Halifax - Its Heritage

Written by Frank Whitwam, towards the end of the 1980’s

(Links with other bodies are at the end of this passage)

"HERITAGE, an old word with a new connotation, TOURISM"

Stone is the bedrock of Halifax' heritage. Without stone there would have been none of J B Preistly's Dark Satanic Mills. Nor would there have been any " Do'ins" of Phyllis Bentley's romantic mill owner and weaver. No churches, no Chapels, Piece Hall and Offices, no Administration Edifices, no crowning glory of the Italian Styled and Superb Establishment of The Town Hall, designed by Sir Charles Barry.

The Stone enabled the plentyfull supply of soft water, Coal and Sheep Granges to be combined to establish a town which gained a world wide fame for textiles. It became the home of world's largest carpet producer Halifax was renown for Woollen and Worsted Industries and upholstery for cars, buses and trains, even aircraft. There were producers of blouses, gowns, overalls, underclothes and skirts; there were silk yarn producers and even some cotton users.

Alas, most of these industries, along with their colleagues in engineering, in particular specialised in machine tools, have disappeared or changed beyond recognition. Other producers from Halifax are too numerous to list but we mention some of the products which were sent to all parts of the globe; Sports and Playground Equipment, Wire Goods including Skewers and Hen Battery Cages, Baskets and Skeps, Products from Fireclay and, in no way the least, Toffee. Many CB'ers will know of Halifax today by one of it's old nomenclatures "Toffee Town".

A walk around the Town today will still reveal the fine architecture of the retail shop-fronts, now augmented by pedestrian precincts and the new Calderdale Administration Building designed not to clash with the bustling Market Hall with it's Victorian iron work. Still worth a visit today and still bargains to be found.

Despite the demise of the traditional industries, which started and grew from the domestic cottage to the large machine age establishments of Victorian Industry, built and driven by men of foresight and energy; much of it's existence still remains. The "Men of Industry" never forgot the Town of their success and left behind many examples of their wealth, which we can see and enjoy today.

After what seems some few years of wandering aimlessly in the dark, a new opportunism is now surging forth in the clean air over the Town. A newer type of entrepreneurial spirit pervades and is regenerating "The Crafts" with single person enterprises. We see this exemplified in the utilisation of the "Cells" of the Piece Hall. We see it to a different extent in the infusion of "New Blood" into the Dean Clough complex; men of vision are showing that demolition of the old is not always the only means of progress, a view supported by his visits by The Prince of Wales. What goes around, comes around. The visit to Halifax of the Victorian Prince, Edward caused the Station to be built and, the visits of our current Prince have helped to maintain the architectural legacies of the Victorian times.

New buildings and workshops combined with the sympathetic utilisation of the old are being put to use to regenerate the old trades and establish the new technology businesses. Together they are aiding the Town to rise again to its former greatness and, to afford today's residents, at work or at leisure, a pride in their environment.

Long may the new view continue, and so,

"From Hull, Hell and Halifax, may the Good Lord shine upon us."

Published on RoTexCo Web-site www.rotexco.co.uk Tel :- 01422 370 849

Further Local News, Events and many other interesting pages, including a Contact Service for ex-pats is on the Halifax Courier hosted web-site:-www.halifax-today.co.uk

Tourist Information:- www.ytb.org.uk / The best of /

Local Historical Society / Local Civic Trusts / Archaeological /

History of Calderdale, this site contains around 20,186 digital images illustrating the history of Halifax and the surrounding area. Materials featured includes postcards, newspaper reports maps and photographs, as well as personal diaries and accounts, business records, wills Acts of Parliament and census return forms. :- From Weaver to Web