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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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)".
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| West House |
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