REPORTS OF HCS EVENTS

HCS and Huddersfield Local History Society invited photographer Neil Horsley to give a presentation of his work showing how old mills have been transformed in and around Huddersfield as part of the 2025 Heritage Open Days festival. The talk took place at the Brian Jackson Centre in Huddersfield on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, and follows…

By David Wyles I’ll begin by saying that if you weren’t able to join Huddersfield Civic Society colleagues and friends on this tour of the mill’s archives I urge you to go at some point. Sunnybank Mills produced fine worsted cloth and the carefully preserved archive is so much more than a dusty record of…

Huddersfield Civic Society at St John The Baptist Church on a visit to Penistone on May 2025

Around 30 members of Huddersfield Civic Society were treated to a fascinating talk and tour of the University of Huddersfield’s Daphne Steele Building. Led by Tim Hosker the University’s Director of Estates and Facilities, the talk and tour on Thursday, May 15, was arranged by HCS President Bernard Ainsworth, a member of both the University…

Charles Smith, Policy Director at Historic England – the government’s adviser on the historic environment – gave an excellent and very informative presentation on the role of Historic England, and also localised it to Huddersfield. Before joining Historic England in 2013 Charles was Team Leader for Conservation and Design at Kirklees Council and remains a…

Tolson Museum in Ravensknowle Park, Huddersfield. Photo from Kirklees Council.

People explored Huddersfield’s heritage in September with 100 open buildings and special events across Kirklees. The national Heritage Open Days festival, jointly organised by Huddersfield Civic Society, runs every September – this year from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 15 – where people had chance to explore many of the town’s buildings. This year…

This illustrated presentation of Huddersfield’s theatres and cinemas by Ian Stevenson was held at New North Road Baptist Church on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 7pm. The evening celebrated the many theatres and cinemas that once offered so much pleasure to Huddersfield folk. Local historian Ian Stevenson shared his research and fond memories of some…

Kevin Trickett, MBE, President of Wakefield Civic Society, led 20 HCS members and friends on a walk covering Westgate and the many yards and passages that lead off this historic thoroughfare. Covering an area that has seen improvements as part of a 4-year High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) initiative funded by Historic England and…

People had the chance to find out how Huddersfield Civic Society tries to protect the town’s heritage and the role we play in its future. Society members set up a stall in Kingsgate shopping centre on Friday, June 21, 2024 so people could chat to us about what we do for the town. Local history…

“Fascinating” is just one of many adjectives you could use to describe the talk given by Susan Meadwell – HD1 Developments Ltd’s Project Director for St George’s Quarter, who is charged with bringing the hugely iconic railway warehouse adjacent to Huddersfield Railway Station back into beneficial use. Around 40 Huddersfield Civic Society members and guests…

Massive work will soon start on railway bridges in Huddersfield as part of the £10 billion project to upgrade and transform the railway line between York and Manchester. Details of the upcoming Transpennine Route Upgrade work and how complex it will be was revealed by Network Rail’s Paul Sumner to a meeting of Huddersfield Civic…