Author Ann Denham’s talk about her new book on the Tolson Museum

Author and Huddersfield Civic Society committee member Ann Denham gave a talk about her new book on the town’s Tolson Museum.

The event was attended by an audience of more than 40 HCS members plus The Friends of Tolson and Ravensknowle at the Brian Jackson Centre on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

The talk was the official launch for Ann’s book called Tolson Memorial Museum: How Ravensknowle House Became The Museum Of Huddersfield.

Before the meeting Ann promised: “My talk will describe how Ravensknowle House came to be built on the edge of Huddersfield. It will illustrate the interconnectivity of the Senior, Beaumont and Tolson families of Dalton.

“The importance of the strength of the natural history organisations in the area and the growth of interest in the environment will be described with the development of Huddersfield Technical College. It will cover the circumstances that led to the Ravensknowle Estate being given to the people of Huddersfield and Dr Woodhead being invited to plan the museum. It will detail his plan and the development of what became a highly regarded local museum. Finally, a brief update on the subsequent development of this Museum of Huddersfield.”

Ann delivered on this promise to the delight of those present, then continued answering questions from the audience and finished by signing copies of her book for purchasers.

 Ann’s book is now available from the Shop section of the HCS website by clicking here or from local booksellers.