Welcome to this month’s newsletter. The next one will be out in late April – any items for inclusion by 14 April please. We welcome all local history news!
Our next meeting – Monday 30 March
45 & 46 Upper Oldfield: The Rise and Fall of a Holme Valley Yeoman House
A talk by Amy Whitehead
This talk uses the example of the hamlet of Oldfield, and specifically 45 & 46 Upper Oldfield, to explore the history of the Holme Valley, and to pinpoint how different historical events, legislation and innovation affected the architecture and lives of the inhabitants of what we would now call a rural hamlet.
The meeting is on Monday 30 March at 7.30 pm in the Oastler Building at the University (the building above Shorehead roundabout). Car parking options are these (nearest first):
- The car park beneath the adjacent University gym, accessed from Wakefield Rd heading into town, just before the roundabout traffic lights. Parking is by the RingGo App only, at about £1.50. There’s a lift which comes out near the Library in the Schwann Building, a few steps from the Oastler.
- Free on-street parking in Oldgate, or in Queen St South and adjoining Chapel St and Milford St, which run though to Chapel Hill.
- The Civic Centre car park in Albion St, free after 6 pm (but NB no walking route through the Piazza during the Cultural Heart development).
Our April events
Celebrating Joshua Hobson
On the 150th anniversary of his death, our annual Luddite Memorial Lecture will celebrate the life of Joshua Hobson (1810-1876), campaigning journalist, Chartist and civic pioneer.
Image courtesy of Kirklees Museums & Galleries
On Monday 27 April (7.30 pm), Dr Vic Clarke will lecture on Joshua Hobson: His Radical Publishing and Work on the Northern Star, the Chartist newspaper which he published in Leeds.
Beforehand at 4.30 pm we will gather at his obelisk in Edgerton Cemetery to reveal the regilding of the faded monumental inscription, which the Society has funded. Entering from Cemetery Road, this is just to the left of the lodge – and fortunately just outside the current exclusion zone around the sadly decrepit chapels. An informal ceremony will feature brief contributions from Dr Clarke, and our own Alan Brooke and David Griffiths, on different aspects of Hobson’s career.
Members and the public are welcome at both events.
Roman Eagle vs. Yorkshire Grit
Under this title, John Cross, President of Huddersfield Archaeological Society (and HLHS member) will be talking about Conflicts in Yorkshire at the Tolson Museum on Wednesday 8 April at 2.0 pm. This is one of the monthly ‘Tea & Cake’ meetings organised by the Friends of Tolson and Ravensknowle.
Kirkburton: A Village at War
On Saturday 11 April (6pm) at All Hallows Church, Kirkburton, there will be a screening of a “documentary compilation of historical documents, first hand accounts and memories about the villages of Kirkburton and Highburton to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2”. Tickets cost £5 and can be booked online.
Calling all teachers
A new national initiative has been launched, Local History Hub, which aims to:
- Help schools embed local history in the curriculum in meaningful, creative ways.
- Build partnerships with museums, archives, and community groups.
- Celebrate local identity through shared projects and events.
- Share ideas, tools, and best practice across a growing UK-wide network.
We are in touch with the local co-ordinator in Huddersfield, David Green, and we’re keen to support this initiative. If you are a teacher, or indeed a retired teacher, and would like to know more about how to get involved, please let us know via chair@huddersfieldhistory.org.uk and we will put you in touch with Mr Green.
That’s it, folks
Apologies for this month’s thin newsletter. It’s all we have to hand – please keep sending us your local history news!
