Almondbury Liberal Club
Almondbury Liberal Club
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| Almondbury Liberal Club geograph.org.uk Betty Longbottom |
Almondbury Liberal Association was
formed in May 1868 when a public meeting was held at the home of Richard
Noble of the Woolpack Inn, Almondbury. There was a large attendance at the
meeting and Charles Booth chaired the meeting with John O’Connell as
secretary. O’Connell read out the preamble of the rules and the desirability of
forming a society in Almondbury in order to disseminate Liberal political
opinions. This was to be done through
Lectures, meetings and the superintending of elections. A code of rules was also laid out for the
government of the Association, these stated that there would be a president,
two vice presidents and a council of 12 members. Subscriptions were to be fixed
at 1shilling per annum.
The meeting went on to discuss the establishment of a political reading room but due to the foreseen expenses that this would incur it was decided that the formation of a working man’s club would be a preferable option. After elections for the committee had been decided the question of the Working Man’s Club was returned to and voted on. The conclusion being
“That in the opinion of this meeting a
Working Men’s Club should be formed in Almondbury.”
In January 1869 the Almondbury Liberal
Association held a banquet at Richard Noble’s home to honour the return
to parliament the county and borough members. Around 50 people attended and John
Fligg Brigg, the president, chaired the gathering. During the toasts the
secretary, John O’Connell, hinted at the probability that a reading room
in connection with the association might be appropriate now. Councillor Adam
Houghton supported his view as he stated that “the only way to obtain pure
representation was by first educating and enabling the minds of the people.”
The Reading Room was established in February 1869, having around 20 members.
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| Woolpack Inn (1960s) Kirklees Images Archive |
By 1871 the association was well established in Almondbury and the members held their annual gathering in a large room in the Wool Pack Inn. Around 200 members, friends and family enjoy a
“first class tea”.
Charles Booth addressed a densely packed meeting after the tea which opened with the singing of “the Christmas Hymn”. He then went on to talk improved legislation including the 1832 Reform Bill, the Corn Laws, Irish Church Bill, Irish Land Bill and the Education Bill. Adam Houghton similarly addressed the meeting.
When the Association held its annual
meeting in December of the same year it was reported that women made up the
majority of people at the meeting.
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| Charles Henry Jones, First Mayor of Huddersfield. |
The annual meeting of 1871 was held in
the Wesleyan Free School with the room decorated with floral and “artificial devices”.
One hundred members, family and friends enjoyed a “substantial tea” before a
public meeting which the Charles Henry Jones, who had been the first Mayor of Huddersfield, presided over.
Addresses were made by Jones, Adam Houghton, Mr Sykes, Mr Botrill and G H Greenwood. As on other occasions glees were sung at intervals by
“a choir of male voices.”
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| Edward Altham Leatham, MP for Huddersfield |
The Almondbury Liberal Working Men’s Club was finally inaugurated in January 1874 in the Armoury, Ramsden Street, Huddersfield. Edward Altham Leatham, M.P for Huddersfield was present at the large gathering of over 900 people. The evening began with a “substantial tea” and by 7pm when the meeting was timed to begin the hall was crowded. Almondbury Club by this time had over 100 members on its books which was considered to be good beginning which would continue to increase. Leatham himself thought that the increase in the number of political clubs in the Huddersfield area indicated that the Liberal Party was in great favour and made the resolution that
“this meeting views with satisfaction the establishment of Liberal Clubs in this borough, such organisations being admirably adapted to promote the success of Liberal Principles and to strengthen the party by bringing it into social as well as political union.”
Leatham spoke to the gather crowd for over 45 minutes and was well
received.
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| St Helen's Gate, Almondbury Kirklees Images Archive |
Over a few years the numbers increased and by March 1874 the Association resolved itself into a Liberal Club and took premises in St Helen’s Gate, Almondbury.
The club continued to gain support and
new members over the course of a few years more than doubled making the St
Helen’s Gate premises overcrowded and deemed to be unhealthy. The committee
began the search for larger premises, but in the meantime, numbers began to
dwindle. The committee then had to redouble their efforts to find a larger base.
After finding somewhere more suitable they put it to the remaining members, who
were concerned that as funds were so low, they would not be able to afford the
extra cost that would be incurred. However, the decision was made to go ahead
and a subcommittee appointed to raise subscriptions.
A large stock of new furniture had to
be purchased and some alterations to the premises needed to be made which
totalled over £60, £40 of which was subscribed by the working men of the
village. The further £20 was to be raised by holding a tea party.
The club moved into its new premises
in May 1885 and a good many of the old members re-joined plus a large number of
new members. Records show that there were 10 honorary members and 120 ordinary
members. The area at that time was
considered to be a strong Liberal area and quite radical and it was expected
that the membership would continue to rise, and possibly double, due to this.
The rules of the club were still to
provide education and information through lectures, reading and discussion as
well as providing social amusements. However, gambling and swearing were
strictly prohibited and no drunken person would be allowed on the premises
although alcohol would be sold 6 days a week. The club provided newspapers in
its reading room which expressed a variety of political views in order that
members could be informed and develop their own views.
Later in the year an advertisement in
the Huddersfield Daily Examiner announced an event to celebrate the opening of
new club rooms. The event would consist of a “knife and fork tea” at 4.30 in
the Central National School followed by a public meeting in the evening.
Councillor J. H. Batley was to host the event with prominent Liberal
such as Edward A Leatham, Aldermen J Woodhead and Charles
Glendinning also attending.
On the day about 200 people sat down
to tea in the large school room and this number increased substantially for the
evening meeting.
By January 1891 membership stood at 127 members which was an increase on the previous year of 12 new members, by May it has risen again to 145, and was going from strength to strength. The club had a good reputation and it was stated at its annual meeting that
“the conduct of its members had been excellent.”
Three lectures had been given that
year under the auspices of the Huddersfield Junior Liberal Association, the
club had been entered for the Huddersfield and District Liberal Cup Competition
and had joined the Huddersfield and District Federation of Liberal Clubs.
It was around this time that there was a
“spirit of determination”
amongst club
members and their wives to extend the club “borders”. The club had rented their
premises for some time consisting of two cottages and a small piece of land at
the rear, just opposite the tramway terminus in Almondbury. The idea grew and a
ladies’ sewing party was formed as part of the drive to raise funds.
This was followed in 1892 by a building committee being formed and in 1893 the adjoining four old cottages, the old mill and sheds formerly occupied by Councillor Midgeley plus two and a half acres of land in Northgate, were purchased at the very low price of £1100.
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| Sir John William Ramsden, Bart. Kirklees Images Archive |
The land was copy hold and Sir John William Ramsden,
Bart, the lord of the manor, converted it into freehold. This conversion to
freehold and the conveyancing cost the club a further £200. The whole amount of £1300 was raised in one
week amongst the members in loans of varying amounts.
The ladies sewing party “worked zealously and loyally” with the building committee right from the outset in order to be able to pay off the loans. They had held three Sales of Work and an Easter Bazaar in 1893 from which they had raised £150.
At the back of the old club the ground had been formed into a lawn for dancing, but when the new grounds were obtained it was decided that
“the further political education of the members should be accompanied by increased facilities for outdoor enjoyment.”
It was decided that another and much larger
dancing green be formed plus an extensive bowling green. Members offered their labour for free helping
to cut the cost of development and it was thought that another £150 would be
needed to level and turf the areas.
The new bowling green was planned to
be 48 yards long by 42 yards wide, containing an area of just under 2000 square
yards which would have made it the largest bowling green in the borough.
A young, local man, William Fleming
aged 18, a boilermaker, was working with others on the site in September 1893
and had been engaged in undermining the side of the reservoir. All the men left
the site at around 8pm that evening except William who said he needed to stay a
while in order to “shutter” it before he left. Thomas Lee, who had been working
with him, told William to leave it and that they would shutter it in the
morning, but William insisted.
Thomas went to leave the site but had
not gone very far when he heard William cry out for help. He dashed back to find his mate covered with
around a ton and a half of soil, which had fallen on top of him. Thomas got
help to get William out and took him into the club before calling the local
doctor, Dr Draper, to attend to William. The doctor instructed them to carry
William to his home where his injuries could be seen to.
The following day Dr Draper gave
instructions that William should be taken to Huddersfield Infirmary and he was
admitted to the hospital. His injuries
were all internal, no bones were broken miraculously and it was found that the
injuries were not as severe as was first feared.
Another disaster a few weeks earlier had occurred at the club when severe thunderstorms hit the Yorkshire area. The storms in August and had caused damage and loss of life in some cases across England. Huddersfield did not escape the storm which was described as being
“of almost unexampled severity.”
About dusk on the 9th August the lightning which was described as being
“unusually vivid”,
began to flash over Huddersfield and the surrounding area. The storm continued throughout the night and early morning, lasting around 3 to 4 hours, with the lightning accompanied by
“heavy peals of thunder and a
downpour of rain”.
Luckily little damage was done locally, but the Almondbury Liberal was struck by lightning at about 2.40am. Harry North, the son of George North the club keeper, was sleeping on a bed made up in the billiard room on the first floor at the front of the club. He was awakened by the noise and through the open door of the room he saw a strong light shining from the committee room at the other end of the building. Harry got up and found flames blazing close to the ceiling in a corner near the fireplace. The lightning had severed the gas pipe and the gas was ignited by it!
He called
his father who opened the billiard room window to raise the alarm which was
heard by the local police constable PC Haley.
Haley hurried to the club and found that the gas pipe which ran along
the front and side of the chimney close to the ceiling had been struck. While
attempts were being made to put out the fire with rags, the gas was turned off
at the meter and the fire soon went out. The wallpaper was burnt over a small
area, some plaster from the ceiling had fallen off and scattered around the
room, and the ceiling around the hole was scorched. Luckily the prompt action
prevented any further damage from explosion or fire. There is no report of the
storms causing the development of the grounds any delay but it might be
wondered if the torrential rain had been the cause of the collapse happening.
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| Central National School, Almondbury Kirklees Images Archive |
Still in debt for the new premises and with repairs costs after the storm the Building Committee arranged a fund-raising concert to be held at The Central National School in October 1893.
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner reported a “large and appreciative” audience but stated that the programme for the evening was “rather a long one”, consisting of songs, duets and a selection of pieces by the Almondbury Handbell Ringers.
The Hand Bell Ringers launched the concert with a march “Les Pantings” and the Examiner stated that all the pieces played by the ringers were
“performed with brilliant attack!”
Miss S A Crowe sang three songs and an encore followed by duets performed by Mrs J L Teal and George Dyson. There was a violin soloist (Harry Field) a group of visitors from Huddersfield sang a variety of popular songs and comical musical sketches added to the entertainment. The concert went down well and raised a good amount towards the building fund, although a precise figure was sadly lacking from the reports.
By 1894 the dancing ground and bowling green were almost complete and further plans were being made to build a
“commodious wooden building on the new ground for the accommodation of large parties”
as the club rooms were deemed too small. It was hoped by the members that this would
happen quite soon so that meetings, lectures and social gatherings could make
use of the additional space.
The ladies continued “plying the
needle” and together with the building committee determined to make another
effort to raise more money to fund the new proposals. Plans were made for a garden party, another
sale of work, a tea party and a dance. All these events were carried out quite
quickly from their conception and happened over the course of one weekend. On the 28th April they held a sale of work
followed by them serving “a meat tea.” Other events during the weekend were
arranged by the building committee.
The weather was reported as being
“fine and warm, when the sun was not hidden by clouds.”
Cricket and other outdoor pursuits occupied the men of the club during the afternoon, whilst the ladies were reported as going earlier to tea so as to be in good time for the dancing which would follow. Mr J MacDonald’s band provided the music and the Huddersfield Examiner reported that
“the lads and lasses tripped it on the green till dusk.”
After this the dancing moved into the card
room. The older members looked on or continued to buy from the sale of work,
others enjoyed talking and smoking, whilst others played billiards. It was hailed
as a pleasant evening and a successful event.
Further events were held during 1894 in order to raise funds to reduce the debt. In October a concert was organised and held at the National School, where a variety of entertainment was provided.
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| Leslie Stuart aka Lester Barratt |
Lester Barrett, (also known as Leslie Stuart, Lester Thomas and Thomas Augustine Barrett) from Manchester, a popular comedian and mimic, had been engaged together with Miss Marie Smith, a soprano, to assist him and pianist Mr T A Barrett (who actually was none other than Lester Barrett in another guise it would appear). The pianist played a selection of piece which the audience enjoyed. This was followed by Marie Smith singing five songs, three of which she encored as they were so popular.
The main attraction of course, was Lester Barratt, who contributed 11 songs and sketches with
“the greatest of good humour”
and with the cleverness
that had made him popular throughout the country. His most successful sketch was entitled
“Spring Cleaning!” followed by “Down by the Sea” which reportedly was “received
with great delight, and caused roars of laughter.”
By February 1895 the club was ready to
have the turf laid on the bowling green and advertised for tenders in the local
newspapers to be received by 28th February.
Fundraising to clear the loans continued into 1895 when a two-day bazaar was again organised in April by the ladies’ sewing club and the building committee. The aim was to increase the £150 raised by previous events to £300. The bazaar was held in the Board School on Fenay Lane on Easter Monday was opened by Councillor J Firth of Aspley and on Tuesday by Mrs J Studdard. The rooms were decorated with the stalls having been draped at the bottom with “art muslin” and at the tops with lace curtains presenting
“a very neat and pretty appearance.”
In the Infants School building a
variety of musical and comedic entertainments proved to be very successful.
These included a performance by a group called “WEEP-NO-MOH Minstrels”,
although there is no report of the content of their performance or who they
were except for the fact that they were accompanied by J. B Crossley and the
“gypsy encampment”. This encampment apparently featured “skirt dancing” by Miss
Ida Gordon. The entertainments
were supplemented by afternoon tea and refreshments. The event had been well
advertised previously in the local press to attract people to the event and
crowded audiences were reported for both days. The total takings fell a little
short of their expectations however coming to a little over £65.
The Almondbury Liberal Club Company Limited was formed in June 1896 with a capital of £2,000 in £1 shares. The initial directors were named as
- Robert Shaw of Town End
- John Lee of Park Drive
- Arthur Sykes of Town End
- Joe Jackson of The Common
- Joshua Haigh of Quarry Hill
- George Dawson of Northgate
- John Stansfield of Northgate
- Ernest Dyson of Town End
The company was registered with the intention of acquiring
"land, buildings or real or personal property in the county of Yorkshire or elsewhere, and to provided, furnish and maintain, at Almondbury..........club accommodation for persons professing to hold Liberal opinions."
By the turn of the century with the
club continuing to grow in numbers new premises were needed. A new building was
opened on Saturday 30th November 1912 by the Liberal MP for
Huddersfield Arthur Sherwell. The
cost of the new building was reported to be around £1500. As so fund-raising
event continued to be held and funds raised to cover the costs of the new
building.
By March 1918, when the annual general meeting was held at the club, membership stood at 155 with 7 honorary members. The club was now in profit to the sum of £68 8s 11 ½ d at the end of 1916 and this turn around in the club finances was due to the efforts of members and the ladies associated with club organising and running event throughout the year. Reported events included whist drives, billiards and bowls matches arranged by Mr Shaw and Mr Townson. The ladies had done a production of “The Village Wedding” which had proved to be very successful.
10 January 1874; 2 & 7 November 1885; 2 September 1893; 5 May 1894; 13 October 1894; 6 & 20 April 1895; 6 June 1896
Huddersfield Daily Examiner 24 October 1885; 2 & 7 November 1885; 21 March 1891; 10 August 1893;21 October 1893; 30 April & 5 May 1894; 16 February 1895; 6, 13 & 20 April 1895; 15 Match 1918
World War 1
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| Almondbury War Memorial Kirklees Images Archive |
At the beginning of the conflict of
WW1 a local Almondbury butcher, Giles Roebuck, generously provided
thirty “roasts” a week for the deserving case in the village. The Liberal and
Conservative Club members worked together to distribute these. At Christmas
1914 Roebuck sent a quarter of “a beast” and half a sheep to be distributed.
The carcasses were delivered to the Conservative club where they were cut “into
suitable roasts” and then the joints were distributed in the village. These
roasts went principally to the wives and mothers of those men on the Almondbury
Roll of Honour. Huddersfield
Daily Examiner 28 December 1914
In September 1917 the club hosted an exhibition of
“War Trophies”
which proved to exceed their expectations in its appeal to the public. The exhibition had a long list of
“articles made especially for the destruction of human life”
and was held to raise funds for
the Almondbury Bureau, which was one of the voluntary organisations working
in the area.
The Assembly Hall was decorated and
plants and flowers had been donated by J. A. Brooke and J. S. Sharp.
There was a variety of stalls which contained collections of “trophies” from
the Western and Eastern Theatres of war. The collection proved to be so vast
that people could not fully explore it all in the two hours allocated and so
all that were interested were invited to go back again. Almondbury was praised
for its voluntary work by Major Coward when he opened the exhibition but there
is no explanation of what or who the Almondbury Bureau were. Huddersfield Daily Examiner 17 September 1917
The report of the AGM in March 1918 stated
that there were 37 members on active service at that date and two of their
members were prisoners of war. Many of “their lads” had been wounded but were
said to “progressing satisfactorily.” Huddersfield Daily Examiner 15 March 1918
Liberal Ladies.
The ladies of Almondbury were an active force, first seen in 1869. Not liking the idea of being out done by the Conservatives the Liberal ladies organised a
“picnic tea drinking”
on
Easter Tuesday that year, occupying the same room that had previously been used
by the Conservative Association. Mrs
A. B. (her own name unknown as the papers only reported her initial!)
chaired the event. Toasts were made to Queen Victoria, Liberal leaders &
MPs, as well as all the inhabitants of Almondbury. The Huddersfield Chronicle
reported the event saying –
“After this
most serious and business-like part of the evening was over, and the fun
commenced and grew fast and furious if the shouts and screams of laughter that
reached the outer world were any criterion. The Liberal women of Almondbury
know how to appreciate a right good tea. Singing and tripping it on the light
fantastic toe. With good feeling and neighbourly friendship. Brought the
evening to a close.”
John H Robson spoke about Richard Cobden, it being the centenary of his birth and praised the ladies for celebrating this event.
The women
hosted another garden party for the Huddersfield Women’s Liberal Association in July
1906. The ladies of Almondbury and
Honley Liberal Clubs competed in a bowls match and entertained the crowd. The Almondbury ladies won 238 to Honley’s
154.
There were
demonstrations of ambulance work by the Queens Street Boys Brigade were given
in the afternoon, followed at dusk by a demonstration of life saving from a
building which was supposed to be on fire!
The “house” was erected on the upper floor of the club by W. H. Harper
and it was reported that the lifesaving “was cleverly carried out.” The boys
also did a drill demonstration accompanied by a bugle band under the charge of
Sergeant Brooke.
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| Sir James Woodhouse |
The weather had
been fine and summery leading up to the event and so the ladies were adorned in
their “Summer attire” and so not prepared for the heavy rain that fell in the
late afternoon cutting short some of the programme. Tea was served in a large
marquee in the club grounds. After an excellent tea, a public meeting was held
in the evening led by Lady Woodhouse with local aldermen and Councillors also
on the platform with her, including her husband Sir James Woodhouse.
After Lady
Woodhouse had spoken and congratulated the return of Sir Henry
Campbell-Bannerman to power various speakers, including her husband addressed
the meeting.
A similar event
was held in July 1909 when the weather was not at all favourable, but these
events were so popular by then that it drew a large attendance despite the
weather.
The garden parties became an annual event and were combined with sales of work. A fine July day in 1915 saw a full programme of entertainments and a sale od work followed by tea being held in the club grounds. Stalls included
“Almondbury Toy and Home Industries”
of which there is no description of what was involved,
plus a stall of the ladies sewing work. Various fairground type stalls such as
skittles and hoop-la, ice cream stalls did very good business throughout the
afternoon.
There were over 200 guests for the tea and it was held in the Assembly Hall so as to be able to seat everyone. After tea the
“Almondbury Mascot Troupe”
entertained followed by
dancing which was said to be “greatly enjoyed” with music provided by H. Sharp.
The ladies of the
club continued to enjoy playing bowls and there are reports to show that they
were regularly involved in matches with ladies from other clubs. When the “War
Trophies Exhibition” was held in September 1917 the ladies held a bowling match
on the club green in support. They were competing against the Almondbury Conservative Club
ladies and there was great interest shown in their match. The men’s team had
played the Conservative Club men on the previous Saturday and the Liberal Club
had won. The Liberal ladies however lost to the Conservative ladies in their
match. Like the exhibition all the money raised was for the Almondbury
Bureau.
Leeds Mercury 12 July 1909;
Social occasions
& Excursions
September 1869 saw the Almondbury
Association join up with the association from Newsome for an excursion to
Wentworth House, the seat of Earl FitzWilliam, in what is now South
Yorkshire. About 330 people left by train from Huddersfield at 7.30am and
arrived at Chapeltown, just outside of Sheffield, at 9.20am. They then walked
to the grounds of the mansion and enjoying viewing the hall, grounds and
gardens, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Their return journey was on the 7.30pm
train from Chapeltown back to Huddersfield station.
Social occasions combined with
political meetings, often in the form of tea parties, were frequently
held. One such event was held by the
Almondbury Liberal Club in the Free Wesleyan School on 31 December 1874. Councillor
Joseph Hirst presided over the evening which reportedly had a large
attendance. After all the formalities the evening was reported as being “very
pleasant.”
Social events were also held to raise
funds for the club, often arranged and organised by the women associated with
the club. Events such as Bazaars were
organised by the ladies and often extended into evening entertainments as well.
In April 1893 the club held a bazaar in order to reduce the debt uncured by the
purchase of new club premises and adjoining land. The Bazaar was held in the
local Board School on Easter Monday and Tuesday. It was opened by Mrs S. H.
Midgeley on the first day and Mr K Eastwood an the second. It raised £70 6s towards the debt.
Annual tea parties were popular as a fundraiser and one in January 1893 was reported as having
“a handsome balance to be handed over towards the club building fund.”
It had been held in the
Board School and after tea was finished the floor had been cleared for dancing
with music provided by “Mr Wigglesworth’s Band.”
Once the
bowling green had been completed around 1894 matches between Almondbury and
other clubs were held on a regular basis and it is still in use today.
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| Almondbury Liberal Club Bowling Green geograph-859574-by-Stanley-walker |
In 1907 one
of the long-time club members W. Shaw of Town End, was set to leave the country
to settle in Massachusetts with his family.
He was to sail from Liverpool to Boston and then travel onwards up
country to join members of his extended family who already lived there. The
club held a send off to wish him well on the Saturday before his departure. The evening consisted a variety of
entertainments and a “very handsome pipe” was presented to him by John Sykes
along with the good wishes of the members.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner 19 May 1874; 4 February 1907
Information and
Education
Lectures were given at the club by a variety of speakers, in order to educate and inform members, which as previously mentioned had been recognised as essential for fair representation. Adam Houghton gave one such lecture on
“Parliamentary Reform”
in May 1874 in the large room of the club. G. H. Greenwood, president of the Association at the time, was chair for the evening. The lecture was reported as being
“of an interesting character”
but no details were reported of its content. Afterwards recitations were given by younger members of the club and “glees” were sung which
“tended to increase the enjoyment of the crowded
audience.”
In February 1888 Ernest Woodhead gave a lecture at the club on
“England before the Great Reform Bill.”
In it he traced the growth of the constitution and of the system of representative government. He explained the history of the Reform movement and the impact of the social and economic conditions of England at the time, highlighting the
“rottenness of
the representation which rendered the Great Reform Bill necessary.”
Huddersfield Daily Examiner 4 February 1888
References
https://huddersfield.exposed/wiki/Almondbury_Liberal_Club
