History Walk
Mon, Aug 23rd 2021 at 7:20 pm - 9:20 pm
History Walk meet 18:00 in Birstall Market place.
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| Birstall Luddites Rotarians gathered in Birstall Market Place meeting with guide
Katherine O'Shea on a warm summer evening. Katherine led a History walk in and around Birstall. Starting under the Joseph Priestley statue built in 1912 15 Luddites, partners and friends listened to our guide Katherine. Katherine gave some census totals. In 1822 the population was 2542, in 1853 over 4000 and in 1891 it had risen to over 6900. Katherine pointed over to the Library where she said the Birstall Town Hall was proposed to be built but it never got off the ground At this time
 Birstall was described to be the
most overcrowded town in the country and priority was housing not a new Town Hall.
Katherine spoke of the Local Boards of Health in 1854 . A report of much poverty and ill-health was caused by the terrible living conditions and not by idleness. It shocked public opinion. .
The walk started traversing up Bond Street to High Street (York to Chester Road). Katherine said this was the main street with shops along the street and as Mills developed the town centre moved down to its present site. The walk progressed up North Terrace where several fields were developed with plots and houses at either side and a quarry over the top. Katherine pointed out the history of old houses up the hill and the different trades of the people who lived there.and how the local quarry produced the stone for the house building. Also how a Methodist Chapel built it in 1857 on the street this was pulled down in the 1960s with the village having so many Methodist chapels. Through a snicket at the top led to open fields which had been used as allotments in the past and to another path which Katherine said was an ancient footpath between York and Chester map.
The walk through fields led to Raikes Lane where Katherine pointed out a house which had been a Co-op and also showed where the Birstall Railway station was. The walk continued through Foxglove estate across B6125 and branching down a path to fields that were St Pats football pitches with the Country park on the right. Katherine told how this land had been owned by the dissolution to be disposed of by Henry VIII as he wished. This allowed Birstall
Church lands being sold to Trinity College, Cambridge and by the 1540s they were the principal landowners of the area. We came then to to Cambridge Road .
Katherine explained how the houses along this street were a Garden City design built in 1920 they were much sought after - three and four bedroom houses and became an upper class Road. Through the years the inhabitants passed on their houses needing refurb and the local council took over Cambridge Road Katherine also talked of the Bronte connection in Birstall. Charlotte Bronte was friends with Ellen Nussey, a resident of Birstall. Many believe the book “Shirley” was partly based on events in Birstall, although the evidence to support this claim is somewhat ambiguous. The walk passed on Low Lane back to the marketplace to finish. Luddites moved to The Needless Inn to join non walkers for a meal. President Nigel thanked Katherine for leading the enjoyable walk |
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Birstall Couriosities Very good info for St Peters, The Black Bull Inn, The National School and the Police Station.
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