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The History of Huddersfield
The words ‘MADE IN HUDDERSFIELD’ were once the mark of a truly great textile industry which grew up in the foothills of the Pennines.
 Today, despite the decline of this local industry, the name of Huddersfield still has strong musical, historical and sporting connections recognised across the world. As the home of the world-famous Huddersfield Choral Society and as the birthplace of rugby league and Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Huddersfield is still a name to be reckoned with.
It used to be said there were more Rolls Royce cars in Huddersfield than anywhere else in England.
This was at a time when the town’s textile industry was at its height and Huddersfield was the home of numerous wealthy mill owners. They reaped the success of an industry which occupied scores of mills and provided work for thousands, weaving the worsted fabrics bearing the label ‘Made in Huddersfield’.
Today many of these mills are silent, either standing derelict as a dark reminder of times past, or cleaned up and converted into contemporary apartments for young professionals. The history of Huddersfield itself as a centre can be traced back to the Norman Conquest and the Domesday Book when both Huddersfield and nearby Almondbury were definedas townships.
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 At the time the Domesday Book referred to Huddersfield as ‘waste’, presumably meaning the area was still very sparsely populated. Moving into the 12th Century there is hardly any supporting evidence unfortunately to show what the Manor of Huddersfield was like at that time.
However maps of the late 1600s and early 1700s show cultivation in both Huddersfield and Almondbury. During the preceding years we begin to hear mention of the De Laci family who were great landowners in the North. Indeed today the nearby village of Almondbury keeps the connection with this family as one of the village streets is named De Lacy Avenue.
Huddersfield as a town obviously began to grow in the late 1600s as the town’s market gained a Royal Charter in 1671 and began to assume prominence over the neighbouring town ship of Almondbury.
 It is in the early 1700s that records show the selling of cloth taking place in Huddersfield parish churchyard before the building of the Cloth Hall in 1766.
At this time there were no regulations regarding apprenticeships or working practice and records show that weavers would work up to 17 hours in summer daylight and even children worked much longer hours for less wages than they did afterwards in the factories.
By the time the 18th Century arrived, a powerful cloth industry had grown up across the West Riding of Yorkshire and small hillside cottages around Huddersfield were engrossed in a thriving weaving cottage industry.
The area’s larger clothiers would employ women to spin at home which explains the numerous weavers cottages built around the outlying areas of the town.
 Moving onto to 1850 records make mention of Huddersfield’s Market Square, John William Street, King Street, Kirkgate and the market hall.
New roads played an important part in the development of the town and village names such as Marsh, Paddock, Birkby, Lindley etc began to appear.
From then on rapid changes in industry and transport served to make the town of Huddersfield an important textile area and town life in the early 19th Century is well documented with mention of chapels, churches, colleges, cemeteries, inns, shops etc. As a centre Huddersfield was now certainly on the map and a major player in the textile industry.
The town is also well known for its musical and sporting connections with the Huddersfield Choral Society highly regarded worldwide and the town known as the birthplace of rugby league.
 Founded in 1836 the Choral Society has an international reputation as the UK’s leading choral society, producing its own unique sound from over 200 voices.
The society’s repertoire includes both oratorio and religious music, contemporary and commissioned works. With a very busy schedule the society is best known for its annual performance of The Messiah in Huddersfield Town Hall. The choir also regularly perform at other top concert halls across the UK and abroad, and regularly records for TV and radio.
The society was an early pioneer of recording with the first recording completed in 1927.
On the sporting front, the town also played a key role in the sport of rugby league. In 1895 representatives of 21 clubs met in the George Hotel to officially form the Northern Rugby Football Union.
In more recent times the town’s George Hotel has fitted a plaque commemorating this famous day and confirming the town’s status as the birthplace of one of the North’s favourite sports.
 Today Huddersfield is a town on the up and very different to the one of the mid-1700s when well-known Methodist John Wesley came to Huddersfield in 1757 and is quoted as saying: “I rode over the mountains to Huddersfield. A wilder people I never saw in England. The men, women and children filled the streets and seemed ready to devour us.”
According to historians, this ‘wildness’ was changed beyond belief due to the arrival two years later of Henry Venn, the new Vicar of Huddersfield. Indeed, such was his influence, that a street in Huddersfield was named after him - although many years later Venn Street was to assume a much seedier image, being the former home to the town’s ladies of the night.
Hopefully today the town is much more civilised and is a true Yorkshire town with strong traditions, impressive architecture, exciting festivals, an artistic reputation and an ever-improving town centre.
Regeneration and improvement are on-going and town planners continue to make use of the town’s stunning old buildings and impressive architecture.
Indeed the frontage of Huddersfield Railway Station was once described as ‘the best railway facade in the country’. Today a statue of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson stands tall in front of the station entrance and serves as a reminder that he is one of the town’s most noteable famous names.
Other famous sons and daughters include actor James Mason, swimmer Anita Lonsborough, athlete Derek Ibbotson, actor Gordon Kaye, entertainer Roy Castle and actor Patrick Stewart.
In more recent times Huddersfield has become a university town and welcomed students from all over the UK and overseas to the area. Actor Patrick Stewart is the university’s chancellor.
Formerly a polytechnic, it gained university status in 1992 and is now home to over 20,000 students on a wide variety of courses. It can trace its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825.
Much has been said about the social and nightlife of the town with many regarding it as providing one of the best nights out in West Yorkshire. The opening of many new bars and restaurants in the town centre in recent years is testimony to Huddersfield’s popularity.
Like any other modern town, it continues to expand and develop, Many love life in the town due to its many amenities and night life, but also due to the fact that the countryside and the Peak National Park is just on the doorstep a few miles out of the centre. It combines the best of a modern town centre and the peace and quiet of the neighbouring countryside.
Look out for the Winter issue of Around Town Huddersfield & Wakefield when we continue our look at the town of Huddersfield, and in particular the historical textile industry and the vast mills which dotted the industrial landscape of the area’s villages and valleys.
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