Statue of Edward Akroyd

 The statue of Edward Akroyd was a set of pictures I took using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet on the 15th February 2014. There are a total of 6 pictures which can be seen below or on Clickasnap where they are full size, resolution and un-watermarked.

Edward Akroyd was an textile manufacturer born in Ovenden, a district of Halifax in 1810. He inherited his fathers business in 1847, and concerned about the terrible social conditions of Victorian Halifax built up model villages around his mills at Boothtown (Akroyden) and Copley. These were built for the workers he employed with the intention of showing how housing conditions could be improved. These villages still stand today as a reminder of his intent. Other social improvements he was responsible for included, the first working mens college outside London, a local allotment society, a school for child labourers, workers pension scheme, and he contributed to a number of Anglican churches being built around the Halifax area including All Souls Church which his statue stands outside of.

He helped found the the Yorkshire Penny Bank, and Halifax Building Society, bring the railway to Halifax, became Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Yorkshire West Riding Rifle Volunteers in 1861 and served as member of Parliament for Huddersfield (1857-59), and Halifax (1865, 1868-74). Due to failing health, Edward Akroyd left Halifax to live in St Leonards-on-sea and died there in 1887. His funeral held at All Saints Church was attended by over 15000 mourners.

The statue of Edward Akroyd was unveiled on the 29th July 1876 at nearby North Bridge before a crowd of 10000. It has a 9ft bronze statue set atop a 10ft high plinth. Bronze Panels sit on each side of the plinth to commemorate events from Colonel Akroyd's life. It cost £2000 and was sculptured by Ceccardo Egidio Fucigna and John Birnie Philip. It was moved to its current location on the 28th October 1901 so that North Bridge could be developed for trams. Grade II listed status was given to the statue on the 3rd November 1954.

The pictures below feature on the plinth and commemorate a scene from the life of Edward Akroyd.

This panel which can be seen on the plinth is to commemorate the
statue being completed by the townspeople of Halifax.

Colonel Akroyd is represented on horseback giving orders out to the 4th
West Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers, at his feet are Major Ingram, Major Holdsworth
and Captain Holroyde. Men from the regiment are visible behind
his horse.

This panel shows the laying of the corner stone at the nearby All
Souls Church on 25th April 1856. Some of the other men shown in the picture are
Mayor Joshua Appleyard, Bishop Longley of Ripon, Reverend Canon
Fawcett, Archdeacon Musgrave, Richard Carter Mayor of Barnsley and
Gilbert Scott architect of All Souls Church.

The picture on this panel shows the cutting of the first sod of the
Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Railway of which Edward Akroyd was
chairman. The picture is to show a scene from 1846 when the railway was
known as the West Riding Union Railway. In addition to Colonel Akroyd
some of the other men featured in the picture are Jonathan Akroyd, Lord Morpeth,
Charles Wood (Lord Halifax), Colonel Joshua pollard and the lines engineer
Sir John Hawkshaw.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share and follow me on social media. All the pictures can also be seen and purchased on Clickasnap full size, resolution and un-watermarked.

All the images remain the copyright of Colin Green.

All Souls Church, Halifax

All Souls Church, Haley Hill, Halifax is a redundant Anglican place of worship now under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Paid for and commissioned by local social reformer and industrialist Edward Akroyd, All Souls Church was consecrated on the 2nd November 1859. The site of the church occupies a plot of land to the south west of Bankfield the home of Edward Akroyd and was said to have been chosen to block out the view of the Square Congregational Church, a nonconformist place of worship.

The Spire is is 236ft, approx 1 ft higher than the Square Congregational Church, it is the 2nd tallest spire in West Yorkshire after Wakefield Cathedral. The church remained in use until stone fell from the spire in January 1977, the church was closed soon after as the cost of repair was seen as uneconomical, for a time the church was under threat of demolition. The church was declared redundant in March 1979, repairs were undertaken in the early 1980's by the Friends of All Souls Church and National Heritage Memorial Fund and the church was transferred into trust on the 2nd August 1989. The church is now open on occasional Saturdays and Heritage Open Days. All Souls was initially granted listed status on 3 November 1954, this was amended to Grade I listed on the 23 November 1973.

These pictures were taken on the 11 August 2018 using a Nikon d3300 SLR, there are a total of 13 which can be seen below or on ClickASnap where they are full size, resolution and un-watermarked.

The spire reachers a height of 236ft, 71 metres.

The west entrance.

The south entrance, this was bordered up to stop access when the church
closed, this was considered poor and a set of gates were commissioned
to make the entrance more appealing.

The font is made of Aberdeen granite and Cornish serpentine.

All Souls Nave pictured from the choir area.

Looking from the west part of the church east towards the choir.

The rear of the church.

The Pulpit by sculptor John Birnie Phillip is made of Caen
stone and Derbyshire limestone.

All the windows in the church are stained glass, these
were produced by John Hardman, William Wailes and
Clayton & Bell.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share and follow me on social media.

Clicking any image should open a link in another window to the higher resolution, un-watermarked version on Clickasnap.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Bankfield Museum, Halifax

A small set of pictures taken in November 2014 using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. Bankfield Museum is a Grad II listed former house which was once owned by Edward Akroyd MP. The house was purchased by the Halifax Corporation in 1887 and became a museum and library soon afterwards, being listed as Grade II in 1954.

The buildings are set in the park of Akroyden and overlooked by All Souls Church. The displays include, local history, textiles, art, toys and jewellery and throughout the year features a changing set of temporary displays. The building is also home to the Duke of Wellington Regimental Museum. It is free to enter and open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 - 16.00. The is also a car park and the building is set in the grounds of Akroyden Park to pass the time.

There are a total of 10 pictures which can be seen below or on Clickasnap where they are full resolution and un-watermarked.

This painting can be seen covering the ceiling just inside the
main entrance.

Bankfield Museum from the car park.

Bankfield from Akroyden Park

Duke of Wellingtons Regiment uniform from the Crimean War

The fireplace in the library with textile displays in the cabinets. The 
marble busts are life size and from left to right are Edward Akroyd, his father
Jonathan and then his wife Elizabeth.

This was on display in the regimental museum and was given to coalition
forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq to help identify the most wanted members
of the Iraqi government.

The library ceiling which features images of William Shakespeare, John Milton, Alfred
Tennyson and Geoffrey Chaucer all poets admired in the era the roof was painted. When I
visited, a fellow admirer told me that the local council once had a plan to
paint over the ceiling. What an act of vandalism that would have been had it come to pass.

Another view of the library.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share and follow me on social media.

Clicking any image should open a link in another window to the un-watermarked, higher resolution version on Clickasnap.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.