Mirfield Liberal Club
 |
2008
|
“Mirfield Liberal Club” and that club“premises had been
secured.”
A working committee had been formed with H. F. Beaumont as president, Marmaduke Fox and John Walmsley as Vice Presidents plus a further twelve committee members, two secretaries and a treasurer. It was said that the premises they had acquired were in “an admirable position", abutting upon Huddersfield Road at Eastthorpe. The building had a reading room, a “bagatelle” room and a room to play games such as “chess and draughts.”
The objectives of the club were given as being –
Subscriptions for membership were to be 1s 6d per quarter and 5s per year. At a public meeting in the Town Hall in February 1882, shortly after the formation of the club, it was said that
Although the club now had premises they continued to hold public meetings in Mirfield Town Hall and it was not long before the growing membership caused them to consider moving to larger premises on Knowl Road.
To promote the club objective of social enjoyment the club played cricket and had formed the Mirfield Liberal Cricket Club which held its annual supper in October 1883 in the Co Operative Hall, Knowl Road. Members were said to have “done justice to the good things provided” after which the table had been cleared and the reports for the year read. F. Stapleton and Henry Roberts toasted to the continued success of the cricket club and the floor was then cleared for entertainments which included songs, duets and piano plus the more unusual piccolo playing and George Lindley playing a
In January 1884 several members of the Liberal Club were sued for damages to property owned by Thomas Whitely. In August 1881 James Midwood, Johnson Oldroyd, William Warren, Henry Roberts, John Henry Dyson and Charles Thornton had approached Thomas Whitely to rent them a house that he owned in Knowl Road at Eastthorpe, Mirfield in order that they might use it as a “Liberal Club”. It is unclear whether this was the original premises when the club was formed in 1881 or a subsequent property. The rent on the property was £12 but the building required some alterations to be made before it could be used as a club. Whitely had said that if he made the alterations then the rent would go up to £14 but if they undertook to do the work themselves the rent would remain at £12. Consequently the decision was made that they would complete the work themselves and they met with Whitely to arrange the lease of the building. The building was occupied by the men until March of the following year when they gave notice to the landlord to quit the premises in the September. It is unclear from the news report whether it was actually used as a club during the time that they held the lease. Despite giving notice to quit in September they only stayed in the house until May and sublet the premises to a fishmonger for the remainder of the lease! The house had been altered by the men who reportedly had knocked plaster and paper off the walls and damaged the staircase and when they were confronted about this by the landlord, Whitely, they agreed to the damages being repaired. Mr Whitely got an estimate for the repairs and sent this to the secretary of the club, Henry Roberts for payment. He refused to pay saying that the committee would not accept the account and so the matter went to the Dewsbury County Court. Both parties agreed to an architect reviewing the damages and the matter was referred to Arthur Stott of Mirfield to arbitrate. The original claim in the dispute had been for £5 for the “dilapidations” to Whitley’s property and the verdict was given in February after arbitration. Whitely was awarded £2 2s 6d together with a charge of £1 10s for the services of a solicitor and witness expenses. Huddersfield Chronicle 26 January & 14 February 1884.
The club continued to uphold its objectives both social and political. Socially the club held billiard matches and in February 43 members of the club entered into a billiard competition for which a variety of prizes were awarded. The same month saw the promotion of political education and Liberal principles in a lecture and debate in February 1884 which considered the extension of
Despite the legal troubles early in the year the club held its annual “soiree” in Mirfield Town Hall in March 1884 with a large attendance. A meeting followed the meal and included entertainments alongside speeches and club reports under the presidency of John Walmsley. The club secretary Henry Roberts gave the annual report which stated that the club had 130 members and this included some who had paid subscriptions and many more who hadn’t! Financially the club was in a weaker position than it had been twelve months previously when they had had a balance of £3 6s, but now it was in deficit to the tune of £6. The committee explained that they were not concerned about this deficit as this had been caused by alterations to the current club premises, an event that was unlikely to happen again in the forthcoming year. The chairman, Mr. M. Bickers gave an address to the audience in which he said that institutions such as the Liberal Club provided great strength to the Liberal cause. He urged the members to not only provide
The entertainments during the evening included a selection of “glees” and songs accompanied on the piano by G. H. Walker, Harry Leonard, a comic vocalist who also sang, and Dr. Whaller who gave three recitations “in capital style!" At the conclusion of the evening thanks were given to all the speakers, singers and the ladies who had “presided at the trays”, one would presume that this was the ladies who served the food and drinks during the evening. Huddersfield Chronicle 25 & 29 March 1884
Once again in April 1885 the club held its annual tea in the town hall and the tea was reported as being “in every particular excellent.” The town hall had been decorated for the occasion with banners and mottoes adorning the walls.
The financial report was read by the secretary who explained the finances for the previous year. The beginning of the year had shown a deficit of £5 9s 4d but this had been reversed
“The promotion of political education of its
members.”
“To secure combined and prompt action in
favour of true Liberal principles in all National affairs.”
"The promotion of social enjoyment of its members."
Subscriptions for membership were to be 1s 6d per quarter and 5s per year. At a public meeting in the Town Hall in February 1882, shortly after the formation of the club, it was said that
“the
newly formed Liberal Club promises to be a most successful one.”
Leeds Mercury 14 February 1882.
Although the club now had premises they continued to hold public meetings in Mirfield Town Hall and it was not long before the growing membership caused them to consider moving to larger premises on Knowl Road.
To promote the club objective of social enjoyment the club played cricket and had formed the Mirfield Liberal Cricket Club which held its annual supper in October 1883 in the Co Operative Hall, Knowl Road. Members were said to have “done justice to the good things provided” after which the table had been cleared and the reports for the year read. F. Stapleton and Henry Roberts toasted to the continued success of the cricket club and the floor was then cleared for entertainments which included songs, duets and piano plus the more unusual piccolo playing and George Lindley playing a
“selection of numbers on
tumbler glasses!”
Huddersfield Chronicle
6 October 1883
In promotion of political education of its members J. E. Walker delivered a lecture in the club rooms on Knowl Road in December 1883 on
“Reminiscences of the Riviera”.
The small audience appeared to appreciate his talk and gave “hearty” thanks to him at the conclusion! Huddersfield Chronicle 22 December 1883In January 1884 several members of the Liberal Club were sued for damages to property owned by Thomas Whitely. In August 1881 James Midwood, Johnson Oldroyd, William Warren, Henry Roberts, John Henry Dyson and Charles Thornton had approached Thomas Whitely to rent them a house that he owned in Knowl Road at Eastthorpe, Mirfield in order that they might use it as a “Liberal Club”. It is unclear whether this was the original premises when the club was formed in 1881 or a subsequent property. The rent on the property was £12 but the building required some alterations to be made before it could be used as a club. Whitely had said that if he made the alterations then the rent would go up to £14 but if they undertook to do the work themselves the rent would remain at £12. Consequently the decision was made that they would complete the work themselves and they met with Whitely to arrange the lease of the building. The building was occupied by the men until March of the following year when they gave notice to the landlord to quit the premises in the September. It is unclear from the news report whether it was actually used as a club during the time that they held the lease. Despite giving notice to quit in September they only stayed in the house until May and sublet the premises to a fishmonger for the remainder of the lease! The house had been altered by the men who reportedly had knocked plaster and paper off the walls and damaged the staircase and when they were confronted about this by the landlord, Whitely, they agreed to the damages being repaired. Mr Whitely got an estimate for the repairs and sent this to the secretary of the club, Henry Roberts for payment. He refused to pay saying that the committee would not accept the account and so the matter went to the Dewsbury County Court. Both parties agreed to an architect reviewing the damages and the matter was referred to Arthur Stott of Mirfield to arbitrate. The original claim in the dispute had been for £5 for the “dilapidations” to Whitley’s property and the verdict was given in February after arbitration. Whitely was awarded £2 2s 6d together with a charge of £1 10s for the services of a solicitor and witness expenses. Huddersfield Chronicle 26 January & 14 February 1884.
The club continued to uphold its objectives both social and political. Socially the club held billiard matches and in February 43 members of the club entered into a billiard competition for which a variety of prizes were awarded. The same month saw the promotion of political education and Liberal principles in a lecture and debate in February 1884 which considered the extension of
“The
Franchise.”
T. Patterson delivered a paper on the subject tracing it from the days of
“Alfred the Great down to present times”
and noting the peculiarities and changes that had taken place over the years. The paper was followed by a discussion after which members resolved to support the proposed extension of the franchise by the current government. Huddersfield Chronicle 2 and 16 February 1884Despite the legal troubles early in the year the club held its annual “soiree” in Mirfield Town Hall in March 1884 with a large attendance. A meeting followed the meal and included entertainments alongside speeches and club reports under the presidency of John Walmsley. The club secretary Henry Roberts gave the annual report which stated that the club had 130 members and this included some who had paid subscriptions and many more who hadn’t! Financially the club was in a weaker position than it had been twelve months previously when they had had a balance of £3 6s, but now it was in deficit to the tune of £6. The committee explained that they were not concerned about this deficit as this had been caused by alterations to the current club premises, an event that was unlikely to happen again in the forthcoming year. The chairman, Mr. M. Bickers gave an address to the audience in which he said that institutions such as the Liberal Club provided great strength to the Liberal cause. He urged the members to not only provide
“suitable rooms for amusement
and healthful recreation”
but to keep the best literature of the day in their reading rooms to educate the
“youth of the country”
to understand their political responsibilities.The entertainments during the evening included a selection of “glees” and songs accompanied on the piano by G. H. Walker, Harry Leonard, a comic vocalist who also sang, and Dr. Whaller who gave three recitations “in capital style!" At the conclusion of the evening thanks were given to all the speakers, singers and the ladies who had “presided at the trays”, one would presume that this was the ladies who served the food and drinks during the evening. Huddersfield Chronicle 25 & 29 March 1884
Once again in April 1885 the club held its annual tea in the town hall and the tea was reported as being “in every particular excellent.” The town hall had been decorated for the occasion with banners and mottoes adorning the walls.
The financial report was read by the secretary who explained the finances for the previous year. The beginning of the year had shown a deficit of £5 9s 4d but this had been reversed
“by the energy of the committee”
and extra subscriptions so that the balance at the year-end was £19 4s 2d. There were 140 members on the books at that point. The premises were deemed inadequate for the comfort of members now despite having a
“fine reading room,
billiard and smaller rooms”.
It was felt that the small size of the premises was preventing new members from joining and that they need larger and more suitable accommodation. As with every annual tea it was concluded with “musical and humorous” entertainments. Huddersfield Chronicle 23 April 1885; Leeds Times 25 April 1885
The club held its annual tea and meeting in January 1887 in Mirfield Town Hall, in it was reported “inclement weather.” Despite this there was a large attendance with many prominent Liberals from the area. These included Charles G. Milnes Gaskell, MP, for Morley Division who was principal speaker of the evening,
and Henry Frederick Beaumont, MP for Colne Valley, as well as H. R. Beaumont and R. H. Beaumont of Whitley Hall, Marmaduke Fox and others. J.H.Scargill, the club secretary. Gave the annual report which stated that Club membership
Alfred A. Stott, a local Mirfield architect drew up the plans for the new building. The plans showed a “handsome building” with a frontage to the road of 20 yards. The main entrance lead into a vestibule and then into a hall. On the right of the hall was a reading room with cloakroom attached and to its rear a kitchen and toilets. To the left of the hall was a “spacious” billiard room with a smoke room to the rear. Upstairs there was another billiard room and a large meeting room, thirty one and a half feet long by fifteen feet. A smaller room for committee and accommodation for a caretaker completed the upper floor. Contracts for the building of the new premises were all awarded to local businesses. By the summer of 1888 a total of 987 of the £1 shares had been purchased and the committee were confident that the additional amount needed for completion would be forthcoming. The entire cost for the building, including furnishings, was estimated at £2200. The club premises were described in Kelly’s Directory in 1927 as a
 |
| Charles George Milnes Gaskell, victorianweb. |
 |
| Henry Frederick Beaumont |
“was
in a flourishing condition both numerically and financially”.
In 1886 there had been 110 members rising to 157 member at the start of 1887. Although money had been spent on improvements made to the current club premises there was a balance of £28 14s. However the rise in membership meant the club needed even larger premises! Leeds Mercury 10 January 1887, Huddersfield Chronicle 11 January 1887.
The committee began to consider sites for new club premises including Calder House but eventually a plot was bought on Knowl Road and in March 1887 a board of directors was set up to float Mirfield Liberal Club Building Company Ltd in one pound shares to fund the erection of the building. The company was incorporated on 1st June 1887. www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/mirfield-liberal-club-buildings-company,limited(the)
Alfred A. Stott, a local Mirfield architect drew up the plans for the new building. The plans showed a “handsome building” with a frontage to the road of 20 yards. The main entrance lead into a vestibule and then into a hall. On the right of the hall was a reading room with cloakroom attached and to its rear a kitchen and toilets. To the left of the hall was a “spacious” billiard room with a smoke room to the rear. Upstairs there was another billiard room and a large meeting room, thirty one and a half feet long by fifteen feet. A smaller room for committee and accommodation for a caretaker completed the upper floor. Contracts for the building of the new premises were all awarded to local businesses. By the summer of 1888 a total of 987 of the £1 shares had been purchased and the committee were confident that the additional amount needed for completion would be forthcoming. The entire cost for the building, including furnishings, was estimated at £2200. The club premises were described in Kelly’s Directory in 1927 as a
“spacious and well-appointed
building of stone.”
including two billiard rooms, a card room, a reading room and committee room. Tax records for 1910 show the address of the club premises as “Knowl House, Knowl Road” as a house and club rooms. Waller Walker was recorded as the executor and Harold Brearly as club secretary, a position he still held in 1936.On 30th June 1888 the cornerstones were laid with much pomp and circumstance with members of the club being led in procession through the town by the local brass band. The weather was reported as being fine and a large crowd had gathered to witness the event. The four corner stones of the new building were laid by four women, wife and daughters of prominent Liberals in the area. Lady Catherine Milnes Gaskell wife of Charles G Milnes Gaskell, the Liberal MP for Morley, Hannah E. Fox daughter of Marmaduke Fox, president of the club, Miss Walker and Miss Mary Frederica Maria Beaumont daughter of Henry Frederick Beaumont MP for Colne Valley. Lady Catherine Gaskell laid the first stone, the second laid by Mary Beaumont, the third by Hannah Fox and the fourth by Miss Walker. Each lady was presented with a silver trowel bearing an inscription to mark the occasion by Messrs J. E. Walker, S. Pilling, John Walmsley and W. Wilson respectively. A rosewood mallet was also presented to the ladies by the architect, Alfred Stott and a vote of thanks was given to them by G. H. Tattersfield, the club president.
Lady Catherine was the only one of the ladies to give her own speech of thanks for the honour and went on to say that
“she would be glad to
know what she could contribute towards the furnishing of the club.” She continued to address the crowd
congratulating the Liberals of the area on “the prospect of obtaining a
comfortable and commodious clubhouse and trusting that it might greatly tend to
strengthen the position of the party.”
 |
| Lady Milnes Gaskell at her home, Wenlock Abbey |
There was a large crowd in attendance at the ceremony which was then followed in the evening by a public meeting in the town hall. Marmaduke Fox presided over the meeting and key speeches were made by Charles Milnes Gaskell and Henry Frederick Beaumont who in the course of his speech thanked the club for the honour that they had shown his daughter. Milnes Gaskell was enthusiastically received by the audience and stated that he was very glad that such a grand occasion had been made of the stone laying. He said
“We don’t lay
the foundation stones of Liberal Clubs every day in the Morley Division.” Leeds Mercury, Monday 2nd July
1888; Huddersfield Chronicle 4 July 1888; Liberalism in Morley; 1910 Tax
Valuation; 1927 & 1936 Kelly’s Directory.
By 1890 the number of members had risen by 111 to 237 over the course of just one year. Membership continued to rise with another 83 new members recorded in 1893. When the club held its annual meeting in December 1894, with William Wilson as president, Allan Kaye, club secretary, presented the annual report and showed a further increase in membership of 56. Similarly in 1896 membership had increased again by 30.
Financial reports from 1890 showed that the clubs finances were also improving with a balance of £390 1s 8 1/2d, an increase of £134 6s 01/2 d. Leeds Times 8 February 1890 & 19 December 1896; Leeds Mercury Friday 8th December 1893,13 December 1894 & 16 December 1896; Huddersfield Chronicle 14 December 1894
Regular talks and discussions about current topics and issues in politics were held at the club and in the Town Hall. One such meeting held in the Town Hall, was to welcome the new MP for the Morley Division Alfred E Hutton, in January 1894. It was his first appearance in Mirfield since his “triumphant election” in 1892 and he received a “hearty greeting” from the large crowd who were present. Newspapers reported that the club was determined to “honour the occasion” of his visit. Leeds Mercury 20 January 1894.
 |
| Liberal Club on the left, 1910 |
In October 1902 Alfred E. Hutton visited the club again and addressed the club members on the topics current at that moment including the corn tax and the Education Bill which he saw as having
“revitalised the Liberal party throughout the
country.”
Leeds Mercury 14 October 1902
Political and annual meetings were often combined with social gatherings being preceded by a sit down tea and followed by a social entertainments. Such was the one held in Mirfield Town Hall in February 1894 where G.H.Tattersfield, the club President and was one of the speakers after the tea. Huddersfield Chronicle 13 February 1894
The club’s annual soiree grew in size and in February 1896 over 600 people sat down for tea. The tea as usual was followed by a meeting which on this occasion was said to have been “short” and was followed by a concert. G H Tattersfield gave a short address on current politics. Members of the club glee party sang “glees” and humorous selections were given by Fred Hobson of Holmfirth. After the entertainments the room was cleared to allow for dancing.
On another occasion the Town Hall which had been “nicely decorated” for the occasion of the club annual ball with the music for dancing being provided by Robinson’s Band from Cleckheaton, which seemed to feature in many of the different club events in the area. Huddersfield Chronicle 11 & 15 February 1896; Leeds Mercury 8 December 1900
 |
| 2018 |
 |
| 2018 |
 |
| 2018 |
The Liberal Club is now known as the Knowl Club and has no political affiliation today, there is even a ban on politics being discussed at the bar! A far cry from the early days of the club and its objectives.
