| Huddersfield Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 Huddersfield Town Hall at the northern (Ramsden Street) end | |
| Location | Huddersfield |
| Coordinates | 53°38′38″N1°46′57″W / 53.6439°N 1.7826°W |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architect | John Henry Abbey |
| Architectural style(s) | Classical style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 29 September 1978 |
| Reference no. | 1231723 |
  Shown in West Yorkshire | |
Huddersfield Town Hall is a municipal facility in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]
The building was commissioned to replace the offices of the Huddersfield Improvement Commissioners who had initially been based in offices in South Parade, since demolished, from 1848 and then in the Philosophical Hall on Ramsden Street [lower-alpha 1] from 1859. [3] [4] The new building, which was designed by John Henry Abbey in the Classical style, was completed in two stages; the stone was from Crosland Moor and the carving was sculpted by Thomas Stocks of Berry Brow. [5]
The northern part of the building, which included the municipal offices, was officially opened by Alderman Joseph Woodhead, the mayor, on 26 June 1878. [6] The northern part was designed with a large porch, flanked by two columns with parapet above. [1] The southern part, which included the concert hall and the magistrates' court, was opened by Alderman Thomas Denham, the then-mayor, in October 1881. [7] The southern part of the building was given large Corinthian order columns at the first floor level on the exterior of the building. [1]
Sir Charles Hallé conducted the Huddersfield Choral Society at the official opening in October 1881. [1] The concert organ, which was built by Henry Willis & Sons and originally installed in the Albert Hall in Newport, Wales, was bought on the advice of Sir Walter Parratt who played the new organ at the opening concert recital. [8]
The town hall was the meeting place of Huddersfield Municipal Borough which secured county borough status in 1889. [9] In April 1889 the first annual "Mrs Sunderland Music Festival" took place at Huddersfield Town Hall with the retired soprano Susan Sunderland presenting the prizes to the winners. The music festival was subsequently extended such that it occupied up to nine days. [10] The town hall continued to be used as a public venue and concert performers included the contralto singer, Kathleen Ferrier, who made an appearance on 21 December 1945. [11] Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the town hall and waved to the crowd from the balcony on 26 July 1949. [12] [13]
After the county borough was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, it became the headquarters of the Kirklees Council. [14] Following the most recent restoration of the organ in 1997, the leading organist Gordon Stewart attended and played Dance Suite for organ, which had been specially written by the composer Noel Rawsthorne for the re-opening of the concert hall. [15]
Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Huddersfield and 14 miles (23 km) west of Barnsley; the boundary of the Peak District National Park is 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south-west. The town is sited on the A635 and A6024 roads in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble. It mostly consists of stone-built cottages nestled on the eastern slopes of the Pennine hills.
Mirfield is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The borough comprises the ten towns of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. It is governed by Kirklees Council. Kirklees had a population of 422,500 in 2011; it is the third-largest metropolitan district in England by area, behind Doncaster and Leeds.
Slaithwaite is a town and former civil parish in the Colne Valley area of the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies in the Colne Valley, lying across the River Colne and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, approximately 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Huddersfield.
Sowerby Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. The Calderdale Council ward population at the 2011 census was 11,703.
Huddersfield is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into the similar-sized Colne is to the south of the town centre which then flows into the Calder in the north eastern outskirts of the town.
Kirklees Council is the local authority providing most local government services for the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. The council is one of five constituent members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Cheltenham Town Hall is an early-20th century assembly rooms in Cheltenham, England. Unlike most town halls, it is a public venue and not the seat of the borough council, which is housed in the nearby Municipal Offices. It is a Grade II listed building.
Greenhead Park is an urban park located 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of the town centre of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is one of the largest parks in Huddersfield and was originally opened in 1884. It is an English Heritage grade II listed property and is also in a Conservation Area.
Islington Town Hall is a municipal facility in Upper Street, Islington, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters for Islington London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Joseph Woodhead was an English newspaper proprietor and editor and a Liberal Party politician.
Dewsbury Town Hall is a Victorian town hall that stands in front of the old marketplace in the centre of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
Gordon Brodie Stewart is a British organist, conductor, and teacher.
Middlesbrough Town Hall is a municipal facility located in Albert Road in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
King's Lynn Guildhall, more fully referred to as the Guildhall of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a municipal building in Saturday Market Place in King's Lynn, Norfolk. It is a Grade I listed building. The building was substantially extended in 1895, with the whole complex now generally known as King's Lynn Town Hall, with the 1895 extension being separately listed at Grade II. It is the usual meeting place of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council.
Wandsworth Town Hall is a municipal building on the corner of Wandsworth High Street and Fairfield Street in Wandsworth, London. The building, which is the headquarters of Wandsworth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Susan Sunderland born Susan Sykes and known as the Calderdale Nightingale was a British singer. Some years after she retired the annual Mrs Sunderland Music Festival was organised in Huddersfeld and it is still running in the 21st century.
Brighouse Town Hall is a former municipal building in Thornton Square, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Brighouse Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Meltham Town Hall is a municipal building in Carlile Street in Meltham, West Yorkshire, England. The building, which formerly operated as the offices of Meltham Urban District Council, is now The Crossroads Centre, which operates the local foodbank.
Kirkburton Hall, formerly known as Kirkburton Town Hall, and before that, as Springfield House, is a former municipal building in Penistone Road in Kirkburton, a town in West Yorkshire in England. The building, which was previously the offices and meeting place of the Kirkburton Urban District Council and is now a private residence, is a grade II listed building.