The People's Park in Halifax

 

The terrace at the People's Park

Arriving at the People’s Park to continue my exploration of Halifax, the next 'building' on my British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge were the Grade II listed gate piers which, as at the south-east entrance, appear to be built using Elland Flags sandstone and not the Rough Rock. 

 

Gate piers at the south entrance

 

Entering the park, I didn’t see any information about its history, but it is considered to be one of the finest surviving examples of a 'Joseph Paxton, park, which was created in 1857 and was donated to the people of Halifax by Sir Francis Crossley of John Crossley and Sons - the largest manufacturer of carpets in the world, based at the complex of mills at Dean Clough. 

 

The southern steps to the terrace

 

Approaching the southern steps of the western terrace, which was not part of my Photo Challenge, I was reminded of the upper terrace (1854) at Crystal Palace Park, which was designed by Paxton when the Crystal Palace was relocated there from Hyde Park in 1851. 

 

A Carrara marble urn

 

On a lesser scale, the use of balustrades and large pediments with Grade II* listed white Carrara marble urns and statues by the sculptor Francesco Bienaimé - Hercules, Venus, Diana, Telemachus, Sophocles, a Neapolitan music girl, a dancing girl (after Canova) and the now missing Apollo – are presumably based on Paxton’s earlier work. 

 

Statues on the terrace

As seen with many marble statues, monuments and memorials that have been placed outside and subjected to the British climate, the statues at the People’s Park have not weathered very well and some of them have lost their sharp details and sometimes part of their arms. 

 

A detail of the Neapolitan music girl

Continuing along the terrace, the Grade II* listed Crossley Pavilion was designed by G.H. Stokes, who was articled to Sir George Gilbert Scott before joining Paxton at the Chatsworth Estate, where Historic England (HE) state that Dorset House and The Square in Beeley are possibly attributed to him. 

 

Views of the Crossley Pavilion

 

It is built in a Classical style using sandstone from the Elland Flags, with screen walls, fountain pools, mask and shell fountains and decorated keystones. The large apse in the rear of the pavilion contains a seated figure of Sir Francis Crossley, carved in white Carrara marble by Joseph Duham, which is surrounded by iron railings. 

 

Sculptural details on the Crossley Pavilion

 

The People’s Park is a Grade II* listed park and garden and much of the northern end is landscaped with large blocks of gritstone to form a large rockery, the sides of the path from Hopwood Lane and alongside the serpentine pond on the east side of the park. 

 

Views of gritstone blocks used for landscaping

 

I managed to obtain a small piece of gritstone, which is coarse grained and undoubtedly from the Rough Rock, which underlies the park. It is quite likely that the gritstone was obtained during the landscaping of the park and, as seen at the Rock Garden at Chatsworth House, Paxton had by now mastered the movement of extremely large blocks of stone. 

 

A piece of Rough Rock from the rockery

The next ‘listed building’ on my Photo Challenge was a sundial that is one of two that HE  listed in the park, but which the southern one seems to have been removed. Dated 1858, it is made with fine/medium grained sandstone that is again very probably from the Elland Flags, with its inscription recording that it was a gift from Alderman Matthew Smith in 1873.

 

The north sundial

Although not part of my Photo Challenge, the Grade II* listed fountain (c.1856), with a Carrara marble statue and dolphins, was relocated from the Winter Garden at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk c.1914 and replaced Paxton’s original fountain, which was a series of jets in concentric circles. 

 

The fountain

 

The drinking fountain, which is Grade II listed for group value is dated by HE as probably later C19 and the inscription records that it was a gift by J. Thorp, which research indicates was the Quaker Joseph Thorp - the president of the Temperance League - and that it was donated in 1857. 

 

The drinking fountain

 

After taking photos of the south and north bridges, I finished my very brief walk around the People’s Park to photograph the gate piers at the north-east entrance, before heading off to find the last two buildings on my Photo Challenge. 

 

The gate piers at the north-east entrance

An Exploration of Halifax - Part 5

 

A detail of the former Halifax Public Baths

Leaving Carlton Street to continue my exploration of Halifax, the next building on my British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge was Nos. 2 and 4 West Parade – a pair of late C18/early C19 houses, for which the Historic England (HE) description is not particularly informative. 

 

Nos 2 and 4 West Parade

 

Taking note the area of land to the north of Kent Street that is now used as a car park, but which the 1894 Ordnance Survey (OS) map shows was once occupied by terraced houses - including back to backs – I continued along Arches Street (previously named Archer Street) past the former worsted mills until I reached King Cross Street.

 

Now demolished terraced housing shown on the 1894 OS map

 

The Halifax Playhouse was built in 1836 as the Methodist New Connexion Chapel, but was converted to a theatre by the Halifax Thespians in 1947. Thin courses of Elland Flags sandstone has been used for the walling, but the portico is made from massive blocks of uniformly buff coloured sandstone. 

 

The Halifax Playhouse

 

HE describe it as "Early/mid C19. Formerly a chapel. Stone building with 2 tiers of windows, upper ones round-arched. Pedimented main (south) elevation framed by pair of strip pilasters and with Greek Doric entrance portico (disused)". 

 

The gate piers at the Halifax Playhouse

 

I just took a few photos from a distance, including the gate piers that are included in the listing, and can't tell if the massive sandstone is from the Elland Flags or is a coarser grained gritstone from the Rough Rock, which I had only seen at Halifax Minster and the Piece Hall despite being quarried in several places around Halifax. 

 

Views of the former Halifax Public Baths

Continuing along the dual carriageway section of King Cross Street, my next building to photograph was the former Halifax Public Baths (1859), the conversion of which into use by the King's Church in 2001 earned a Halifax Civic Trust Award.

 

The Halifax Civic Society Award plaque

The baths were donated to the people of Halifax by the Crossley family – the owners of the largest manufacturer or carpets in the world at Dean Clough - and were built by the Borough Engineer George Wilson Stevenson, who also submitted a design for Halifax Town Hall, with HE stating that it was possibly designed by Sir Joseph Paxton and/or George Henry Stokes. 

 

The south-east entrance to the People's Park

Although I didn't look at the sandstone closely, its distinctly yellow colour suggests that this is another use of the massive variety of the Elland Flags, which also appears to have been used for the gate piers and walls at the south-east entrance to the People's Park – although the upper section of the left pier has been replaced with sandstone that has developed a greyish patina. 

 

The south elevation of the former Halifax Public Baths

 

Retuning to King Cross Road, after taking a photo of the former public baths from another angle, I crossed over the road and carried on until I reached the junction with Arden Road, where there is another example of the influence of the Crossley family. 

 

The west range of the Joseph Crossley Almshouses

The Joseph Crossley Almshouses (1863), according to HE,  were designed by Roger Ives as a large group of Gothic style buildings that are set around a garden court, which includes a central castellated tower with a stair turret and a large chapel. 

 

The north range

 

Being private property, I just took a couple of quick snaps from the entrance and didn't spent closely inspect the sandstone used for its rock-faced walling, which has developed a uniformly grey patina and is quite unlike the yellowish Elland Flags sandstone that I had seen in several  contemporary buildings in the town centre. 

 

The north gateway

After taking a couple of photos of the north gateway and the attached boundary wall for my Photo Challenge, I took a couple of photos of the late C18/early C19 West House, before crossing back over King Cross Road and entering the People's Park.

 

West House

An Exploration of Halifax - Part 4

 

A detail of the former Halifax Police Station

Having left the town centre, where I had seen some very fine buildings that were built in the second half of the century - particularly Halifax Town Hall and others on Crossley Street - I continued my exploration of Halifax at Harrison Road, where several Grade II listed buildings formed part of my British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge. 

 

Buildings on my British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge

 

The first of these was Nos. 1 and 3 Harrison Road, a pair of very plain early/mid C19 houses that are listed for their group value only and which Historic England (HE) describe as being part of an interesting group of buildings on Harrison Road. 

 

Nos. 1 and 3 Harrison Road

 

Yellowish brown thinly coursed sandstone with well defined plane bedding, presumably from the Elland Flags, is used for the walling and window and door surrounds. The same sandstone is used as ashlar in Nos. 5 and 7, No. 2, Nos. 6 and 8 and Nos. 11 and 11A, which are similar in size and designed in the Classical style – with features that include porticos with Ionic or Corinthian columns, carved corbel brackets, pedimented windows and prominent cornices. 

 

Nos. 5 and 7, No. 2, Nos. 6 and 8 and Nos. 11 and 11a Harrison Road

Unfortunately, HE provides no historical information about any of these houses, which are now all used as offices. They were presumably built for the professionals and businessmen who were able to pay for houses of a better quality, which were located in a relatively green area set away from the textile mills and their surrounding terraced houses. 

 

The 1854 Ordnance Survey map showing the area around Harrison Road

On the north-west corner of Harrison Road and Carlton Street is the early C19 Harrison House Branch Library, which is built with thinly bedded sandstone Elland Flags sandstone for the walling, with four large slabs used for each of the giant simplified Doric pilasters. 

 

The former Harrison House Branch Library

 

The south-west corner of this junction is occupied by the early Renaissance Revival style former Halifax Police Station and Court House (1889), which was not on my list of buildings to photograph but I think is another example of the Elland Flags - although I didn't examine the stone closely. 

 

The former Halifax Police Station and Crown Court

 

The Carlton United Reformed Church (1837), with its very simple classical design and an ornate pediment inscribed with Harrison Road Chapel and the date, is described by HE as being built in stone "brick" with ashlar dressings. 

 

The Carlton United Reformed Church

 

The gate piers and railings are separately Grade II listed and I thought that massive blocks of coarse grained Rough Rock would probably have been used for these, but when enlarging my photograph I think this is a further use of massive finer grained Elland Flags sandstone. 

 

The gateposts to the Carlton United Reformed Church

Next to the chapel, on Carlton Terrace, is the former Harrison Road Schools (1872), which has its name and date in raised lettering on a plaque that is attached to the gable end. It is listed for group value and the HE description states that "its classical style compliments that of the adjacent church and it compares favourably with other, listed Sunday schools". 

 

The former Harrison Road Schools

 

Returning to Harrison Road, the pair of houses comprising Nos. 13 and 15 were the next on my list to photograph. Although one of these was scaffolded at the time, the Classical door surrounds with pilasters and the sandstone ashlar, which varies in course height between the ground and upper floors, were clearly visble. 

Nos. 13 and 15 Harrison Road

 

Continuing west along Carlton Street, Nos 4 and 6 are another pair of 3-storey houses designed in a Classical style that provide further examples of porticos with Corinthian capitals to the columns and an entablature above. 

 

Nos. 4 and 6 Carlton Street

 

A little further along Carlton Street is Basement House (No. 10), another early to mid C19 building that HE describes as "Early/mid C19. Distinguished Greek revival facade. Stone now painted. 3 bays with order of Doric pilasters. Pedimented blocking each side and raised centre with wreath flanked by consoles. Subsidiary order of pilasters to glazing, now altered but retaining tripartite central entrance with light over".

 

No. 10 Carlton Street

Its architecture style and its finish, which is render and not painted stone, stands out against the surrounding stone buildings, which continue as modest terraced houses along Carlton Street – including the pair of houses comprising Nos. 12 and 14 and the adjoining No. 16, which are part of the same listing and were built 1830-1840. 

 

Nos. 12 to 16 Carlton Street

 

An Exploration of Halifax - Part 3

 

A detail of the National Westminster Bank on Crown Street

After having a good look at Halifax Town Hall and photographing several listed buildings on Crossley Street, I returned to Crown Street to continue my British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge, but first stopped to photograph a couple of buildings that caught my eye – the first being No. 2 Silver Street, a mid/later C19 building that Historic England (HE) describe as being in the C13 Gothic style. 

 

No. 2 Silver Street

 

On the opposite rounded corner of Crown Street and Waterhouse Street, is the earlier C20 National Westminster Bank building, which is built in a Classical style with a rusticated ground floor, a door surround with floriated decoration and a dome rising above. 

 

The National Westminster Bank building

 

Like the Art Deco Virgin Money bank and the former Burton Buildings, the use of Portland stone makes it very conspicuous in a town where coarse grained gritstone from the Rough Rock and finer grained sandstone from the Elland Flags were quarried in many places around Halifax and were readily available. 

 

Nos. 45 and 47 Crown Street

 

Further along Crown Street, Nos. 45 and 47 form another pair of mid/later C19 Gothic buildings with modern shop fronts, which are Grade II listed for their group value. As with No. 2 Silver Street, it looks like it has been built with sandstone from the Elland Flags, but I just took a few record photos for my Photo Challenge and continued to Cow Green. 

The upper storeys of Nos. 45 and 47 Crown Street

To the west of this section of the main A629 road, which here is a dual carriageway, many of the buildings marked on the 1907 Ordnance Survey (OS) map have been demolished and replaced by mixed use C20 buildings and, compared to the centre of Halifax with its fine later Victorian buildings, the area appears to be quite run down. 

 

A side by side view of the 1907 OS map and Google Map view

 

Continuing south along Cow Green, I stopped briefly to photograph the corbel brackets in the form of bull's heads and hoofs that support the 3-bay oriel window on the splay of No. 5 Cow Green - an Art Deco building built at some time between the publication of the 1930 OS map and its revision in 1938, which was eventually published in 1947 after WWII. 

 

The corbel brackets supporting the oriel window at No.5 Bull Green

 

Zooming into a photograph of one of the scrolled brackets, there is a coat of arms with three castles, the word probity and a date of 1738. A Google search would suggest that this relates to the Halifax Freemasons' Lodge of Probity, which was founded in 1738 and perhaps that No. 5 was occupied at one time by the lodge.

 

A corbel bracket on No. 5 Cow Green

 

On the north side of Cow Green is Bull Green, which was once the site of the cattle market and I assume that the carved corbel brackets described above relate to this. Construction works were being undertaken at the time of my visit and I just took a photo from a distance of another Art Deco building, Bull Green House (1932), before continuing to Harrison Road.

 

Bull Green House