A Last Tango In Halifax

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Halifax is part of family history. Well, the Nova Scotia version is anyway. It was the last run ashore for two, before attempting to cross the Atlantic during what U Boat wolf packs called the "Happy Time". The Atlantic wasn't the best place to be in 1940, and very definitely not if you were a merchant seaman on a slow convoy. The Nova Scotia version has remained off radar to date and possibly always will. The West Yorkshire town of Halifax has largely eluded me up until this point, as well. I made a fleeting visit for a football match in 1991, but I didn't see much of the town and the day didn't leave me with favourable memories. I haven't been back since. I think to be fair, it was largely my own fault - wearing something with an England football insignia wasn't the brightest idea, when the visitors were the Soul Crew. The Other Half has been engrossed by a couple of series of Gentleman Jack on TV, so was keen to visit Shibden Hall on our mini tour of West Yorkshire. Thirty years on then from that afternoon on the terraces of The Shay, I am back. We will come back to Halifax later.

We start the day in Bronte country - Haworth. A relatively small and insignificant dot on the map, Haworth punches well above its weight in terms of a destination. The 6000 odd residents play host to some 80 to 100,000 visitors each year, depending on the sourced of your information. We last visited Haworth during the experiment of the Tour de France cycle race to run a few stages in England. It was 2014 - I have just checked an old blog. The steep Main Street with a series of uneven cobblestones were a great backdrop for the cycling circus and a springboard for Yorkshire to go slightly cycle crazy. The pandemic put the brakes on the subsequent annual Tour de Yorkshire, but the legacy lives on. They don't let a few hills get in the way of a gentle pedal.

We entered the village near the railway station. Deep in the valley, the station area is a world away from the village centre. The railway was of course to serve industry and the old mill buildings jostle for space within its periphery. The magnet today for this area of the town is the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway - a well preserved heritage steam railway. The film set quality of the surroundings have been recognised and if you have ever watched the Railway Children or Yanks, it will look familiar. There was no sign of a young Richard Gere today or Jenny Agutter for that matter either. I drove up to the top of village and parked up one of the main car parks. There are limited opportunities for on street parking here. We had some lunch in the very dog friendly Pave at the top of the Main Street. In such a tourist hot spot, there can often be a compromise on the quality of fayre on offer. There were no such shortcomings here and the Number 1 ranking of places to eat in Haworth on the TripAdvisor website is no fluke. A cross between a deli and a bistro, you are welcomed by the smells of a plentiful cheese and cooked meats counter. We had an executive baguette sandwich, which was highly commendable in terms of taste and presentation. I think you can tell, l enjoyed it and I would have no hesitation in endorsing the establishment's gets top billing. We knew were on a winner with the dog friendly sticker in the window, which makes you feel more relaxed knowing Vera was welcomed (as opposed to being tolerated). As novice dog owners, we are ever alert for those that cater for all the family.

The Main Street in Haworth is the sort of stuff you would find in a Hovis advert. Steep. Cobblestones. The sort of place where you instantly see or imagine an old baker's delivery bicycle freewheeling to the bottom. The journey would take you past a number of quaint, unassuming giftshops - all designed to make you spend money on stuff that is nice, but stuff you don't really need. We resisted temptation, partially assisted by the fact that some were not open early in the week except in peak season. A bit of Yorkshire wit was displayed on a billboard - free receipt with every purchase. The houses are all neat and tidy, but who knows whether they are year round residences or whether they have been snapped up by the Air B n B investing crew. It is a subject of much debate at present, whether the locals are been driven out of their own communities by the profiteers. Despite my earlier observations on parking, a few of the locals adopt their own interpretation of the rules on the Main Street. The road sign at both the top and bottom indicates an access only prohibition to Main Street. It seems some view that as if I want to visit a local shop in my own village in the car, I will .... and if I want to park outside for 10 minutes, whilst I buy a stamp ... park I will. It didn't seem relevant that cars were causing a total obstruction to all other vehicles. A courier delivery van driver looked on exasperated, as he tried in vain to get his vehicle closer to an address to complete his delivery. We walked down to the bottom of the hill and retraced our steps up towards the Bronte residence.

In Haworth, all roads lead to the connection with the Bronte family. Patrick Bronte relocated his family here in 1820 on his appointment as curate at the St Michael & All Angels Church. The church is tucked away behind the upper part of Main Street and next to the old schoolhouse. The family took up residence in adjacent Parsonage, which is now converted into a museum in honour of the literary works of Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre et al put the sisters on the path to recognition for their writings. The rugged Yorkshire countryside gave them inspiration, but on a beautiful sunny day it was difficult to get the atmosphere. They probably saved their writing for the miserably short days of winter The family are primarily buried in the vault within the Church - a plaque on a pillar near the alter marks the spot - although Anne was laid to rest in Scarborough. We walked into the churchyard for an unobscured photograph of the Parsonage. A stone plinth marks the place where a gate formally existed, allowing the Bronte family a more direct route to the Church from the garden of the Parsonage.

If you say Halifax to most people in the UK, they think Building Society. Of course, no longer strictly true - it is now a bank and owned by those Black Horse folk. Details aside, they don't think much further than that. It is only recently that the local area has started to invent or reinvent itself as a tourist destination. The process has been assisted by Calderdale being used as a backdrop to some well known TV series - all widely acclaimed and successful. Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and as previously mentioned, Gentleman Jack. We started in Gentleman Jack country at Shibden Hall. The estate on the outskirts of Halifax was home to a certain Anne Lister, whose diaries have revealed a somewhat unconventional lifestyle for the 1830s. She had chosen a different path to the respectable marriage and leaving all affairs of business to her husband. The Hall dates from 1420 and is a mix of architectural styles. It is surrounded by formal gardens and parkland. The Hall and grounds were gifted into the ownership of the local Council in 1933 and now acts as a giant recreational space for the town. The biggest challenge was locating the car park. A very small car park of some 30 spaces was completely full and leading to some confusion for prospective visitors. The larger and pretty much empty main car park was in the valley below the Hall, but not an easy find. More signs definitely required. Once the car park drama had been resolved, Vera enjoyed a walk in the extensive grounds. The Hall itself was off limits, as she was not welcome. We chose to give it a miss and headed off to the Bankfield Museum.

The Bankfield was housing a collection of costumes from the TV drama. Free entry obviously appealed - we just had to find it. The task proved easy and with its own small free car park, we were there in 10 minutes. The Bankfield Museum sits in Akroyd Park .... an 8 acre park overlooking the town centre in the valley. The Akroyd family owned one of the largest worsted companies in the early 1800s. We took it in turns to look at the TV collection inside, which were on show until 24 December. We deduced from that if there was a new series in the pipeline, nothing would happen on filming until early 2023 at the earliest. The temperatures were ramping up by now, so we curtailed a walk round the Park and headed into town.

Halifax Town Hall is an impressive building. The impressive nature comes as less of a surprise, when one learns the design was that of Charles Barry. Charles who? The man who remodelled Trafalgar Square is best known for his design of the Palace of Westminster. The Palace of Westminster? Obviously better known as the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the UK Government. The place where TFB currently holds his court. The rumours were that Halifax Town Hall was on the list for Queen Vic to formally open on completion, but she had withdrawn from public life after Albert's demise. We moved round to the Halifax Minster. A Minster not a Cathedral and the former status is also fairly recent. My eyes were drawn more to a mural of Suranne Jones - the actor who plays Gentleman Jack - on a nearby pub end elevation.

A quick walk up the hill reveals the secret of Halifax - the Piece Hall. It isn't really a secret as such, but a hidden gem nonetheless. The Piece Hall looks more at home in Italy or Spain. A perfect square in West Yorkshire, transformed by a but of lottery money and a lot of money. The Piece Hall dates from 1779. A wool market for the traders, now transformed into a social space of bars and restaurants and niche local shops selling all things from gin to vinyl records. The original plan for the Hall was the trading of wool - a "piece" being a 30 yard length of woven cloth. Today the vista of photographs was somewhat ruined by the latest use of the space - outdoor summer concerts. The fencing and light system was getting in the way of the panorama. Move over Somerset House in London. There is a new kid on the block. Acts booked in this summer - Noel Gallagher, Chic, Tom Jones, Paul Weller and Duran Duran. I suspect all will ve a big success and open Halifax to a new audience. We dined in a shady spot. A wholesome hearty Yorkshire meal - pork pie and minted mushy peas. Class. Vera concentrated her efforts on clearing the area of pigeons. The number 1 enemy, after squirrels of course. We had one final destination. The Shay. Home of the now reincarnated FC Halifax Town. Non League., but no Non League Dogs welcome. It isn't right, nor proper. The ground looked substantially redeveloped. The Soul Crew weren't in town today, so things were calmer. A quick photo with Vera and we were off. I suspect that Halifax hasn't seen a Last Tango, just yet..... either at The Piece Hall or The Shay.

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Photos

Halifax
Gentleman Jack mural

St Michael & All Angels Church, Haworth
Bronte Family Vault

Bankfield Museum, Halifax
Costumes from the "Gentleman Jack" TV Series

Bankfield Museum, Halifax
Costumes from the "Gentleman Jack" TV Series

Comments

[Rainyb]

Thanks for Sharon. My friend Lesley lives in Halifax ;o)