Upcoming West Yorkshire Events 2024

Walk: James Pigott Pritchett (Snr). in York, Led by Dr Victoria Hopgood

Date: Saturday 16th March.

Time: 1:30 pm - 4 pm

Meeting in front of Bootham Bar, High Petergate, York YO1 7EH

The walk will start at Bootham Bar (public toilets available) and enter Minster Yard via High Petergate, looking at Pritchett’s gothic commissions including the Song school (1833) and the Registery (1840) and finishing at the Assembly Rooms, (neoclassical facade by Watson and Pritchett 1828) via Ebenezer Chapel (1851) and The Savings Bank (1829). A fascinating look at the transition from late Georgian to early Victorian by a prominent firm of local architects.

The walk will focus on the architecture of Pritchett, rather than the more famous Minster. J.P. Pritchett may be known to you as architect of the Grade 1 listed Huddersfield Railway Station of 1847 and Estate Architect to the Ramsden family, owners and developers of much of the land that is now Huddersfield. However, he lived and worked in York for most of his life, officially joining the architectural practice of Charles Watson in 1812, which became Watson and Pritchett, later Pritchett and Son.

Dr Victoria Hopgood recently convened a conference on Pritchett and is an independent scholar and associate of the University of York.

Members Tickets: £5

Bookings for all events by Eventbrite, with links to follow.

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A day with Steve Roman; Exploring Oldham’s heritage as the "cotton-spinning capital" of the world.

Date: Saturday 27th April

Time: Come to one or both parts; £5 for one, £8 both. 11 am -4 pm

Meeting in King Street at the Tram station (OL8 1EU) at 10.45 for 11.00.

We will see the Greek-revival Oldham Town Hall (1841, J. Butterworth; extended 1879-80, G. Woodhouse and E. Potts), Oldham Parish Church (1823-27, R. Lane), George Street Chapel (1816), Oldham Lyceum and Art School (1856 and 1881) and the Hilton Arcade (1883). We will also see work by Edgar Wood, Alfred Waterhouse and a stained glass roof by just-knighted Oldham artist Sir Brian Clarke. The walk will finish at Gallery Oldham (OL1 1AL), where we will examine the 360-degree Oldham Panorama (1879).

Lunch (around 1.15) can be taken at one of the numerous cafes around Parliament Square, or in the Alexandra Park Café.

For Alexandra Park at 2.30 pm, meet at Oldham Central Tram Station at 2.15. There are public toilets at the park. This magnificent Victorian town park was built by the people of Oldham during the cotton famine, sparked by the American Civil war. Now registered Grade II* it opened in 1865 and we will see its restored features, listed monuments and structures and well-maintained planting.The walk will end around 4.00, and for those that wish Steve will lead you back to Oldham Central Tram Station.

Steve Roman is a Trustee of the Victorian Society and currently Acting Chair of the Manchester Group.

Members Tickets: £5 for one, £8 both

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Walk: Ilkley, From Village Spa to Victorian Resort, with Alex Cockshott

Date: Saturday 15th June.

Time: 3 pm-5 pm

We shall meet at the Railway Station.

Ilkley started as a village with fresh air and pure cold water. It had an increasing number of visitors in the Victorian era. With the arrival of the railway station in 1865, and the Middleton family starting land sales against a planned grid, the village expanded. We shall look at how the town centre developed, including the Grove.

The visit includes the Ilkley Charity hospital designed in the 1860s, and towards the end, the old centre of the village, with All Saints’ Church, extended 1860, and the old Castle (The Manor House).

Alex Cockshott is Vice Chair of Ilkley Civic Society and author of ‘Ilkley, Past and Present’.

Members Tickets: £5

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National AGM Weekend in Bradford.

Date: Friday 4th October to Sunday 6th October.

Do let us know if you are interested in helping out with any part of this event.