by

Chris Helme

A Retrospective look

at Wellholme Park

Wellholme Park c: 1965

Christopher D. Helme (2006) - Tower House, Holme Mews,

Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 8TY – This

story is copyright – Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council can

however, use this story either in a paper format to support their case

for Wellholme Park gaining its Green Flag status or electronically on

the Council website. The photographic images belong to the author

and cannot be used for any purpose other than already stated above

without written permission - all enquires should be directed to the

author.

E-mail: cdhelme3539.brighouse@zen.co.uk

Telephone: 01422 - 205763

A Retrospective look

at Wellholme Park by

Chris Helme

Contents

Title Page

Introduction 3

Life in Brighouse 5

Camm Park 10

Lane Head Recreational Ground 13

Wellholme Park 16

Introduction

With the on-set of the Industrial Revolution (1760 – 1830) the

prosperity of the Hipperholme-cum-Brighouse Township began to

grow. This was to increase quite significantly following the

construction and opening of the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canal

in 1760. The canal was to follow the un-navigable sections of the

River Calder through the town centre paving the way for barge traffic

of an unprecedented scale.

During the early nineteenth century the Township was largely an

agricultural based economy. It was dominated by a small number of

landowners – the Armytage family at Kirklees Hall; the Walker family

at Crow Nest Mansion at Lightcliffe; the Lister family at Shibden Hall

in Halifax and the Sunderland family at Coley. There were a number

of other landowners but these were significantly smaller.

Nineteenth century Brighouse town centre

With ever increasing industrialisation of the town centre area house

building and a rising population soon followed.

A major development in the history of Brighouse was the formal

separation and independency from Hipperholme in 1866, to become

a town in its own right and have Local Board status (the forerunner

to the Borough Council in 1893).

Commercial Street c: 1890

As the town centre began to grow the word recreation and leisure

would have meant little to the largely working class families. In

Brighouse the concept of the weekend would have had a far different

meaning to what we know it as today, but life was about to change

The only recreation for many

Brighouse people was the

annual community event

Life in Brighouse

The life of a Brighouse family would have meant working Monday

through to Saturday, with half time working for many children.

Sunday was the one day when families would have the opportunity of

having a ‘free’ day. In the morning would have meant Church or

Chapel and Sunday School and then in the afternoon the family

would have the opportunity of taking a Sunday stroll in the

countryside. If it was raining or during the winter Sunday afternoon

would have been spent at home entertaining themselves.

The earliest known piece of green open public space in the town

centre dates back to 1840 at Swan Field. It would appear that this

piece of land was situated behind the Black Swan public house in

Lower Briggate just off the town centre.

The former

Brighouse Town

Hall in Thornton

Square

Swan Field

c: 1893

Lower Briggate – the three

storey building is the Black

Swan and the three cottages

next to it were built near to the

old Swan field – today it is the

site of the now disused

Thomas Sugden’s Flour silos

In the mid-nineteenth

century there was a

revival in the old

Rushbearing Feast. The

rush cart was paraded

through the streets of the

town centre and was then taken to Swan Field behind the Black

Swan. This event is the earliest recorded gathering for a community

event in modern times and was to soon grow in popularity.

The date for Brighouse Peace Festivities after the Crimean War was

finally arranged for May 29th 1856 when a procession would

culminate again in Swan Field.

On that day numerous bands had been engaged to play in the

procession through the town, a procession the size of which had

never been seen before. The procession was led by local Constables

carrying decorated Maces followed by the local gentry and then the

Drum and Fife Band the first of the bands. Next came the scores of

Sunday School scholars from the Church Schools, Bethel School and

finally the Wesleyan Schools.

The next band was Pratt's Brass Band followed by representatives

from the Ancient Order of Shepherdesses and then the Waterloo

Band.

Following on were the Independent Order of Oddfellows and then the

United Order of Oddfellows and two highland pipers.

With the Ancient Order of Shepherds, the Ancient Order of Gardeners

and the entire workforce of Sugden's flour mill this was by far one of

the largest processions seen in the town for many years both before

and after. Once having passed through the decorated archway at

Lane Head the procession went on to Brookfoot and going onto

Bridge End.

The procession nearing the end of its journey on through Rastrick

down Gooder Lane back into Brighouse finally arriving at the

triangular field where the procession spilt into their various groups -

this was at Swan Field. Having set off at 1 pm they arrived at the

field some three and a half hours later, with everyone no doubt

exhausted and ready for the cups of tea that awaited them.

It was estimated that once the procession had reached Swan Field

between 700 and 800 wives and widows dashed off to the various

hotels in the town to prepare the tea that was being laid on. To mark

this special occasion a special thankyou card was produced and given

to each of the lady helpers. This was another memorable community

event and took part at what was then considered to be a recreational

oasis in the town centre.

The people who were organising and managing The Rushbearing and

other local events including the popular Pig Fairs soon realised these

large scale events had now out grown Swan Field. However, with no

other public space available in the town centre area these events had

to be moved to the nearby Black Bull cricket field an open space that

was later swallowed up following further development in the town

centre.

There was a strong desire by the majority of the local people to

continue organising these annual community events.

These events were developing quickly with something new each year

and were soon to include trotting, Knurr and Spell matches, wrestling

and boxing matches as well as the traditional horticultural shows

which also included fruit, flowering blooms and vegetable

competitions, space was at a premium.

During the 1870’s and 80’s through lack of a suitable venue another

open field site behind the

Parish Church had to be

used for the increasingly

popular Brighouse,

Rastrick and District

Horticultural and Floral

Society and event that

was first held in 1874.

Front cover the first

programme dated August 8th

1874

The days of children

seeing wild animal shows,

the smallest man and the

fattest woman and Lord John Sanger’s Circus would be numbered

unless something was done, and quickly, because the community

wanted to continue seeing and being involved in these events. The

last thirty years of the nineteenth century were very difficult times

with many mills closing down and wages being cut. The local people

had little to celebrate or look forward to - except those annual

community events.

Thump Sunday, was traditionally the last day of the Rushbearing

Feast and it was customary to see large crowds visit Brighouse,

crowds that reached and sometimes exceeded 3000 at their peak - a

large open public space was now needed desperately. With these

kinds of events having had a nomadic existence throughout the

nineteenth century something more permanent was needed.

Camm Park

One of the earliest events to be held in Camm Park, the grounds of a

large private house called ‘Well Holme’ on Bradford Road, the home

of the Camm family. The Brighouse, Rastrick and Clifton Horticultural

Flower and Agricultural Show in 1851was a major attraction. The

Camm family were local mill owners and were benefactors to the

former St James Church (1872 – 1972). Today the nearby Camm

Street and Alfred Street are two streets which were named after this

family of local worthies.

1881 ordnance

Survey map

showing the

Well Home

Estate

From the 1880’s Camm Park at ‘Well Holme’, was beginning to be

used more and more for community events and always through the

patronage of the Camm family. In 1883 the annual Brighouse Musical

Festival was held in the grounds. Brighouse and the outer districts

had many sporting clubs ranging from cricket, bowling, football,

tennis and even lacrosse; these were all clubs where individuals had

to become members. As yet there were no open space activities for

the general public to take part in unless they became members of a

club.

Although the Corporation Act of 1835 was to change many things it

wasn’t until the 30th September 1893 that Brighouse was

incorporated

and became

a Borough.

A public

recreation

ground was

needed this

space was

however,

not to be at

Well Holme,

yet.

Camm Park c: 1895 – later to become Wellholme Park

Although there were now a small number of other open spaces in the

outer districts there was no real location centrally for the large

community events.

The council turned its attentions instead towards the Lane Head area,

in particular land that was bordered by Halifax Road and Garden

Road which was to become known as the Lane Head ‘Rec’

Within twenty years this way of life and many of these trees would disappear

and Camm Park would be transformed into a much needed area for

recreational purposes

Lane Head Recreational Ground

This land first came on the market in 1870 at a public auction with

part of it being quarried for stone. The Brighouse Borough Council

Parks Committee Minutes of 1896 record the land being fenced and

designated for recreational purposes. This was the Borough Council’s

first move to manage the area as a place for recreational purposes.

Lane Head Recreation Ground c: 1920

Lane Head Recreation Ground c: 1957

It was now being recognised that public green spaces played an

important part in the lives of the local community.

The Lane Head Recreation gradually became the location for all major

community events in Brighouse and was to be recognised as public

green space.

This was to last into the twentieth century but gradually by the late

1950’s Lane Head Recreation was also becoming too small for those

major events and was unable to compete with what was to become

known as Wellholme Park.

The annual Brighouse Gala was held annually in Lane Head Recreation

Ground

In reality Lane Head Recreation ground was and still is no more than

a large field with a small children’s play area separated off at one end

that was to all intentions and purposes not really part of the

recreation ground itself.– the only ground maintenance was the grass

being cut. It had no attractions; there was little incentive by the local

people to use it. The only attraction it had going for it was what was

described as the ‘Old Mans Parliament’. This was no more than a

shelter where the elderly gentlemen of the surrounding community

could meet and put the world to right.

During the 1960’s it was only used for local club football which

included the local secondary school using it for their football lessons

because they had no football pitches of their own.

It was far from a welcoming place – because there was nothing to

attract ‘customers’ other than the people who took their dogs a walk.

Visual amenities were no more than a line of trees dividing the

recreation ground and the main Halifax Road and some

unimaginative outlying shrubs around the perimeter and the nearby

children’s swing park. As a public park it had little to nothing going

for it at all.

The annual gala procession making its way to Lane Head

Recreation in 1907

Wellholme Park

One of the most unusual requests for Wellholme to be used for a

public recreational purpose was in June 1912 when Mr S.J.Hendry

applied for permission to hold a month long open air cinema. It must

have been a real treat for those that went and saw the movies for

the very first time. Fine days were spent sat outside under the stars

and the flickering fairy lights decorating the tree lined field but wet

days were spent inside a 600 seater marquee.

An idea for what we would call today an out of town shopping

complex was given serious consideration by Brighouse Councillors in

1921, an idea that after some discussion was dropped.

Camm Park c: 1895

The green fields were part of the Wellholme Estate which belonged to

Alfred and Anna Maria Camm and their family who lived in Well

Holme.

The land came on the market in 1924 and there was great

speculation as to whether the council would buy it or not. Eventually

they did and then wondered what to do with it for many years after.

Building houses on it was one consideration but another that brought

out the locals to form a Well Holme Protest Committee was to build a

new Civic Centre, it was probably this group that finally helped

persuade the council in 1938 that Well Holme should stay as an open

space for all the community to enjoy and use.

The stage is set at Wellholme Park for

’Holiday at Home’ - 1944

With the Munich crisis looming it was decided that the Calder Valley

area including Brighouse should be one of 16 districts in the West

Riding for air raid precautions. The trenches were dug in Wellholme

Park but by the September crisis of 1939 air raid precautions were

found to be in chaos. Although the crisis did subside the Home Office

refused to allow the trenches initially to be filled in again.

Towards the end of the war the ‘Holiday at Home’ events were a

regular feature at Wellholme Park and attracted many families from

in and around the outer districts.

As the war ended and life in Brighouse began to change and develop

into the new order. Community events were once again to play a

large part in this process of building for the future.

Community Associations were now the order of the day on the vast

new post war housing estates. These associations annually

celebrated their own localised events but for the bigger and more

centralised

community events

Wellholme Park was

becoming the place.

With many of the old

terraced house

communities having

been swept away in

the interests of

progress the

Wellholme Park

events gave many

former neighbours the

opportunity to meet

up once again and

reminisce about the

old days – Wellholme

Park was becoming a

focal point for the

town.

Brass bands have been a feature of Brighouse and its surrounding

communities since the nineteenth century. It is difficult to imagine

these days that it is not that long ago in the context of the town’s

long history that brass band concerts on a Sunday were frowned

upon and brought objection from many quarters.

During the early 1960’s however attitudes had changed and the

Sunday afternoon and evening brass band concert in Wellholme Park

was part of the council’s summer calendar of events.

Every Sunday a different brass band would be engaged to perform

from 3pm until 4.30pm and then again from 7.pm until 8.30pm.

The largest event to take place in Wellholme Park is still the annual

Brighouse Charity Gala which was started during the mid 1960’s.

With almost a mile long procession winding its way through the

surrounding communities and parading along Brighouse’s main

thoroughfare Commercial Street and finally ending at Wellholme

Park. This event will attract between 10,000 and 20,000 spectators

and visitors to both the town and Wellholme Park every year.

Wellholme Park flower beds c: 1965

Today, Wellholme Park is once again the welcoming place it once was

– tennis courts, putting, bowling, attractive flower beds are just

some of the many activities and attractions that are available for an

ever growing number of visitors. Perhaps even one day the Sunday

afternoon brass band concerts might be back.

After what seemed like a period of stagnation Wellholme Park has

now a welcoming feel about it. A well maintained park is always

viewed as a safe park and since the café was opened the park is

beginning to see the appearance of more families – why – because

there is now something for all age groups.

Visiting parents feel the park is a safer place to bring small children

particularly around the swings area. Little to no rubbish helps to

ensure it remains that way and does not become the dumping

ground it once was and attract the undesirable and intimidating

gangs of youths.

One thing the park does lack and that is any sign of local heritage

such as a permanent photographic display of different aspects of the

park’s history. There could also a sculpture aspect to the park

whether it was a rolling exhibition or a permanent one. These would

be assets to the park and could be at the forefront of the council’s

marketing strategy for the whole park.

Wellholme Park during the successful Brighouse Charity Gala,

when it seems the whole town descends on the park to be

part of this annual community event.

I close this short story about the recreational facilities in Brighouse

and in particular Wellholme Park with this photograph recently taken

at the annual Brighouse Charity Gala. It illustrates how much

Wellholme Park means to the local community both in and around

Brighouse.