New book reveals Huddersfield’s marvellous Arts and Crafts house-building heritage
A new book looks at some of Huddersfield’s most magnificent houses and how their design shaped architecture in the town.
Huddersfield’s Art & Crafts Houses: from Edgar Wood to the 1930s has been written by local historian David Griffiths and is being published by Huddersfield Local History Society with the support of Huddersfield Civic Society.
David wrote previous Huddersfield Civic Society books The Villas of Edgerton and Highfields which are available to buy in the Shop section on the Huddersfield Civic Society website.
Arts and Crafts homes were built in the 19th to early 20th century and focus on natural materials, skilled craftsmanship and harmonious integration with the surrounding landscape.
David said: “The pioneering architect Edgar Wood is celebrated for his work in Lindley and Birkby, including Lindley Clock Tower and the nearby large houses Banney Royd (pictured below) and Briarcourt.
“Less well-known, however, are the local architects he influenced, directly or indirectly, and the local Arts and Crafts network of which he was an important part.”
One of those he inspired was architect Dennis Bamford who designed this house on Talbot Avenue in Lindley which features on the book’s front cover.
David added: “As the town grew, a talented succession of architects and builders carried Arts and Crafts ideals forward, largely for the growing middle classes but also influencing the design of working-class suburbs and municipal housing across the then Borough of Huddersfield.”
David’s book relates the local Arts and Crafts story from the 1880s to 1940 and goes on to illustrate the best houses of the period, area by area, in Almondbury, Birkby, Edgerton, Fartown, Lindley, Fixby and elsewhere in the town.
The book costs £12.95 and members of both Huddersfield Civic Society and Huddersfield Local History Society were invited to the launch on Saturday, November 22 at 2.30 pm at Lindley Methodist Church, 45 East St, Huddersfield.