Another trip to West Yorkshire, to the town of Huddersfield. This was another of the West Yorkshire towns that grew and developed as a result of the woollen industry.
About a mile east of the town centre is Ravensknowle Park, the home of the Tolson Museum, and of this rather impressive shelter.
It's history lies with the development of the woollen industry. It originally formed the entrance to the cloth hall, where hand made cloth was sold by weavers who had created it in their own workshops in their houses.
The cloth hall was opened in 1766 as a single story building, and it was heightened in 1780 with the addition of a second storey. It was unusual in being constructed of brick rather than the stone of most town centre buildings in Huddersfield.
Following a long period of decline in use, it was decided that the cloth hall should be demolished, and this was carried out in 1929 / 30. Parts of the entrance and the clock tower were rescued and rebuilt in Ravensknowle Park.
The original site of the cloth hall was then used for a cinema, which was demolished in the 1980s, and the site is now used for a supermarket.
Thank you for your lovely comments and favs, which put this shot on the trending page.
Using this old building as a shelter helps to preserve it's history and provides a useful facility in wet weather - perhaps it would be nice to see more local councils use their historic buildings in such creative ways!
Ian
July 21st, 2016
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Thank you for your lovely comments and favs, which put this shot on the trending page.
Using this old building as a shelter helps to preserve it's history and provides a useful facility in wet weather - perhaps it would be nice to see more local councils use their historic buildings in such creative ways!
Ian