inn appears to be c1771 and the earliest reference to a licensee appears a few years later when a William Rushworth is mentioned. This is highlighted even further when an epitaph in Lightcliffe Cemetery reads as follows: "My time is spent, My glass is run, My thread is cut, My work is done". This is on the grave stone of a William Rushworth, dated 1810 - an epitaph for a licensee perhaps? Hannah Walker (no relation to the Walkers of Crow Nest) also lived at the Horse Show Inn. She also owned a coal mine in Lightcliffe which could have been the old mine near the Scout Hut in the Coach Road. She must have been quite a wealthy lady because she also sold some of her land and cottage properties to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company in 1846. Delving back to the mid-18th century and we find the Newstead family owning the property. These were the relatives of Mary Bedford who owned most of the land and property in the Thornhill Briggs area of Brighouse and who gave Brighouse its first Charity School and £200 towards its running costs. Unfortunately, it would seem that although the school did open George Newstead disappeared with the money. The most famous occupant of a property on this site could possibly have been Lieutenant-General Joshua Guest (1660-1729). All the references to this man relate to Lidgate which does raise some doubt to the actual building he lived at but judging from the few that would be standing at that time it is likely to have been one on this site. There seems little doubt that Joshua Guest was born at Spout House on Spout House Lane, Hove Edge. Later, his mother Mary Guest (later Smith), lived in a one-decker house near to where the railway arch stands today. When that was pulled down an inn was built on the site and the only inn to have ever been on or near this site was The Horse Shoe Inn. Guest's claim to fame as a soldier was in 1745 when he helped to defend Edinburgh Castle against the rebels. He was buried on October 16,1747, in the Cloisters at Westminster Abbey. The history of this small part of Lightcliffe ends in 1553 when it was owned by the Farebanke family of Heptonstall. Perhaps lying in some archive depository are documents taking the story back even further, but that research will have to be done some other time. Charles Horner was not the only local man to make a name for himself in the world of thimbles. Christopher Potter Buckton, was another silver thimble manufacturer from Lightcliffe. Interestingly his brother Thomas was involved in engine building at Mytholm, Hipperholme. He was part of Brown and Buckton and later Yorkshire Motor Car Manufacturing Company. The stories of these two local Lightcliffe and Hipperholme entrepreneurs is a story for a future edition.

4 All change at the Round House Whilst the old Round House Inn building still stands, almost all the surrounding buildings have long gone along with a few well remembered street names. Can you remember Police Street, which was renamed Lawson Road? Or Dale Street which is now the car park at the side of the Salvation Army Citadel which was named after Emmanuel Dale, who had life long connections with St Paul’s Church. Then there was Queen Street, which was demolished when the Ludenscheid Link was built. At the opposite end to the Dale Street Car Park there is just a small section of Queen Street left. These old streets along with Wakefield Road, Clifton Road and King Street all converged at the Round House. Between 1921 and 1928, when this photograph was taken, the licensee was Walter Crossley. The licensing trade has over the years attracted many former players from the sporting fraternity. At the beginning of the 20th century the Round House was a Mecca for sporting fans, if only to see the legendary Billy Nicholl of Brighouse Rangers, Yorkshire and England fame. It has been said that he was one of the finest rugby footballers of his generation. The posters on the wall are advertising fixtures for the Brighouse, Cycling and Bowling Club. The advertised game is a final between Brighouse and King Cross and another match between Brighouse and Thackley in the Bradford League. There are two mill chimneys which have long since gone, but back in those days were just two of what could have been described as a forest of chimney stacks in and around the town centre. During its latter years the Round House had a name change to the Round Tavern, having opened in 1831 as a beerhouse, it closed its doors for the last time in 1999. Then there was a complete change from the licensing trade to it being redeveloped into a computer business. Looking at the building today you can see the difference from the time the smoke stacks in this photograph bellowed out their dirt and grime and the smart clean building it is now. After the computer business moved on it was then taken on by Brearley’s Solicitors. It was during the late 1960s when the town centre was going to have a huge make-over, when one of the suggestions (as it appears today) was that between the Salvation Army Citadel and the solicitors the cul-de-sac that was created when the new bypass was built was to be pedestrianised along with the cul-de-sac on the Wakefield Road side. It never happened, but possibly in the next few years pedestrianisation might finally come to Brighouse. The Round House Inn between 1921 and 1928 when the licensee was Walter Crossley. Looking up Wakefield Road towards the Round House during the 1970s when it was part of the Whitbread group.

5 The first elected Brighouse Borough Council Councillors The Brighouse Borough Council was incorporated in 1893 and throughout its life time until April 1974 when it became part of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, it had a total of 285 people elected as councillors. This figure consisted of 273 males and 12 females. On the first council there were 24 (male) councillors and over the next few issues we will have a look at who some of these were and what part they played in the development of the new Borough. The first is Councillor James Dyson, who served on the council from 1893 to 1897. He was the son of Joshua, a Rastrick man born at Elland Upper Edge, who was brought up in the stone masonry trade. After getting married he moved to Liverpool where he started a business in the building trade. It wasn’t long after Joshua and his wife moved to Liverpool that James was born on February 6, 1833. At the age of 12 when the railway line from Manchester to Liverpool was opened James was already working as a ’nipper’ which was a nautical saying for young (nipper) boys working on the docks, and he was working on the Stanley Dock at Liverpool. In 1847 the family moved to Bury where Joshua was a sub-contractor and worked on the town’s first railway station on Bolton Street.. Once the contract at Bury was completed the family moved to Darwen. This followed Joshua’s appointment as an inspector for the railway company during the construction of the 2,015 yard Sough railway tunnel. The family then moved to Halifax and were working on the Sowerby Bridge to Halifax and then onto Bradford railway line. When this work was completed in 1850 the family moved back to Elland Upper Edge. But shortly afterwards he moved the family to Glossop on a new contract. On his return to Brighouse in 1852 he entered into a new contact for the Thornhill Estates which was tenanted by Thomas Sutcliffe. He continued working on various contracts until his death in 1857. When James was 21 he was working in various parts of the country including Waterloo Station in London, Yorkshire and Durham, the North East of England. On the death of his father he took over all his contracts starting with the erection of a large rolling mill, shed and engine for John Wood in Mill Lane. For the next 30 years he was one of the largest contractors in the Brighouse area. In 1860 he built the Atlas Mill on Atlas Mill Lane, one of the largest mills in Brighouse at the time for Thomas Blackburn and three years later he also built him the Broad Holme Mill. James went to built the largest mills and tallest chimneys in Brighouse, including Woodvale Mill for Richard Kershaw, Mill Royd Mill for Jonathan Stott, George Street Mill for H & J Sugden, Owler Ings Mill for Thomas Ormerod, Brookfoot Mill for Samuel Freeman, Clifton Bridge Mill for Messrs A. Goodall and Son, North Vale Mill at Bailiff Bridge for the Stott Brothers, Belle Vue Mill, Bradford Road for Barker and Butterworth. The six storey North Vale Doubling Mill, Bailiff Bridge, was built in 1872 and James Dyson was the contractor.

6 Not only did he build many or the mills in Brighouse but he also built the Brighouse Town Hall; the Commercial Bank (Briggate); Stoneleigh the home of John Carr Bottomley; the Police Station on Police Street (Lawson Road); and Albert Terrace, Bradford Road (the alley way next to what was the Yorkshire Bank). The bridge over Clifton beck in Clifton Road and other bridges included the Gooder Lane bridge next to the railway station. The list is almost endless. When he came to Brighouse as a mason he started working at 6am through until 5pm and he earned 20 shillings per week. When he returned to Brighouse as a contractor the mason was earning 32 shillings and a labourer was earning 22 shillings a week. Being a builder he naturally used a of lot of bricks. In fact so many he decided to make his own. Whilst his initial efforts in Gooder Lane were a problem for a neighbour, undeterred he visited Mr Macaulay at Woodhouse, Rastrick, and negotiated a lease on some more land in the Gooder Lane area which saw the start of the Brighouse Brick and Tile Company. He was also one of the first directors at the Rastrick Water Company and the Rastrick Stone Company. In March 1883 he went into partnership with John Jowett, formerly of Brighouse, and took out a contract to lay 12 miles of water pipes from near Oswestry in Shropshire to Malpas in Cheshire. This contract involved laying 21,000 tons of iron pipes. Each of the pipes was 12ft long and each weighed four tons. In 1888, having completed all his contracts he returned to Brighouse to retire. On February 22, 1889, he took tenancy of the George Hotel, and soon gave it a serious makeover. In public life he was elected to the Rastrick Local Board in 1865 and maintained his seat on the Board for 16 years before deciding to retire. His practical knowledge about gas, water and building made him a very helpful member of the Board. However, in 1893 when Brighouse gained its Borough status, he was persuaded to stand for the Bonegate Ward to be on the first Borough Council. He was elected and appointed the chairman of the Improvements and New Buildings Committee and served on numerous other committees. On August 17, 1858, he married Ann Brooksbank, daughter of David Brooksbank a prominent Rastrick resident, and they had 12 children, six boys and six girls. Sadly, Mrs Dyson died on October 11, 1883, after which he remarried on July 25, 1892, Maria Richards, of Holmfirth, at Halifax Parish Church. In 1895 he lost his seat on the council and not long after he left Brighouse and moved to the New Inn at Marsden, Huddersfield, and handed over the George Hotel to his son James. He was the licensee at the George until his death in 1915. On December 26, 1906, at Marsden, James Dyson died. Although having moved away from Brighouse towards the end of his life and whilst many of his mill buildings have been demolished, a number of them still survive with a new lease of life as either new multi-occupied premises for new businesses or have been converted into apartments. All the large houses he built are still here, as are the many smaller properties. James Dyson made a significant and lasting impression on Brighouse, many of his buildings have now been with us for over a century. He could almost be considered as Mr Brighouse, because without his contribution Brighouse would not have developed as it did through the 19th century. Stoneleigh House, Halifax Road, the home of John Carr Bottomley c1893. This was built by James Dyson. James Dyson was contracted to build the gas holder, he completed it in six weeks. He was one of the original directors of the Rastrick Gas Works.

7 A memorable Royal visit recalled Royalty has visited Brighouse on a number of occasions since these photographs were taken in 1912. The first visit was in 1907 when Princess Louise came to open the new art gallery at the library in Halifax Road. Be that it was the first, it was more memorable for the fact she arrived and left in a closed carriage and other than the officials at the library very few actually saw her. But that all changed for what was called King George V and Queen Mary’s West Riding tour in 1912, which was for them to see for themselves aspects of real life and working conditions. The Royal party travelled from Cleckheaton and to Brighouse via Hartshead Moor and then arrived at the town down Clifton Common. Once they had reached King Street the streets were lined with virtually all the inhabitants of the town and outer districts. Heading off towards the railway station up Huddersfield Road, where they were due to catch the train back to London the very sight of members of the Royal family waving to the huge number of local people did revive memories for the older residents about the less memorable visit of Princess Louise five years earlier. For the vast majority of people it was probably the first and last time they would see members of the Royal Family in the flesh. In this photograph we can see inside the booking hall at the railway station just before the King and Queen come in. It is suitably decked our to greet the Royal party. Looking again at the photograph, which shows the local police in readiness, there is also a man sitting down to the left on a long bench. Close up he does not look that important a person, perhaps he was a member of the borough council taking a breather before they arrived, but who he was is still a bit of a puzzle even now after 111 years since the photograph was taken. King George V and Queen Mary standing at the top of the steps in Gooder Lane which lead down to the railway station. Surrounded by police and officials they are barely visible but the arrows mark where it is just possible to see the King and Queen Mary’s large hat.

8 Brookfoot’s romantic castle On Tuesday October 24, 2023, one the most unusual online property sales was to take place. However, according to the agent’s website the property was sold prior to the auction for an undisclosed sum and purchased by an unnamed buyer. This property has often been referred to as the Victorian Folly Vista Bellissimo or The Tower in Brookfoot Lane. The property has magnificent views over looking the Brookfoot valley below, with the winding river and the almost straight line of the canal running through it. The property was built in 1897 by William Aspinall of Brighouse as his mark to celebrate the 60th Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Interestingly, most of the stone to build the castle came from the old ’Towser’ which was the old Brighouse lock-up between Elland Road and Ganny Road which closed in 1864. This was where prisoners were held in those days until they could be taken across to Halifax cells. Folktales abound that on really bad nights, when the weather was not fit for man nor beast or even a policeman to take a drunken prisoner over to the Halifax, it was not uncommon on those occasions for prisoners to escape, perhaps with a little bit of encouragement. Now there are few young newly weds who could aspire to having as their first home together a castle. But that is just what happened to Mr and Mrs Jack Wyman, who in later years lived in High Street, Brighouse. Now we often hear about inflation on the news these days and during the 1930s you could have bough the castle for £350; at the recent auction, although the purchase price was not disclosed, the agents initially advertised it for a guide price of £195,000 plus. At the base of the castle William Aspinall left his mark and named it Victoria Tower. The Scout movement was officially founded in 1908. It soon caught on here in Brighouse, when a group of choirboys at St James's Church badgered the Rev E.I.Mack to officially start a troop. In 1910 the Brighouse church troop became the 3rd Elland and in 1911 George Crowther was appointed as Scoutmaster and the Rev Oscar Sydney Laurie MA, BNC, was appointed its first Chaplain. In 1913 it was renamed as the ‘Laurie Command’ after the Rev Oscar Laurie The Laurie Command does not exist as a named group in the local scouts in Brighouse anymore. It is a least 25 years ago that the names were changed. This photograph shows members of the Laurie Command at camp in Conway (now known as Conwy) in North Wales in the 1920s. Photograph courtesy of ©Humphrey Bolton

9 The Rastrickian - Rastrick Grammar School magazine Christmas 1915 The Christmas 1915 issue of The Rastrickian magazine opens with a report on the loss of four former students, and one of the teachers, who were all killed in action. Also in this issue are a series of letters which were sent by former students who were at The Front. From Major Edward Percy Chambers. Many thanks for sending me the Rastrickian. I am glad to see the Grammar School has done so well, and that so many boys have joined the Forces. The school, I am sure, can be congratulated on the numbers now serving. By the end of the war the number of former students killed in action was 32. From Mr G. Shaw who enlisted soon after the end of last term in the 3.5 King’s Own Lancaster Regiment and who wrote to the school on October 18th. I received your letter this morning. I cannot express my sorrow at the thought that another of the best men should be accounted for. Mr Ackroyd and I became much more like brothers than comrades during our short sojourn at Rastrick. I had been looking forward to our meeting again and tramping the old walks round about Brighouse, but now it has not to be, and I am afraid if I come through safely there will always be one big blank when I come to Brighouse. From records it does appear that Mr Shaw did see it through until the end of the war and returned home. From Trooper W.D.Smith who paid a welcome visit to the school on October 21st, just before his return to France. He writes on October 31st; Last Monday saw me safely back with the squadron. I should have been back about 24 hours after leaving Brighouse, and had passed through Amiens, and almost reached my journey’s end, when the news reached me that the previous day the squadron had moved almost 30 miles to a place on the other side of Amiens. There was no train back from the railhead till evening, so there I was stranded in the wilds. However, by a stint of walking and sundry lifts on motors I was with the boys again by 5 o’clock. The news they told me was surprising. Our division and the one on our left had been relieved. The other was even then on its way to Serbia. But we got no further than this place which is pretty well 30 miles from the trenches. But it is the first time we have been out of th firing line since last Christmas. We are now in reserve and awaiting orders. I enjoyed my week’s leave and it was good to call and see my old school, it brought back a flood of happy memories. I trust I didn’t burden you with my presence too long. From records it does appear that Trooper Smith did see it through until the end of the war and returned home. Extracts from the issue of The Rastrickian Christmas 1915. Private John Frederick Cocker, son of Mr and Mrs F.Cocker, 10, Halifax Road, Brighouse. First Fourth Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. Killed in action the 25th August 1915. Aged 19 years. He was a student at the school 1908 - 1912. He left an indelible sporting record at the school. Corporal Norman Hirst, son of Mr and Mrs J.B.Hirst, Foresters Terrace, Clifton. First Fourth Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. Killed in action the 14th August 1915. Aged 21 years. He was a student at the school 1907-1909. A colour tester at Firth’s Carpets. Machine Gunner Fred Roberts, son of the late Mr Joseph Roberts and Mrs Roberts, 8, Firth Street, Rastrick. First Fourth Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. Killed in action by a German Sniper while on sentry duty, 27th September 1915. Aged 24 He was a student at the school 1901-1907. He was an engineer. Corporal Louis Ackroyd BS, Assistant Master, son of the late Mr D. Ackroyd and Mrs Ackroyd, 12, Rydal Terrace, Heckmondwike. Chemists’ Corps. Killed in action by the bursting of a shell, 3rd October 1915. Aged 24. He was a student at the school 1901-1907.

10 The presentation of first Brighouse ambulance van The opportunity recently for me to examine and make copies from a 1899 local scrapbook at the Assembly Rooms was just too good to miss. On June 30, 1899, it was reported in the Brighouse N e w s t h a t a n ambulance fund was set up to provide the town with a new purpose built horse drawn ambulance. The fund-raising was started in the summer of 1898 by the Brighouse Tradesmen Cricket Club. They first organised a match with the West Riding Police (Halifax section). During the winter of 1898, a Grand Ball was held at the Town Hall which was organised by Mr R.T.Gill of the cricket club. Another event was a cycle parade which was organised by the Brighouse Wheelers. Then another cricket match was organised between the tradesmen and the licensed victuallers. After that match the fundraising for the new ambulance had raised £93 which left a little bit more work to raise the £124 which was needed. On Saturday June 24, 1899, the day had arrived when the ambulance was ready to hand over to the council. The ambulance van was outside the Town Hall as part of a procession when Mrs Gill addressed the Mayor, Councillor John William Clay JP. ’I have very great pleasure, on behalf of the Brighouse Tradesmen Cricket Club, in presenting this splendid ambulance to you for the Brighouse Corporation. Should it be required at any time I feel sure that it will prove a great boon to the unfortunate sufferers, but sincerely hope that its use for accidents will never occur’. The Mayoress, Alice Caroline Clay, briefly accepted the ambulance in keeping for the Borough and expressed her pleasure at the noble spirit which had prompted the gift. The Mayor spoke briefly to echo the Mayoress’s thanks. The ambulance was made by the company Wilson and Stockwell of Bury. For 80 years this company manufactured a range of ambulances up to c1974 when it closed down. The design of the ambulance ensured that it was easy for the patient to step in and out or the ambulance crew to carry the patient in on a stretcher. The springs had been adapted, being on rubber ball bearings, wh ic h wo uld reduce any jolting or discomfort to a minimum. The wheels had rubber rims to ensure the comfort as well. It had two stretchers, one above the other, with the bottom one having rubber 12” wheels. Both stretchers were covered with sail canvas and moveable rubber sheeting. There were also two rubber pillows. On the outside it was fitted with two lamps, and one inside, brake, shafts and plate glass embossed side windows. The body of the ambulance was varnished in what is described as self-coloured wood whilst the under works were painted claret, picked out with rich vermilion (orangish red) and then enriched with carmine (bright red) and then very highly finished. To complete the Ambulance on the side panels were the Brighouse Corporation coat of arms all brightly captured in hand-painted heraldic colours. Interestingly the Brighouse Tradesmen Cricket Club in September 1900 was renamed the Brighouse Tuesday Cricket Club. When the name was changed it was not uncommon if a playing member worked at a shop in town to have a false name on the score sheet. The reason being that when the match report was featured in the newspaper the player who was playing and may have called in sick rather than being at work would not be spotted by his boss.

11 Notes from the Council Chamber 1959/60 On June 25, 1959, the General Purposes Committee met and the Town Clerk submitted a resolution from the Library and Art Gallery Committee relating to the purchase of furniture and fittings for the new Southowram Branch Library. The date set for the new library to open was Saturday, November 14, 1959. But, note that the British Legion Hall would not be available for the opening ceremony refreshments. An application was made to use Withinfields School for that purpose. NB. In 2020 Calderdale Council announced that a number of libraries were to be closed and Southowram was one of them. In March 2023 an application was made to the council to extend the shop next door into the now empty library and those plans were passed. The Parks and Cemeteries Committee met on November 23, 1959, when the Town Clerk submitted a letter from the local Girl Guide Association enquiring whether the committee would provide a floral display showing the Girl Guide emblem during its Jubilee Year. Following a discussion the committee decided that owing to the number of bedding plants required and the cost being prohibitive they would be unable to provide such a display. The Borough of Brighouse (Mellor Square) Compulsory Purchase Order 1958 - Removal Expenses. The Town Clerk submitted a request from Miss Z. Tetley for the payment of removal expenses from 18, Mellor Square to Flat C, Clifton Hospital, amounting to £1.17s 6d. Under Section 63 of the Housing Act 1957 the expenses were paid. At the same meeting an application was received by the Ministry of Works regarding the erection of a telephone exchange on the vacant site once Mellor Square had been demolished. The council agreed to this application in principle. If you visit the junction of Mill Lane and Phoenix Street, which is behind the Barge public house, there you will see the telephone exchange built on the site of where Mellor Square was. Flashes Flashes The First World War One local casualty was named as Private Hanson Hirst, Kings Own Rifles Regiment, a married man from Rastrick. He was severely wounded at the first Battle of Aisne (between 12-15 September 1914). He was shipped home to a Manchester Hospital. Joseph Bunce organised a water carnival at his Sunny Vale Pleasure Gardens. The entrance fee was 6d and all the proceeds were being raised for the War Relief Fund. This was a great success with a huge display of fairy lights around the gardens. Brighouse Chums Battalion was being formed. It was 300 strong by October 16. The following day, Saturday, they were on a route march to Halifax headed by a Regimental Band to a football field for a recruiting campaign. December 1869, the Local Board (forerunner to the Borough Council) received a complaint that the residents of Park Street, were hanging the washing lines across the full width of the street. The Town Police Clauses Act 1847, made this an offence. October 1915, in anticipation of 24 Belgians arriving, a Refugee Committee was formed headed by Father McMenamin of St Joseph’s Catholic Church. The Cheetham family loaned Longroyde House, Rastrick, and the Corporation was asked not to claim rates, taxes, water and gas for the house. The interpreters appointed were Madame de Babusco and Mr W. Richardson, both of Brighouse. The first 18 refugees arrived in late October, distressed and almost penniless. The Mayor and a large crowd welcomed them at the Railway Station. Christmas Day 1899, the billiard room at the Liberal Club (Tudor House apartments) was packed with members who attended to take part in the luxury of a sausage lunch. Christmas Day 1899 was also a difficult time for four householders who were away on holiday. They discovered when they got back home they’d had burglars. One couple were newlyweds and a number of wedding presents had been stolen.

12 The school uniform - You’ll grow into it ! When it was time to leave your junior school you had the summer holidays to wonder, or may be worried, about when you move up to your new school, what it was going to be like? Suddenly you were going to move up from being a big fish in a small sea to become a small fish in a big sea. Scary times for some. I remember for more than 10 years I would always visit the former Eastfield School at Lightcliffe to speak to Year Seven. Sometimes there was as many as eight classes. Why did I do it? Both the teachers and I felt it was a kind of reassurance, to dispel the many rumours and scare stories they had heard about when you move up to the big school. Back in those days they all seemed to have heard that as newbies the older lads put your head down the toilet and flushed it. However that story started no one ever knew, but many believed it. It was of course totally untrue. Whilst at most schools back in the 1970s there was a school uniform and at some schools a gradual move to just school colours. In more recent times there has been a relaxation and parents have been give the flexibility of where they buy the more modern style of uniforms that some schools have adopted. Here is a photograph dating back to the 1950s when the Brighouse Girls Grammar school pupils all had to wear their prescribed uniform. Parents would go into Brighouse and visit Whitehead and Dickinson’s on Commercial Street. Although it closed many years ago it was where the present day Hallmark shop is. Many readers will, I’m sure, remember going for that new uniform with your mother. It would always be far too big. ‘Shut up about it and stop moaning, you will grow into it’. The words ‘a family hand-me-down’ now comes to mind. You would grow out of it and your younger sibling would be given it to grow into, just as you did. The building started life as the Brighouse and District Girls' Secondary School, until the Education Act of 1944. The foundation stone was laid on July 31,1909 with inscribed memorial stones laid by councillors Dennis Hardaker and John Mollett of Hipperholme, along with the traditional time capsule being left hidden under one of the stones containing memorable items of the day. The opening ceremony of the school took place on August 27,1910, and was carried out by the local Member of Parliament, Charles P. Trevelyan. The Education Act of 1944 saw the school’s name change to Brighouse Girls Grammar school. In 1985, following reorganisation of education i n C a l d e r d a l e , it became part of Brighouse High School. The sixth form is separate from the main school in the former grammar school. The girls in this 1950s photograph include on the back, from the left: Susan Keene; Lorna Hirst; Barbara Pell and Margaret Bradley. Middle from the left: Judith Garside; Marilyn Bland; unknown; Janice Berry; and Pauline Keene. The front row from the left Margaret Crossley; Marilyn Brooks; Yvonne Pendleton; Pauline Ingham, and Christine Mellor. Be that the school now is not what it was when these girls attended I am sure the very sight of the building will bring back many happy memories. This where you had to buy your Brighouse Girls Grammar School uniform from.

13 There was more music in Brighouse than just brass It is hard to imagine that there was a day when there were more string players and woodwind musicians that brass players in Brighouse. At one time we could proudly swank that we had many more orchestral ensembles and dance bands than brass bands. Musical tastes changed and it suddenly became uncool for a young lad to say to his new girl friend ’Oh I play trombone’ or maybe a string bass. It’s not quite the same as the latest electronic game. There are so many demands on a young person today, whether it is school work, college or moving away to university. There are so many opportunities for young people and things to do they want to share their time out. Looking back at the number of orchestras there have been in Brighouse and the number of people involved, is quite amazing. Firstly, there was the Permanent Orchestra, then the Dyers Club Orchestra, the Arcadians Orchestra, J.R.Booth’s Orchestra. Members of the Permanent Orchestra included from the left, back row: Mr Hodgson; John Dilley, a fine flute player and his brother was a trombone player but, he was a member of J.R.Booth’s Orchestra; John Dilley’s son Harry, he married into Davison’s chara-banc business and later when it became a coach company; unknown; Harry Smith who was also a flute player; unknown; Willie Earnshaw, and Sam Wood, bassoon player. Middle row: unknown; unknown; Vernie Stevens; Walter Lawson; Reggie Mitchell; Frank Sutcliffe played viola and he had five daughters who performed as a close harmony quintette; John Riley, cellist and his wife Ruth played the violin and was the Leader in J.R.Booth’s Orchestra; Raymond Woodhouse; W.Robinson who was a second violinist, his brother became a professional musician, playing on cruise ships; Willie Fawthrop, cellist,and J.A.Brown, who played the double bass. Front row: unknown; Abraham Thorpe, first violinist; Norah Sheard, she later married Tommy Nutter; Doris Jackman; Hanson Haley, who in addition to conducting the orchestra was also the organist at Park Chapel, a position he held for more than 30 years: he was employed in the office at J.R.Booth’s and was always called ’Cashier’; Nellie Binns, first violinist; Helliwell and Harry Stake, second violinists and are of course, the names associated with the Bow Window, the first ’Takeaway’ in Brighouse. Sitting at the front is Wilfred Waddington, first violin and Sam Shaw, who played the second violin. The President of the orchestra was Clement Blackburn of Toothill Hall, Rastrick. Where was this delightful photograph of the orchestra taken? Wellholme Park or in the grounds of Kirklees Hall perhaps. The answer is ’no’. Sam Wood, the orchestra’s bassoon player used to keep hens and the unlikeliest of settings for this photograph was at one of his hen runs. Now who would have ever thought of that looking at the setting? The Permanent Orchestra c1920s. The Arcadians Orchestral Society.

14 The Permanent Orchestra used to rehearse at the Liberal Club which is now the Chinese restaurant on Bradford Road. This orchestra was probably the most popular and successful of the local orchestras in the town. One of the most successful players in the orchestra was James (Jim) Nuttall, front row third from the left, holding the trumpet. During the 1930s he played the Flugel Horn with Brighouse and Rastrick during its purple patch of that era. J.R.Booth’s Orchestra was named after the Brighouse businessman. His musical career flourished during the First World War when he was a member of the Coldstream Guards, playing flute and piccolo. Once he returned home he started his own card clothing business in Aire Street. So successful was his business that he moved to larger premises in Huddersfield Road at the Mill Royd Mill. In 1947 the business was taken over by the English Card Clothing Company. When he retired he left his Thornhills Lane home for a more relaxed lifestyle at Mablethorpe. The Arcadians Orchestra was established before the First World War. But where did they get the name from? The word arcadian me an s a r ura l p arad ise, Brighouse, maybe not. In 1909 Harold Harley was born in Brighouse and is best known for his book The Arcadians which in 1909 was turned into a musical and opened in 1909 at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, and on Broadway in 1910. Could the orchestra have ben named after The Arcadians with having the Brighouse connection? Very little is known of the members but on this photograph the members include Messrs Payne; Walton; a Mr Wood of Hangram Street. He is the cornet player on the back row, he also played at Clifton Band; Arthur Thwaites Hodgson, who like most of the Brighouse orchestra players also doubled up playing for the Permanent Orchestra and others when asked, particularly at big concerts. This is just one of many concerts that J.R.Booth’s orchestra took part in. Rather that showing the music programme I have shown the members of the orchestra at this event in 1919. Amongst the members there are some names from some of the other orchestras helping out. The cellist is Willie Fawthrop who played regularly with almost all the Brighouse orchestras. His family went on to have musical connections in Brighouse through local brass bands. There was a Lightcliffe Orchestral Society but whether this was an actual orchestra or just a group of people who enjoyed listening to orchestra music will need further research. Your help would be appreciated if you know anything about this society. You may never have been a member of a local orchestra in your adult years but could have been a member of your school orchestra. This may have been your introduction to amateur music making and when you left school it came to an end. But if it did you are never too old to take it up again and has often been said ’There is no such word as can’t, so why not give it a go?

15 A property full of memories is up for sale It is sad to see the Brighouse Assembly Rooms are up for sale. I was pleased to be given the opportunity of photographing the inside before it changes to something new. I am sure, like me, many local people have visited the Assembly Rooms down the years to attend countless functions that have been held there. I can certainly remember attending a wedding reception more than 50 years ago and then over the last 30 years being invited to be the guest speaker for a number of different organisations. These ranged from local history meetings to various club events. I remember being invited as the guest speaker for the Brighouse NSPCC luncheon in 2002. In this story I am taking the opportunity of showing photographs of some of the groups which have met there since it was first opened on July 17,1906. Here are some members of the Clifton Masonic Lodge during the 1950s all dressed in their finery for one their regular functions. Members in this photograph who attended include Fred Lapish; George Stillingfleet; Sir Herbert Redfearn; George Balmforth; Arthur Reeve; Norman Brooke; Norman Lockwood; Wilf Crew; Harry Marsden; John Albert Hallowell and of course their wives and guests. The Assembly Rooms originally opened as the headquarters for the local Freemasons and the Borough Club. Whilst the Borough Club closed many years ago there is still the name in the glass above the front door. When it is sold let us hope that glass panel is retained as little bit of history and a reminder of the building’s past. The era is unmistakably the 1950s, with every one of the lads wearing a tie, the girls are certainly dressed for a special function, but what was the event? Looking through the faces it is easy to recognise Philip Court, Anne Forge, Tony Wilcox, Eddie Womersley, Billy Oates, Michael Renshaw and Michael Healey, to name a few. If you were there more than 60 years ago and remember what the event was please contact the editor by email. This is the annual Police Ball of 1948 and being photographed with the Mayor George Turner MM, JP and his wife, are a few familiar faces. They include Reginald and Mona Mitchell, Chief Inspector Tom Lawrence and Inspector Harry Aves.

16 There was a time when the highlight of the Brighouse social calendar was getting an invitation or being given tickets as being there was a must. Some more of these events included the inauguration of the new Mayor and events linked to the Licensed Victuallers Association. There would also be the bands that provided the dance music such as Frank Dawson and his George Stones Band; The Embassy, which was an old time dance orchestra; and the Halifax Follies. The original concept for the building was to fit between the Anchor Inn and the Bow Window takeaway in Briggate. Edward C. Brooke, the architect, included in his plans the two main upstairs rooms to be 63ft x 30ft for the Freemasons and the second was a supper room measuring 42ft x 21ft. It originally included a reading room, card room (it has in recent times been the home of the Brighouse Bridge Club) and a billiards room. Who ever eventually buys the Assembly Rooms and whatever the future holds for it let us hope it will still be a place local people will be able to use. Part of the Masonic Temple where the generations of members have met since 1906. Harry Rayner’s Orchestra in 1945 appearing at the Assembly Rooms. Brighouse Parish Sunday School When the new building for St Andrew’s C of E Junior School was completed in September 1973 it provided a home for the Parish Sunday School. The Sunday School started with almost 30 members and over the next few years it grew to almost 70. No doubt the adults of today who attended the Sunday School will have happy memories of those days, particularly the Sunday School trips. The first trip arranged was to an adventure playground near Bingley. After a play session we took the children for a walk. I still have a vivid picture of the children running across a lawn at the back of a Hall. Ruth Berry, then aged about five, was excited she ran with the rest. The others started to run either side of an ornamental fish pond, but Ruth ran straight on headlong into the water. I remember some 80 children and adults crowding into a double decker bus for a never ending journey until we reached Southport. I remember Andrew crying because the ripples in the hard sand hurt his feet and having to be carried during the long trek to the sea, and then skipping away merrily when we reached the water. He managed to walk back without crying. Counting up the children for the journey back Andrew was missing. He was found in the Fairground being fussed over by some ladies who had bought him an ice cream. With him safely rounded up it was time to make the journey back home ….Happy Days! Just one of the happy memories, written by Neil Robinson, the Sunday School Superintendent. Photo courtesy of Limor Zellermayer on Unsplash.

17 Flashes On January 8, 1906, the death of Mr John Armitage Atherton of Woodhouse Hall, Rastrick aged 61, was reported. He was born in 1845 and married in 1871 to Emily Jessop Barber. On May 9 the Woodhouse Estate was offered for sale at public auction. Whilst the estate land was sold the family home ‘Woodhouse’ Hall was withdrawn having been sold by private treaty. Flashes May 14, 1904, was a special day at The Rydings ,Brighouse Library. In 1878 the house was occupied by Farquhar Forbes Robertson who later moved to live at Slead Hall. November 9, 1906, Alderman William Smith JP was elected Mayor of Brighouse for the sixth and last time. He died on May 7, 1922. September 7, 1907, was a big day for Turner and Wainwrights the toffee manufacturers moving from their premises in Birds Royd Lane having bought Camm’s vacant Brookfoot cotton mill. This was the day when a bust of the late Alderman Henry Sugden JP was unveiled. This special honour was carried out by the Mayor Alderman William Smith JP. On December 14, 1906, the death was reported of Joshua Smithson, aged 89. He lived at Lydgate House, Lightcliffe. He was one of the first members of the old Hipperholme Local Board and was its first chairman. The forgotten town centre shops Walking around the town centre how many times have you passed a shop and thought to yourself ‘What ever happened to ….who used to have that shop’. Here is a shop you may remember, Sureway back in the 1980s, the place to get your TV, video and all your other electrical goods. Another electrical shop, this time it dates back to the late 1960s, Walter Robinsons (Electrical) Ltd on Bradford Road. This shop and the property to the right on the corner of Hangram Street were demolished for the new bypass. Robinson’s moved on to Park Street and also had premises at Salford Mill at the bottom of Scotty Bank where the new apartment block is now. Bradford Road during the 1980s. The newsagents trading as R.S.Bainbridge had moved out of the Oddfellows Hall w h e n i t w a s demolished. Next door is Davroy’s DIY shop and then the fish and chip shop which was to become a Chinese owned shop.

18 A great day at The Stray What a wonderful day it was for the centenary of The Stray at Lightcliffe in September. Throughout the day it was estimated that hundreds of people visited this beautiful green oasis between Hipperholme and Lightcliffe to celebrate the fact that it has been there for 100 years. Whilst the Stray has seen a number of changes over the years with the loss of the shelter which was demolished, as were the public conveniences. There was a special unveiling of the war memorial and opening of the Stray in 1923, and, on October 11, 1925, there was even an official opening and dedication for the shelter. On that day there was an augmented choir and the Brighouse and Rastrick Temperance Band attended to accompany the hymn singing. Local historian Bob Horne addressing a large crowd to thank them for attending this special community event. He also presented the memorial tablet on behalf of the Friends of The Stray to commemorate the centenary of the opening of The Stray in 1923. Rastrick Old People’s Treat 1957 During the Mayor’s term of office he or she must attend countless engagements which involve eating a dinner, tea or just a simple sandwich. Here is a photograph of the 1957 Mayor, Councillor Harry Edwards, and his wife Mrs Eliza Edwards. On this occasion they are the chief guests at the senior citizens treat for the Rastrick Topenders at New Road Sunday School. For this, the fourth annual event of its kind, 130 guests were given a gift. The men also received an ounce of tobacco or 20 cigarettes - oh dear you certainly wouldn’t get those today - and the ladies received a tin of toffees. As a mark of respect, the oldest lady and gentleman present, (Mrs Wood of New Hey Road, and former Brighouse Councillor John Riley Bell, who served on the council from 1935 -1938 and died on February 25, 1963 of Thornhill Road) received special presents to celebrate the occasion. This annual event had been sponsored again by John and George Topham who were in business as Topham’s which was based in Spout Mills, Rastrick. For their entertainment Jack Bray was the evening’s compere and comedian. A number of singers were on the programme including local girl Lionne Bunce. Returning to the photograph, caught on camera are from the left: the Mayoress, Mrs Eliza Edwards; Mrs Smith; the Mayor, Councillor Harry Edwards; and Mr L.G.Smith. Seated opposite are the Rev. W.Speck; the Mayor’s sister Mrs A. Marshall; Mrs Wood, the oldest lady present; Mrs F.A.Ives, who was the main organiser of the event, and Mr John Riley Bell.

19 The Cold War is finally over, even in Brighouse Travelling on the bus to Brighouse from Bailiff Bridge 25 years ago, it would be driven past the old Ritz Cinema, which was on the opposite side of the road to you. At that point, the bus would then be driving past a very smart stone built detached 19th century house. The name of the house could be clearly read on the two stone gateposts, Kirkley, a name some readers will be familiar with whereas, many others will not. Perhaps some will remember the name many older people called it, ’Pork Pie Villa.’ It was here where Thomas (Tom) Atkinson, the pie man, lived. It always came down to personal choice and the occasional argument just whose pork pies were the best in Brighouse, Atkinsons or Herbert Brayshaws. Tom Atkinson had his shop at 3, King Street, and it was often said you could smell the pies as you walked around the corner from Bradford Road. In 2000 plans were submitted to Calderdale Council to build a new retail store, petrol filling station and car parking. This was the arrival of Tesco's. Once the plans were passed demolition work started on a large scale, starting with Brighouse Cricket Club and grounds. Kirkley House at this time was unoccupied but once it was demolished it would make way for the new petrol station. But what was the strange building behind Kirkley House? This was officially called the Brighouse West Yorkshire Sub County Control. It was built in 1962 to hold a 20-room underground bunker, with a small surface detached property which was designed to take water and fuel tanks and a standby generator. In 1980,Calderdale Council built a two-storey office building above and on top of the bunker. In 1992 the bunker was deemed to be surplus to requirements and was allowed over time to become derelict. In 1993 plans were submitted to the council for a change of use from the redundant underground emergency centre. The application was to convert the above ground building into offices. The building was being used by West Yorkshire Waste Management. It was reported that there were no windows in the above ground building nor in the underground bunker either. Once the Tesco plans had b ee n s ubm itte d a nd approved it was expected that all signs of the bunker above and below ground would be demolished. Although the facility was in use as a West Yorkshire emergency centre until after the Cold War, the large bunker was never brought up to date. It is difficult to imagine with wooden doors throughout they would have been completely useless if they had to sustain a blast. Kirkley House, Bradford Road, known to some readers as ‘Pork Pie Villa.’ The West Yorkshire Sub-County Control underground bunker was built in 1962. The new twostorey above ground office block was built in 1980.This was all swept aside with the arrival of the Tesco planning applications. The flag in the foreground belonged to the Halifax Nuclear Disarmament Group.

20 The bunker was equipped with store rooms, conveniences for both men and women, a fitted out kitchen, a telecoms room, and then numerous offices. The overall size of the building was approximately 70ft sq, with the largest of the 20 rooms measuring 21ft x 23.6ft. This photograph is dated c1990 and is clearly showing the cricket ground and bowling greens of the Brighouse Cricket and Bowling Club, Tesco has not arrived yet. In the top right corner as the road turns right the large detached property is Kirkley House and below it is the Brighouse West Yorkshire Sub County Control (the emergency bunker and, on this image, the above ground offices). A recent story I was told was that Kirkley House for some time was used as a schools careers office. If any can remember going there for that career interview we would be very pleased to hear from you. Or if you were employed at the Waste Management offices, which were based in the building above the bunker please contact us and if you have any photographs inside the bunker please, which were probably not allowed to be taken in those days. As it is now long gone perhaps the secrecy has faded into the past. Many readers would never have imagined that the Cold War you heard about on the news and read in newspapers also had links to Brighouse. The mystery diamond sign I recently met Mel Howley who lives on Wood Lane at Hipperholme, he wanted to try and find out about a mystery metal sign on Wood Lane. He first saw it many years ago and although he has tried to find out what it is so far he has drawn a blank. Did I know what it is, had I seen one before. The answer to both questions was no. But, not to let a mystery get away that easy, I told him I will see what I can do to solve this long time mystery. It took a few hours searching various websites on the Internet and I have solved the mystery and found out far more about the sign it than I had bargained for. The YEP Co is the Yorkshire Electric Power Company and it was in business from 1901 until the nationalisation of the company in 1948. The purpose of the company was to supply electricity to the West Riding. It had its own power stations at Thornhill, Barugh, Ferrybridge and Mexborough. It had overhead electric power lines across an area of 1,800 square miles. The dark line on this small map is an indication of the area it supplied and shows the Halifax area was covered. On that basis the metal sign in Wood Lane indicates it too was in the area. Following nationalisation its electricity distribution and sales functions were taken over the Yorkshire Electricity Board or the YEB. There is just one query left what does the letter ‘J’ stand for on the metal sign? Please contact the editor if you can help.

21 Anyone for a games of fives? Recently I was looking through a small collection of old Hipperholme Grammar School photographs which dated from 1906 to 1913 and show students who were members of ‘Brighouse House’. There was one photograph in particular which caught my attention - ‘Brighouse House Fives Champions 1911’. Now I had heard of this game, fives, but that was it. I even have a vague memory of being shown the fives court up at Hipperholme Grammar School during the 1960s. So with that in mind I thought I must find out more. I discovered that like squash, fives is played in a four-sided court with the general idea being to hit the ball above the bar across the front wall, so that the opposition cannot return it before the second bounce. A fives ball is slightly larger than a golf ball, leather covered and hard, unlike a squash ball it loses little pace off the walls, floor and bounces high and fast. The court is slightly smaller than a squash court and has a stone, rather than wooden, floor. Both singles and doubles are played. Those of you who have played and can remember the days you did play this game you will know the singles are extremely energetic. So much so that it has been said that it provides as much, if not more, exercise than squash. Doubles is slightly less strenuous, but rallies go on for longer and are generally won by a combination of good shots rather than by one out-and-out winner. But what are the origins of this game - the medieval jeu de paume, originating in 12th century France is the father of the family of court games: tennis (real, lawn and table), fives, handball, pelota, racquets, badminton, squash and racquetball. As its name suggests, the 'palm game' was first played with the hand, and there were certainly several versions of it, played in open fields (longue paume) or in streets, courtyards or cloisters (courte paume). Some, like tennis, were 'direct' games played over a line or net, with opponents occupying the opposing camps; others were 'indirect', like fives, played up against a wall, with opponents occupying the same space as each other. Both types of game were limited by technology: balls (made of animal skin stuffed with wool, cloth or hair) were neither round nor bouncy, surfaces were uneven and irregular and hands were not powerful enough to propel the ball very fast or far. The development of the racquet - an extension of the gloved hand - was the most significant advance, as far as court games were concerned during the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe. When the English began to adopt the racquet in the 16th century, hand tennis (particularly t h e s i m p l e r version, played against one or more walls) persisted in those places where love of tradition, rural isolation and the lack of space or relative poverty prevailed. This game came eventually to be known as 'fives', a description first recorded in 1636. Joseph Strutt, in his book 'The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England', published in 1801, notes that 'Hand-tennis is now called fives', but little is known of the fives games played informally on the open or partially enclosed ball courts of the and Hipperholme Grammar School Fives court during the 1960s. The ‘Brighouse House’ Fives Champions of 1911: C.Stead and H.A.Binns.

22 Mystery Brighouse medallion Louise Ford, one of our regular readers of the magazine who has lived in the Netherlands for many years, is looking for some help. She does have connections in the Brighouse area from her childhood and school days. Louise has told us that the medallion was her Grandmother’s and is very precious to her. She is trying to find out a little more information about it. Perhaps you can help to solve the mystery? It measures 1” (2.5cm) diameter and is 9ct gold, with the Birmingham assay mark and the date is 1915. On the outer front edge are the letters H & D.A.C.G.L .The centre shield has four ace playing cards. The years 1915 - 1916 are also shown. On the reverse side are the intertwining letters SF, which stand for Suzanne Flintoff, Louise’s grandmother’s name. The letters TB.WMC are shown, could this be Thornhill Briggs Working Men’s Club. Louise has always believed this could have been a swimming medallion which Suzanne was presented with. She would like to know more about it, if any readers have ever seen one before. Louise does have connections with the Brighouse area from her childhood and school days. She would be pleased to hear from anyone who was at Lightcliffe Junior School or St Martin’s Secondary School during the 1960s. older universities and public schools, behind the taverns of London, Somerset or Durham or against the north walls of country churches in England and Wales. No doubt there were many local heroes, but the most famous early fives player was the Irish housepainter John Cavanagh, who was undefeated on the Fives Court in St. Martin's Street in London and died in 1819, to be celebrated later by William Hazlitt in 'The Indian Jugglers'. In the middle of the 19th century, fives began to be taken up by a number of public schools. The game had probably been as varied in its informal versions there as elsewhere: Eton College boys developed their own game as a result of a quirk of the architecture of the College Chapel, while Rugby School pupils invented two different varieties, one played in the Old Quadrangle with fives-bats and the other in the much smaller porch leading in from the High Street, which proved ideal for hand-fives. These two schools enjoyed such fame and prestige in the 19th century that when formalised-versions of the original courts came to be built there, they gave their names to the two main varieties of modern fives. The addition, at another famous public school, of a small angled buttress to the left-hand wall of the Rugby-style court created the sub-species known as Winchester fives. Rugby and Eton fives enjoyed considerable popularity and growth in schools both in the last decade of the 19th century and also in the 1930s. This second period of growth came in the wake of the formation of governing bodies for both sports, which enabled the establishment of rules and court specifications and the creation of national competitions. The Second World War took a particularly heavy toll on courts and players, but since the war the number of competitions and matches has increased, involving players of all ages and both sexes. It was July 1908 when Sir Algernon Firth of Firth’s Carpets gave the school its first fives court and the game was based on the Winchester Fives pattern. The old fives court was replaced by a modern Design Technology and IT facility – how appropriate that the new classroom is called Room 5. ...and finally. Why is it called fives? The origin of the word 'fives' is uncertain, but it probably refers to the fingers, as in 'a bunch of fives'. The name has been used since the 17th century.

23 My Brighouse connections and childhood reminiscences My mother, Helen Sykes, a well-loved teacher at St James’ Infants School in the 1960s was always on about people ‘with Brighouse connections’. She had many, though not acquiring them until her father Thomas Henry Whiteley, came from Batley in 1922 to run Whiteley’s the family Newsagents and Tobacconists on the corner of Bethel Street. The amazing thing about ‘Brighouse Connections’ is that, once you’ve got them, you don’t lose them. My Dad, B e n S y k e s , another well-known teacher, at Victoria Central School, Rastrick, certainly had them, coming from a line of joiners, ‘B.Sykes & Son’ based for over 200 years down Park Street, opposite the Post Office. As adults they were both part of the cultural, social and sporting fabric of Brighouse – the Brighouse Players, the Tennis Club, the Badminton Club, Castle Fields Golf Club, the Children’s Theatre, the Art Circle, the Music Club, the Yorkshire Bookmen, the Parish Church and St James’ – connections a-plenty and more, and that’s not counting family. As a child and much later my connections were mostly of the family variety, since uncles, aunties and cousins were in plentiful supply and almost on the doorstep. Uncle Fred and his wife Wendy now owned Whiteley’s, Uncle George Brearley, married to Dad’s sister Delia, ran a wire-drawing firm down Bird’s Royd and was a former captain of Brighouse Cricket Club, Uncle George Collinson, a GP, married to Mum’s sister Hilda, took over from Dr Middleton down Bradford Road and finally the youngest sister, Aunty Win, married Ron Willey who eventually managed the Huddersfield Building Society office opposite Whiteley’s. We lived opposite Wellholme Park at 89, Bradford Road, later renumbered as 103, which, incidentally, was the original number of the house where the Sykes family lived about 100 yards further up the road and where my Grandma, Laura Sykes, was still living in her eighties. Behind our house was a magical (well, it was for me as a youngster!) wooded area about 200 yds long and 100 yds deep which we called ‘The Plantation’. It backed on to Old Lane where, on the northern end, was a Fish & Chips shop and, at the other end, a lean-to cobbler’s next to Shillitoe’s bakery. The Plantation’s high round-topped wall provided plenty of challenges for the local kids, known as the ‘gang’. The ‘gang’ comprised Paul and Roger Teugels, the Renshaws, Pauline & Christopher, me, Helen Lightowlers, my cousins George & Janet Collinson and two or three more whose names I have forgotten. Others from the Old Lane area also joined in, namely the Ellis brothers, David and Peter, and Melvyn Walton, to name but a few. Although I have lived in Taunton, Somerset for the past 60 years my memories of my Brighouse days are still very much alive, which, inevitably, is more than can be said about my connections. I have, however, with my wife Jill, spent every Christmas back in Calderdale, mostly now in Warley, with Jill’s sister and husband Brett (the original Bertie of Bertie’s of Elland) – so I still have Calderdale connections at least. My cousin Janet, too, is married to Andrew Marshall a former Chairman of Marshall’s of Halifax. But, what of the early days? My very first memory (and I’m sure it was a memory & not just a figment of my later imagination) was the arrival of two shellshocked & bedraggled soldiers apparently from the British Expeditionary Force who had been billeted with us for rest and recuperation a few days after The gang is all here out chumping from the right George Collinson, Janet Collinson (now Marshall), Ben Sykes, Pauline Renshaw, Christopher Renshaw and unknown. Mrs Avison, married then to Harry Avison, Rag and Bone man, is in background.

24 Their miraculous survival following the evacuation of Dunkirk in early June 1940, though they disappeared after only one night, goodness knows where to. Aunty Delia, also in Brighouse, had two for nearly 10 days. I don’t remember much of the war itself, though the sound of the sirens still makes me shudder – those same sirens, I believe, are still used to warn inhabitants of the Calder Valley of imminent flooding, particularly in Mytholmroyd & Luddenden Foot. What I do remember, then aged five and at the infants school where my mother taught, was the arrival of bananas with school lunch, now that the merchant shipping lines had been restored after VE Day. Cocoa was also a new arrival and most welcome. For VE Day itself we had a street party behind Old Lane which I vaguely remember, but for the first Bonfire Night on November 5th (far more important then than Halloween!) I was terrified to discover that there would be rockets, because rockets, for me and for many youngsters, were flying bombs, and V2s . Fears were eventually allayed, however, and for a number of years we had wonderful bonfire nights in the ‘Plantation’. Half the fun was the gang collecting wood for the fire – ‘chumping’ was the word for it then, or ‘plotting’. At the northern end of the ‘Plantation’ was a rookery (whence a row of houses named ‘Rookery Place’) and although my mother reckoned my first spoken word was ‘car’ because of the traffic along Bradford Road I maintain I was simply imitating the sound of the neighbouring rooks –‘Caw’! The rookery was on a higher level than the southern end of the ‘Plantation’ creating a slope which enabled the Gang, one by one, to learn how to ride a bike. The learner was pushed down the slope and simply carried on and, after the odd spill and repeated pushes, eventually got the hang of it. There were also a couple of horse chestnut trees overhanging our garden which provided ample ammunition for playing ‘conkers’ but the impatient young neighbours could never wait until the ripened fruit fell off the trees and so littered our garden with the sticks they threw to dislodge the disappointingly white conkers. Their missiles, though, along with the twigs dropped by the rooks making their nests, did provide ample firewood for lighting our daily coal fire. These were pre-TV days when the three cinemas entertained the young with cowboy films and swashbuckling adventures of derring-do. It was said of Ambrose Broomhead’s Savoy Cinema that, if you sat too near to the screen, you would get covered in sand! On Saturday mornings kids were encouraged to attend special showings at the Ritz under the flag of the ‘ABC Minors’. Inspired by these films, as well as the usual games of hopscotch, hide and seek, kick the can, we enacted cowboys and Indians with harmless cap -guns and for swords we used the young shoots from our privet hedge with jam jar lids as hand guards. Saturday attendances ended when I started at Bradford Grammar School, with Saturday morning school, aged 10. Getting there involved two journeys by bus and trolley, from the Ritz to Bradford, Route 64 (or 63 via Wyke) at 3½ d half fare per trip and 2d on the trolley from Forster Square to Manningham Park. The 64 route, every 15 minutes, was shared between Bradford’s yellow and light blue buses, Huddersfield’s red and Hebble’s maroon, some of the latter having an upstairs with a sunken side corridor and rows of 4 seats, making it hard to get off if you were on the inside seat. The trolleys were fun in the winter when the overhead wires iced up and occasionally produced an exciting display of sparks. Talking of winters we often had snow and lakes froze hard, making it safe to skate on the pond at Miller’s (now Ravensprings Park) or at Sunny Vale and even on the Manningham Park lake during school lunchtimes; 1947 sticks in the mind with deep snowdrifts. I recall a single-decker bus almost disappearing in a drift near the top of Clifton Common. Sledging too was a great thrill in what was nicknamed the roly-poly field just past the viaduct up Thornhills Beck Road. Living opposite Wellholme Park was also a bonus and enabled more organised games of cricket, rounders and touch rugby. The beck also provided loads of fun from fishing for sticklebacks to chancing one’s arm, legs and other parts of the anatomy crossing the top of the weir close to the old Cricket Club. At one of the bends the beck was just deep enough for two or three strokes of wild water swimming – for those who could. They were happy, carefree days! Ben Sykes

Brighouse at Work - From a small hamlet and a bridge, the town of Brighouse in Calderdale grew rapidly with the building of the Calder and Hebble Navigation in the late eighteenth century. This led to the development of the town’s successful textile industries. This is a book where almost a few lines will tell the reader something about the industrial heritage of Brighouse and its surrounding communities. The book is £14.99 + £3 postage packaging, for overseas orders please contact the author. PayPal is available as are cheques. Brighouse Through Time - 96 pages of both black and white and coloured images of aspects with views of Brighouse and its surrounding communities. Fascinating scenes displayed in a of 'then and now' format. £12.99 + £3. All in a Day’s Work — During the 1950s, Chris Helme was often asked by relatives: 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' A policeman was always his answer. A child of the Fifties, he was brought up to respect the local police who seemed to know everyone. All in a Day's Work: 30 Years as Brighouse Bobby is his journey to achieving that ambition culminating with being awarded the British Empire Medal for services to his community in 1990. A local bobby had to deal with everything that happened on his 'patch'. This book takes the reader through a catalogue of sad, humorous, and almost unbelievable incidents in the life of a local policeman. £12.00 + £3 p/p. This is now also available as an audiobook at Calderdale Library Service and other audiobook sources on the internet. Sunny Vale Pleasure Gardens, near Brighouse, opened as a garden in 1880 but with the inclusion of amusements in 1883 it became a hugely popular venue for Sunday strollers, local Sunday School groups and day trippers from around the north of England for the next seventy-five years. This collection of more than 180 images, complemented by detailed captions and reminiscences of the Gardens throughout their long history, will delight all who remember visiting as a child and provide a fascinating insight into this vanished, but not-forgotten, institution. £12.00 + £3 p/p. All these books can be purchased through www.chrishelme-brighouse.org.uk from the on-line shop or by contacting Chris Helme email: [email protected] — or by telephone 07854-755756 and Harrison Lords, Bradford Road Brighouse. My new book will be available from mid-August 2024. The title is ‘Lost Brighouse and District’ illustrating aspects of Brighouse many readers will remember but they have now all either been demolished, closed down or have been re-developed. Back page outer cover. In the few weeks time before the school Christmas holidays most schools will have their annual Nativity. Will I get a part or not this time, if not a speaking part maybe as a tree or possibly the front or back end of a donkey, many children will be thinking. Whatever it might be, it is one of those school events you never forgot, even if you are just a spectator. These children were taking part in the St Andrew’s Infant School Nativity c:1986.