HCS Members’ Update September 2024
Heritage Open Days in Kirklees
The online version of this year’s Kirklees HODs brochure can now be viewed on https://tinyurl.com/KirkleesHOD2024 and the print version is now available from local libraries and information centres.
As mentioned previously, this year’s HOD Festival runs from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 15 and promises to be an exceptional year to discover some of the lesser known and exciting aspects of our district.
Dozens of churches are also taking part in Yorkshire Churches Day (https://www.yhct.org.uk/yorkshire-churches-day/) on Saturday, September 14.
Sunday, September 22, at 2pm: A Walk Around Penistone Town Centre
Marlene Marshall from Penistone History Archive and Friends of St John Baptist Church will lead a tour of Penistone providing a background to the history of this market town and showing how the area has changed over the centuries.
The starting point will be the Grade 1 listed St John’s the Baptist church, Shrewsbury Road, Penistone, Sheffield, S36 6DY. It is expected to take between 90 minutes and two hours.
To book a place please contact Sylvia Johnson on
The walk will cost £2.50 per person (£3 for non-members) and payment should be made direct to the HCS account at: Huddersfield Civic Society, Sort Code: 20-43-04, Account No: 50525022. Please add the reference: Pstone + your surname + numbers booked to help our treasurer, Gideon Richards, reconcile those who have paid with bookings received.
Thursday, October 10 at 7pm: Greasepaint and Limelight – The Story of Huddersfield’s Cinemas and Theatres. New North Road Baptist Church, Huddersfield.
An evening to celebrate the many theatres and cinemas that once offered so much pleasure to Huddersfield folk. Local historian, Ian Stevenson, will share his research and fond memories of some of the 26 or so ‘pleasure palaces’ that existed in the Huddersfield area in the 1950s and 60s, and some of the stars associated with them.
Book now at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1000060898067?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free to HCS members. A recommended £5 donation from non-members will help towards costs. This amount will be deducted from annual HCS membership charge. (£12.50 individuals, £30 corporate) for those non-members who join the society on the evening.
November 6 or 7 (Wednesday or Thursday)
Kirklees Museums and Galleries Manager Deborah Marsland will give a talk about Kirklees’ Heritage Strategy, other strategies to which it’s linked and the Strategic Heritage Action Plan 2024-2027.
Specific times, venue and further details in my next update
Cultural Heart: Phase 2, Museum and Art Gallery.
Members may recall that, some months ago and as a result of financial constraints, the art gallery, originally planned as a separate building, would have to be amalgamated with the re-sited Tolson Museum within the former library/art gallery, including an extension to the rear.
Last week I attended, along with Geoff Hughes, Gideon Richards, Sylvia Johnson and Howard Smith, a meeting with Jessica Evans, consultant architect with FCB Studios, who has prepared detailed proposals for the conversion of the former library and art gallery, with special attention paid to the architecturally important elements of this Grade 2 listed building.
Importantly, Jessica revealed that, very shortly, an application for planning and listed building consent would be formally submitted. From this I can only emphasise the concerns that were first articulated when we heard about the museum and gallery being consolidated within, what is certainly going to be, a much-reduced floor area. This is not to criticise FCB which has carried out its remit with care and due consideration to the fabric of the building.
What is of concern is the fact that consultants commissioned to design the new exhibition space have not completed their work, resulting in a complete lack of information relating to where thematic elements, particular those being rehoused from Tolson Museum, will be situated.
Those of you who have for many years enjoyed the specific areas allocated to illustrate themes such as industrial, mediaeval, natural history and extensive transport displays may wonder where this unique and fascinating glimpse into the town’s past will be accommodated. Certainly, the indications are that the planning application will have little information about this key element.
As indicated, it is clear there will be less display space available so we feel it is essential that every effort is made by HCS and our individual members to raise these concerns and request some clarity about where and what is being displayed and retained.
As individual members please do what you can to get these issues addressed satisfactorily. Once the deed is done and the present museum at Ravensknowle Park is closed (for what future purpose no one appears to have any clue) it will be too late to complain.
Housing, housing and more housing
Yes folks, unless you’ve all been living as a recluse over the past month or so it will be blindingly obvious that the Government wishes to build a lot more houses with the need for a greater percentage of affordable units. This aligns with the Government’s new consultation on the National Planning Policy and Kirklees Local Plan call for sites, that is, land available for consideration as part the current Local Plan update.
The national body representing Civic Societies, Civic Voice, has organised round table discussions concerning these proposals and Geoff Hughes and I have responded to a questionnaire relating to these aims. While we have aired concerns over the seemingly simplistic objective of improving house building targets without giving due consideration to environmental, heritage, sustainability, access and community infrastructure issues we feel there are related opportunities that should be considered from a local perspective.
One of these relates to the need for a greater partnership between the council, local construction companies, their architects and agents and property owners, to look at the many brownfield sites, vacant and underused buildings, particularly in the town centre and edge of centre and urban ‘villages.’
We all know there has been a great deal of new build and conversions specifically aimed at university students and the council itself is pursuing the conversion of some of its own property, eg. Estate Buildings and Somerset Buildings for residential use. This needs broadening to attract a much wider range of tenants, potentially attracted to a town that is seeing widespread changes including improved transport links to Leeds and Manchester.
One town that is already pursuing such an objective is Stockport where designs for a ‘walkable neighbourhood’, green space and leisure facilities have been unveiled as part of a town’s regeneration plans.
This stage of Stockport town centre’s redevelopment promises to deliver 1,200 new homes and is a joint venture between Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation and The English Cities Fund.
Perhaps a similar initiative should be developed with the support of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the council, the private sector and local organisations including HCS.
David Wyles