116-535: Huddersfield Choral Society is a choir based in Huddersfield , West Yorkshire , England. It was founded in 1836, and is recognised as one of Britain's leading choirs. Over the years the choir has performed most of the major works in the choral repertoire, and has had numerous works commissioned for it, including works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Walton . The choir has made numerous recordings and broadcasts . Two of its albums made an appearance in
232-466: A Labourite of Wilson's generation, given its role in both opening up opportunities for ambitious youth from working-class backgrounds and enabling Britain to seize the potential benefits of scientific advances. Under the first Wilson government, for the first time in British history, more money was allocated to education than to defence. Wilson continued the rapid creation of new universities, in line with
348-399: A broad range of reforms during its time in office, in such areas as social security, civil liberties, housing, health, education, and worker's rights. It is perhaps best remembered for the liberal social reforms introduced or supported by Home Secretary Roy Jenkins . Notable amongst these was the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality and abortion , reform of divorce laws,
464-709: A chorus in Handel's landmark Oratorio Messiah . The annual Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is held in the town which is also home to the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra and the Huddersfield Singers . On Christmas Day 1977, the Sex Pistols played their last two British shows, a matinee for the children of striking firefighters, at Ivanhoe's nightclub, before embarking on their ill-fated US tour which saw
580-490: A company concerned with the integration of disabled people into mainstream theatre. Kelly Rowlands also holds the 2003 Line Dancing championship Record. The John Smith's Stadium , (formerly the Galpharm Stadium and Alfred McAlpine Stadium), is a multi-use sports stadium with a gym, swimming pool, spa and offers sporting classes. The stadium is home to Huddersfield Giants and Huddersfield Town football team. Adjacent
696-736: A councillor, Dr Jackie Grunsell in the Crosland Moor ward. In January 2016 plans were announced to close the A&;E department of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and have all emergency cases go to Calderdale Royal instead. This sparked uproar in local communities as it would mean journeys from some areas of over 40 minutes to and from the hospital assuming that the main road into Halifax was not congested, as it frequently is. The former St. Luke's Hospital in Crosland Moor mostly provided geriatric and psychiatric care. It closed in 2011 and
812-407: A devaluation would disproportionately harm low-income Britons with savings and poorer Commonwealth of Nations countries in the sterling area . The government instead opted to deal with the problem by imposing a temporary surcharge on imports, and a series of deflationary measures designed to reduce demand and therefore the inflow of imports. In the latter half of 1967, an attempt was made to prevent
928-423: A large number of niche manufacturers, such as Dual Seal Glass (maker of spandrel glass panels ) and Ellis Furniture (producer of kitchen and bathroom furniture). Huddersfield is home to Andrew Jones Pies, a regional award-winning pie-maker, and Mamas and Papas , a manufacturer and retailer of prams, pushchairs and related items and specialist pneumatics supplier Shelley Automation Ltd. Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
1044-577: A large shopping unit empty in The Piazza Centre. In 2019 Marks & Spencer announced 17 closures within the UK, one of these was the Huddersfield store. Huddersfield Choral Society founded in 1836, claims to be the UK's leading choral society . Its history was chronicled in the book 'And The Glory' , written to commemorate the society's 150th anniversary in 1986 – its title derived from
1160-680: A long-established Saint Patrick's Day Parade on c. 17 March. Huddersfield Caribbean Carnival in mid-July, begins with a procession from the Hudawi Cultural Centre in Hillhouse, through the town centre to Greenhead Park where troupes display their costumes on stage. Caribbean food, fairground rides and various stalls and attractions are available. A "young blud" stage presents Hip Hop, UK garage, RnB and bassline. Harold Wilson [REDACTED] James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995)
1276-496: A major landmark, was the site of an Iron Age hill fort . The remains of a Roman fort were unearthed in the mid 18th century at Slack near Outlane , west of the town. The earliest surviving record of the place name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, Oderesfelt . It appears as Hudresfeld in a Yorkshire charter from 1121 to 1127, and as Huderesfeld in subsidy rolls in 1297. The name meaning has not complicated with
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#17327733127181392-487: A much-reproduced photograph was taken of him standing on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street . At the age of ten, he went with his family to Australia, where he became fascinated with the pomp and glamour of politics. On the way home, he told his mother, "I am going to be prime minister." Wilson won a scholarship to attend Royds Hall Grammar School , his local grammar school (now a comprehensive school) in Huddersfield , Yorkshire. His father, working as an industrial chemist,
1508-608: A pathway to growth, embodied in the DEA and Mintech, was at the time by no means confined to the Labour Party. Wilson built on foundations that had been laid by his Conservative predecessors, in the shape, for example, of the National Economic Development Council (known as "Neddy") and its regional counterparts (the "little Neddies"). Government intervention in industry was greatly enhanced, with
1624-485: A politically active middle-class family, Wilson studied a combined degree of philosophy, politics, and economics at Jesus College, Oxford . He was later an Economic History lecturer at New College, Oxford , and a research fellow at University College, Oxford . Elected to Parliament in 1945, Wilson was appointed to the Attlee government as a Parliamentary Secretary ; he became Secretary for Overseas Trade in 1947, and
1740-670: A population of 216,011. Huddersfield has the merger of the shallow valley floors of the River Colne and the Holme south of the town centre. This is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines which blend into the moorlands of the South Pennines west of the town. As with all of West Yorkshire a temperate oceanic climate exists, wetter than the low plains rain shadow proper towards East Yorkshire but drier than Cumbria . It
1856-427: A priority to reduce wartime rationing , which he referred to as a "bonfire of controls". Wilson decided that the massive number of wartime controls was slowing the conversion to peacetime prosperity and he was committed to removing them as fast as possible. He ended rationing of potatoes, bread and jam, as well as shoes and some other clothing controls. In November 1948 Wilson announced his Board of Trade had removed
1972-573: A prominent mill town with an economic boom in the early part of the Victorian era Industrial Revolution . The town centre has much neoclassical Victorian architecture . An example is its railway station , which is a Grade I listed building described by John Betjeman as "the most splendid station façade in England". It won the Europa Nostra award for architecture. Huddersfield hosts
2088-544: A research fellow at University College . On the outbreak of the Second World War , Wilson volunteered for military service, but was classed as a specialist and moved into the civil service instead. For much of this time, he was a research assistant to William Beveridge , the Master of University College, working on the issues of unemployment and the trade cycle. Wilson later became a statistician and economist for
2204-420: A round of competitive devaluations, and concern about the impact price rises following a devaluation would have on people on low incomes. The government's decision over its first three years to defend sterling's parity with traditional deflationary measures ran counter to hopes for an expansionist push for growth. The National Plan produced by the DEA in 1965 targeted an annual growth rate of 3.8%, however, under
2320-507: A time when unemployment stood at around 400,000. It still stood at 371,000 by early 1966 after a steady fall during 1965, but by March 1967 it stood at 631,000. It fell again towards the end of the decade, standing at 582,000 by the time of the general election in June 1970. Despite the economic difficulties faced by Wilson's government, it was able to achieve important advances in several domestic policy areas. As reflected by Wilson in 1971: It
2436-507: Is Music Director of the society and other notable conductors to work with the choir regularly include: Vasily Petrenko, Bramwell Tovey and Jane Glover (a former Principal Conductor and former Principal Guest Conductor of the choir). In August 2016 Huddersfield Choral Society appointed Gregory Batsleer as Choral Director. The team is completed by Associate Choral Director Fanny Cook, Accompanist and Assistant Chorusmaster Daniel Gordon, deputy Accompanist Malcolm Hinchcliffe and Musical Director of
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#17327733127182552-401: Is home to textile, chemical and engineering companies, including Brook Motors Ltd founded by Ernest Brook in 1904. Against conventional wisdom, he started making alternating current electric motors, and he did this in one room with two assistants and starting capital of just £300. On its 50th anniversary in 1954 it employed more than 2,000 people and, with Ernest's sons Frank and Jack in charge,
2668-548: Is in Lindley . Medical services are split between there and the Calderdale Royal Hospital at Salterhebble , near Halifax . Kirkwood Hospice provides care for the terminally ill , and is dependent on donations and charitable gifts. Princess Royal Hospital provided maternity facilities until the risks of not being able to get an ambulance to A&E in the event of complications were judged to outweigh
2784-476: Is mild for the latitude – overnight frosts are quite frequent in winter yet daytime tends to exceed such temperatures due to onshore breezes from around Britain and as the Gulf Stream moderates temperatures. Summers are usually warm, punctuated by frequent rainy and hot spells. Winters are usually cool and damp, punctuated by frequent cold spells where snow is possible, especially on higher ground. According to
2900-501: Is still disputed in historiography. Some scholars praise his unprecedented electoral success for a Labour prime minister and holistic approach to governance, while others criticise his political style and handling of economic issues. Several key issues which he faced while prime minister included the role of public ownership, whether Britain should seek the membership of the European Communities, and British involvement in
3016-528: Is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines . The River Holme 's confluence into the similar-sized Colne is to the south of the town centre which then flows into the Calder in the north eastern outskirts of the town. The rivers around the town provided soft water required for textile treatment in large weaving sheds ; this made it
3132-665: Is the second oldest in the United Kingdom, started in 1889 lasting for nine days each year. Free music concerts have been put on for the town, including bands such as the Ordinary Boys, the Script and Elliott Minor. There are many local choirs, youth and adult, a noted example of the latter being the Honley Male Voice Choir. Home-grown musical talent of all kinds is complemented by the student intake to
3248-486: Is within a green belt region that extends into the Kirklees borough and wider surrounding counties. It is in place to reduce urban sprawl , prevent the towns in the West Yorkshire Urban Area conurbation from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, encourage brownfield reuse, and preserve nearby countryside. This is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within
3364-638: The 1945 general election , Wilson won his seat in the Labour landslide. To his surprise, he was immediately appointed to the government by Prime Minister Clement Attlee as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works . Two years later, he became Secretary for Overseas Trade , in which capacity he made several official trips to the Soviet Union to negotiate supply contracts. The boundaries of his Ormskirk constituency were significantly altered before
3480-741: The Köppen climate classification , Huddersfield is certified as Cfb . After boundary changes in 2004, Huddersfield now covers eight of the twenty-three electoral wards for Kirklees Council. Neighbouring wards in the Colne Valley , Holme Valley , and Kirkburton are often considered to be part of Huddersfield though they are predominantly semi-rural . The very centre of town forms the Newsome ward of councillors. Eight wards make up Huddersfield proper; these with populations, extent and constituent suburbs (mid-year 2005 estimates) are: Huddersfield
3596-753: The UK Albums Chart . These were The Hymns Album (1986, #8) and The Carols Album (1986, #29). The choir performs regularly with the leading orchestras in the north of England, including the Orchestra of Opera North , The Hallé , the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic , Manchester Camerata and the Northern Sinfonia . The choir performs with many leading conductors, known by the choir as their 'family' of conductors instead of having one Principal Conductor. Martyn Brabbins
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3712-612: The United Reformed Church ), Methodism , Quakers , and the Roman Catholic Church . Buddhism , Hinduism , Islam , the Jehovah's Witnesses , Mormonism and Sikhism all have congregational buildings. The town's religious makeup was 39% Christian , 37.4% No Religion, 20.4% Muslim , and has small Hindu , Sikh , Buddhist and Jewish communities. Huddersfield is a manufacturing town, despite
3828-780: The University of Huddersfield and three colleges: Greenhead College , Kirklees College and Huddersfield New College . The town is the birthplace of rugby league with the local team, Huddersfield Giants , playing in the Super League . It also has a professional football team called Huddersfield Town , that currently competes in the EFL League One , as well as two Rugby Union clubs Huddersfield R.U.F.C. and Huddersfield YM RUFC . Notable people include Labour British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and film star James Mason . The town has been classed under Yorkshire ,
3944-529: The University of Huddersfield 's music department. "The Sheriff of Huddersfield" is a song by heavy metal band Iron Maiden on the B-side of their 1986 single " Wasted Years ", written about their co-manager Rod Smallwood , leaving his home town of Huddersfield and struggling to settle into life in Los Angeles. Huddersfield is home to thrash metal band Evile , dance rock band Kava Kava , the birthplace of
4060-563: The Vietnam War . His stated ambitions of substantially improving Britain's long-term economic performance, applying technology more democratically, and reducing inequality were to some extent unfulfilled. Wilson was born at Warneford Road, Cowlersley , in the western suburbs of the mill town of Huddersfield , in the West Riding of Yorkshire , England, on 11 March 1916. He came from a political family: his father James Herbert Wilson
4176-573: The West Riding of Yorkshire and West Yorkshire for statistics throughout its history. The town's population in 1961 was 130,652 with an increase to 162,949 at the 2011 census; it is in the West Yorkshire Built-up Area . The town is 14 miles (23 km) south-west of Leeds , 12 miles (19 km) west of Wakefield , 23 miles (37 km) north-west of Sheffield and 24 miles (39 km) north-east of Manchester . Local settlement dates back over 4,000 years. Castle Hill ,
4292-698: The de Lacy family until its 1322 takeback by the Crown. In 1599, William Ramsden bought it, and the Ramsden family continued to own the manor, which was known as the Ramsden Estate , until 1920. During their ownership they supported the development of the town. Sir John Ramsden, 3rd Baronet built the Huddersfield Cloth Hall in 1766 and his son the fourth baronet was responsible for Huddersfield Broad Canal in 1780. The Ramsdens endorsed
4408-516: The divorce laws , limiting immigration, outlawing racial discrimination , and liberalising birth control and abortion law . In the midst of this programme, Wilson called a snap election in 1966 , which Labour won with a much increased majority. His government armed Nigeria during the Biafran War . In 1969, he sent British troops to Northern Ireland . After losing the 1970 election to Edward Heath 's Conservatives , Wilson chose to remain in
4524-716: The general election of 1950 . He stood instead for the new seat of Huyton near Liverpool, and was narrowly elected; he served there for 33 years until 1983. Wilson was appointed President of the Board of Trade on 29 September 1947, becoming, at the age of 31, the youngest member of a British Cabinet in the 20th century. Initially Wilson favoured a more interventionist policy, seeking requirements for government officials to be seated on private boards of directors , further price controls , and nationalisations of private industries which opposed government policy. However, he abandoned these plans after his colleagues disagreed. He made it
4640-513: The 1950s reflected in several Liberal social clubs. The current Member of Parliament (MP) for the Huddersfield constituency is Harpreet Uppal , a Labour MP. The town's population in 1961 had reached 130,652. Per the United Kingdom Census 2001 the population of the town's urban sub-area of the West Yorkshire Urban Area was 146,234, and that of the former extent of the county borough was 121,620. The wider South Kirklees had
4756-599: The Exchequer Stafford Cripps having gone to Switzerland in an attempt to recover his health, Wilson was one of a group of three young ministers, all of them former economics dons and wartime civil servants, convened to advise Prime Minister Attlee on financial matters. The others were Douglas Jay ( Economic Secretary to the Treasury ) and Hugh Gaitskell ( Minister of Fuel and Power ), both of whom soon grew to distrust him. Jay wrote of Wilson's role in
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4872-564: The Exchequer in 1955, and he proved to be very effective. One of his procedural moves caused a substantial delay to the progress of the Government's Finance Bill in 1955, and his speeches as Shadow Chancellor from 1956 were widely praised for their clarity and wit. He coined the term " Gnomes of Zurich " to ridicule Swiss bankers for selling Britain short and pushing the pound sterling down by speculation. He conducted an inquiry into
4988-476: The Labour Party's organisation following its defeat in the 1955 general election ; its report compared Labour's organisation to an antiquated " penny farthing " bicycle, and made various recommendations for improvements. Unusually, Wilson combined the job of Chairman of the House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee with that of Shadow Chancellor from 1959, holding that position until 1963. Gaitskell's leadership
5104-581: The Labour leadership, and resumed the role of Leader of the Opposition for four years before leading Labour through the February 1974 election , which resulted in a hung parliament . Wilson was appointed prime minister for a second time ; he called a snap election in October 1974, which gave Labour a small majority. During his second term as prime minister, Wilson oversaw the referendum that confirmed
5220-526: The National Economic Development Office greatly strengthened and the number of "little Neddies" was increased, from eight in 1964 to twenty-one in 1970. The government's policy of selective economic intervention was later characterised by the establishment of a new super-ministry of technology, a connexion not always publicly grasped, under Tony Benn . The continued relevance of industrial nationalisation (a centrepiece of
5336-520: The Open University. Money was also channelled into local-authority run colleges of education. Wilson's record on secondary education was motivated by growing pressure for the abolition of the selective principle underlying the " eleven-plus ", and replacement with Comprehensive schools which would serve the full range of children (see the article ' grammar schools debate '). Comprehensive education became Labour Party policy. From 1966 to 1970,
5452-478: The Opposition . At the party's 1963 annual conference, Wilson made his best-remembered speech, on the implications of scientific and technological change. He argued that "the Britain that is going to be forged in the white heat of this revolution will be no place for restrictive practices or for outdated measures on either side of industry". This speech did much to set Wilson's reputation as a technocrat not tied to
5568-465: The Opposition. Wilson led Labour to a narrow victory at the 1964 election . His first period as prime minister saw a period of low unemployment and economic prosperity; this was however hindered by significant problems with Britain's external balance of payments . His government oversaw significant societal changes, abolishing both capital punishment and theatre censorship , partially decriminalising male homosexuality in England and Wales, relaxing
5684-545: The UK's membership of the European Communities . In March 1976, Wilson suddenly announced his resignation as prime minister. He remained in the House of Commons until retiring in 1983 when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Wilson of Rievaulx. While seen by admirers as leading the Labour Party through difficult political issues with considerable skill, Wilson's reputation was low when he left office and
5800-488: The abolition of theatre censorship and capital punishment (except for a small number of offences — notably high treason ) and various pieces of legislation addressing race relations and racial discrimination . His government also undertook the easing of means testing for non-contributory welfare benefits, the linking of pensions to earnings, and the provision of industrial-injury benefits. Wilson's government also made significant reforms to education , most notably
5916-540: The benefits of specialist service provision. It now functions as a day clinic, family planning consultation centre and GUM Clinic . A decision to move most maternity services provided by the Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust to the Calderdale Royal Hospital ended the provision in 2007, despite strong local opposition. The campaign was led by Save Huddersfield NHS which elected
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#17327733127186032-514: The category of Peel , Gladstone , Asquith , and no one else. But...he lacked originality. What he was superb at was the quick assimilation of knowledge, combined with an ability to keep it ordered in his mind and to present it lucidly in a form welcome to his examiners. He continued in academia, becoming one of the youngest Oxford dons of the century at the age of 21. He was a lecturer in Economic History at New College from 1937, and
6148-647: The coal industry. He was Director of Economics and Statistics at the Ministry of Fuel and Power in 1943–44 and was made an OBE for his services. He was to remain passionately interested in statistics, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society in 1943. As President of the Board of Trade , he was the driving force behind the Statistics of Trade Act 1947, which is still the authority governing most economic statistics in Britain . He
6264-420: The day when a new Act would make it the right of a student, on leaving school, to have a place in an institution of further education. In 1966, Wilson was created the first Chancellor of the newly created University of Bradford , a position he held until 1985. Housing was a major policy area under the first Wilson government. During Wilson's time in office from 1964 to 1970, more new houses were built than in
6380-408: The debates over whether or not to devalue sterling that "he changed sides three times within eight days and finished up facing both ways". Wilson was given the task during his Swiss holiday of taking a letter to Cripps informing him of the decision to devalue, to which Cripps had been opposed. Wilson had tarnished his reputation in both political and official circles. Although a successful minister, he
6496-544: The designated areas, and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building. The green belt surrounds the Huddersfield built-up area, a much-wooded buffer zone . Larger outlying communities such as Upper Hopton, Grange Moor, Highburton, Farnley Tyas , Netherton, Honley , Outlane , Slaithwaite , Wellhouse are exempt from this. Nearby smaller villages, hamlets and rural areas such as Thurgory, Gawthorpe Green , Bog Green, Upper Heaton, Wilberlee , South Crosland , Rushfield Bridge, and Bank End see their unbuilt land included in
6612-518: The designation. Much semi-rural land on the fringes forms the rest. It was chiefly defined in the 1960s, and across Kirklees covers about 70%, i.e. 23,050 hectares (57,000 acres) (2017, excluding the Peak District National Park). A subsidiary aim is to encourage play, sport and leisure, through woodland, moor, streams, green meadows, fields, small bogs. Features are: West of Marsden , Meltham and Holmbridge , it borders
6728-412: The devaluation, as economists had predicted. The devaluation, with accompanying austerity measures which ensured resources went into exports rather than domestic consumption, successfully restored the trade balance to surplus by 1969. In retrospect Wilson has been widely criticised for not devaluing earlier, however, he believed there were strong arguments against it, including the fear that it would set off
6844-591: The effect of reducing housing costs for buyers on low incomes and enabling more people to become owner-occupiers. In addition, house owners were exempted from capital gains tax. Together with the Option Mortgage Scheme, this measure stimulated the private housing market. Wilson in a 1967 speech said: ''..the grime and muddle and decay of our Victorian heritage is being replaced. The new city centres with their university precincts, their light, clean and well-spaced civic buildings, will not merely brighten
6960-562: The election was called, and was therefore compelled to resign from his position in the Civil Service. He served as Praelector in Economics at University College between his resignation and his election to the House of Commons. He also used this time to write A New Deal for Coal , which used his wartime experience to argue for the nationalisation of the coal mines on the grounds of the improved efficiency he predicted would ensue. In
7076-469: The expansion of comprehensive education and the creation of the Open University . Wilson's government put faith in economic planning as a way to solve Britain's economic problems. The government's strategy involved setting up a Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) which would draw up a National Plan which was intended to promote growth and investment. Wilson believed that scientific progress
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#17327733127187192-772: The financial demands imposed by the Korean War . At this time, Wilson was not yet regarded as a heavyweight politician: Hugh Dalton referred to him scornfully as "Nye [Bevan]'s dog". After Labour lost the 1951 election , he became the Chairman of Keep Left, Bevan's political group. At the bitter Morecambe Conference in late 1952, Wilson was one of the Bevanites elected as constituency representatives to Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC), whilst senior right-wingers such as Dalton and Herbert Morrison were voted off. Wilson had never made much secret that his support of
7308-549: The group's acrimonious collapse. In the early-mid-1990s, Flex, an underground Jungle/ Drum 'n' Bass record label, was founded by musician and BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ, L Double. In 2000 another independent record label Chocolate Fireguard Records was founded by singer Pat Fulgoni who developed a three-stage community music event, Timeless Festival , in Ravensknowle Park, featuring a range of electronica, hip hop and rock music. There are other annual music festivals held in
7424-599: The initial optimism. Upon coming to power, the government was informed that they had inherited an exceptionally large deficit of £800 million on Britain's balance of trade . This partly reflected the preceding government's expansive fiscal policy in the run-up to the 1964 election. Immediately the pound came under enormous pressure, and many economists advocated devaluation of the pound in response, but Wilson resisted, reportedly in part out of concern that Labour, which had previously devalued sterling in 1949, would become tagged as "the party of devaluation". Wilson also believed that
7540-492: The keynote central building freeholds belong to the local authority, as in a few towns in Britain such as Basingstoke . Huddersfield was incorporated as a municipal borough in the ancient West Riding of Yorkshire in 1868. The borough comprised the thus sidelined civil parishes of Almondbury, Dalton, Huddersfield, Lindley-cum-Quarmby and Lockwood, later dissolved. When the West Riding County Council
7656-428: The land was sold to a developer; this land is now home to Fitzwilliam Grange, a housing estate. Platform 1 is a charity established in 2018 and provides a space and advice for men struggling with mental health. The Lawrence Batley Theatre , opened in 1994, in what was once the largest Wesleyan Chapel in the world, and presents dance, drama, comedy, music and exhibitions and is the base for Full Body and The Voice,
7772-561: The last six years of the previous Conservative government. The proportion of council housing rose from 42% to 50% of the total, while the number of council homes built increased steadily, from 119,000 in 1964 to 133,000 in 1965 and 142,000 in 1966. Allowing for demolitions, 1.3 million new homes were built between 1965 and 1970, To encourage homeownership, the government introduced the Option Mortgage Scheme (1968), which made low-income housebuyers eligible for subsidies (equivalent to tax relief on mortgage interest payments). This scheme had
7888-626: The left-wing Aneurin Bevan was opportunistic. In early 1954, Bevan resigned from the Shadow Cabinet (elected by Labour MPs when the party was in opposition) over Labour's support for the setting-up of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Wilson, who had been runner-up in the elections, stepped up to fill the vacant place. He was supported in this by Richard Crossman , but his actions angered Bevan and
8004-477: The mills, sheds and machinery at such times; one of the most notorious attacks was on Cartwright – a Huddersfield mill-owner who had a reputation for cruelty – and his Rawfolds Mill. Kirkpatrick Sale describes how an army platoon was stationed at Huddersfield to deal with these; at its peak, having about a thousand soldiers and ten thousand civilians. Luddites thus began to focus criminal damage on nearby towns and villages (less well-protected); their most damaging act
8120-509: The mills. Two Prime Ministers spent part of their childhood in Huddersfield: Harold Wilson , born locally attended Royds Hall School , and H. H. Asquith . Wilson is commemorated by a statue on the ( forecourt ) to the town's station. In 1920, the Corporation bought the Ramsden Estate from that family that had owned much of the town at least as to the reversion of long leases (a minor, overarching interest) since 1599, for £1.3 million. The town became "the town that bought itself". Most of
8236-399: The need for over 200,000 licences and permits. By March 1949 he promised to remove the need for another 900,000, although meat remained in short supply and was still rationed, as was petrol. Henry Irvine argues that Wilson's success with the bonfire of controls established his reputation as a modernizing specialist, with both the general public and the political elite. Irving also argues that
8352-581: The north limb of the Peak District National Park . As of 2021, the town of Huddersfield's population was enumerated at 141,692, and its ethnic makeup was 66% White , 20.4% Asian , 5.6% Black , 5.2% Mixed , 2% Other and 1% Arab . The town has many churches, mosques, temples and synagogues. These include Christian denominations: the Church of England , Baptists , Presbyterians and Congregationalists (sometimes as their main fusion
8468-418: The other Bevanites. Wilson's course in intra-party matters in the 1950s and early 1960s left him neither fully accepted nor trusted by the left or the right in the Labour Party. Despite his earlier association with Bevan, in 1955 he backed Hugh Gaitskell , the right-wing candidate in internal Labour Party terms, against Bevan for the party leadership election . Gaitskell appointed him Shadow Chancellor of
8584-453: The other side of the town centre. The town centre is home to several national high street retailers and chain stores. There are also a variety of small specialist and independent shops, many in the three-storey Victorian shopping arcade, Byram Arcade, on street, Westgate. However over the last decade many shops have closed down causing a general decline of the town centre. Most notability the closure of British Home Stores (BHS) in 2016 left
8700-810: The party's left-wing by renationalising the steel industry under the Iron and Steel Act 1967 (which had been denationalised by the Conservatives in the 1950s) creating the British Steel Corporation . One innovation of the Wilson government was the creation in 1968 of the Girobank , a publicly owned bank which operated via the General Post Office network: As most working-class people in the 1960s did not have bank accounts, this
8816-635: The position of Shadow Foreign Secretary in 1961, before he challenged for the deputy leadership in 1962 but was defeated by George Brown . Gaitskell died in January 1963, just as the Labour Party had begun to unite and appeared to have a very good chance of winning the next election, with the Macmillan Government running into trouble. Timothy Heppell has explored how Wilson won the Labour Party leadership election . Wilson had alienated
8932-538: The post-War Labour government's programme) had been a key point of contention in Labour's internal struggles of the 1950s and early 1960s. Wilson's predecessor as leader, Hugh Gaitskell , had tried in 1960 to tackle the controversy head-on, with a proposal to expunge Clause Four (the public ownership clause) from the party's constitution, but had been forced to climb down. Wilson took a characteristically more subtle approach: No significant expansion of public ownership took place under Wilson's government, however, he placated
9048-463: The prevailing class system. Labour's 1964 election campaign was aided by the Profumo affair , a ministerial sex scandal that had mortally wounded Harold Macmillan and hurt the Conservatives. Wilson made capital without getting involved in the less salubrious aspects. (Asked for a statement on the scandal, he reportedly said "No comment ... in glorious Technicolor !"). Sir Alec Douglas-Home
9164-535: The proportion of children in comprehensive schools increased from about 10% to over 30%. Labour pressed local authorities to convert grammar schools into comprehensives. Conversion continued on a large scale during the subsequent Conservative Heath administration, although the Secretary of State, Margaret Thatcher , ended the compulsion of local governments to convert. Wilson's first government reluctantly decided it could not fulfil its long-held promise to raise
9280-425: The public library, with a grassed area, used for relaxation and events throughout the year such as entertainment, international markets and iceskating in winter. Through the adjacent Market Arcade is a covered market hall, which has listed building status, due in part to its distinctive roof formed by hyperbolic paraboloids . It is adjacent to the town hall and public library. An open market trades next to Tesco , on
9396-535: The railway in the first wave of national railway building, in the 1840s. Huddersfield was a centre of civil unrest during the Industrial Revolution in which Europe saw frequent wars during and after which, as to those most acutely affecting Britain, cloth trade slumped which could be compounded by local crops failure, many local weavers faced starvation and losing their livelihood due to the new, mechanised weaving sheds . Luddites began destroying
9512-558: The recession in activity from going too far in the form of a stimulus to consumer durable spending through an easing of credit, which in turn prevented a rise in unemployment. After a costly battle, market pressures forced the government to devalue the pound by 14% from $ 2.80 to $ 2.40 in November 1967. Wilson was much criticised for a broadcast soon after in which he assured listeners that the "pound in your pocket" had not lost its value. Economic performance did show some improvement after
9628-526: The recommendations of the Robbins Report , a bipartisan policy already in train when Labour took power. Wilson promoted the concept of an Open University , to give adults who had missed out on tertiary education a second chance through part-time study and distance learning . His political commitment included assigning implementation responsibility to Baroness Lee , the widow of Aneurin Bevan . By 1981, 45,000 students had received degrees through
9744-485: The restrained circumstances the actual average rate of growth between 1964 and 1970 was a far more modest 2.2%. The DEA itself was wound up in 1969. The government's other main initiative Mintech did have some success at switching research and development spending from military to civilian purposes, and of achieving increases in industrial productivity, although persuading industry to adopt new technology proved more difficult than had been hoped. Faith in indicative planning as
9860-421: The right wing of the party by his angry attempts to defeat Gaitskell in 1960 for the leadership, and George Brown in 1962 for the deputy leadership. These misadventures gave Wilson a reputation for disloyalty and divisiveness. Heppell identifies three factors whereby Wilson overcame these disadvantages. Firstly, he had united the party's left wing behind him and they showed no willingness to compromise. Secondly,
9976-455: The right wing, although more numerous, was deeply split between Brown and James Callaghan . Wilson took the lead on the first ballot and gained momentum on the second. Finally, Brown proved a poor campaigner, emphasizing divisive factors rather than his own credentials, allowing Wilson to emerge, surprisingly, as the unity candidate, thus becoming the Leader of the Labour Party and the Leader of
10092-440: The school leaving age to 16, because of the investment required in infrastructure, such as tens of thousands of new classrooms and teachers. Overall, public expenditure on education rose as a proportion of GNP from 4.8% in 1964 to 5.9% in 1968, and the number of teachers in training increased by more than a third between 1964 and 1967. The percentage of students staying on at school after the age of sixteen increased similarly, and
10208-417: The selection timing and especially the publicity Wilson devoted to the bonfire represented the emerging skills of a brilliant young politician. While each major bonfire was justified in terms of technical economic advantages, it was selected and publicised widely to reach the largest possible audience so that everybody could understand that their bread and jam became free again. In mid-1949, with Chancellor of
10324-477: The shifts of English, remaining 'Hud(d)er's field'. The modern name is pronounced without a word-initial /h/ in the local dialect, a trait independently shared by many Norman scribes' dialects of the Domesday Book era (see Old and modern French ). Huddersfield has been a market town since Anglo-Saxon times. The market cross is on Market Place. The manor of Huddersfield was owned by long lease by
10440-527: The social services, health, welfare and housing, unparalleled in our history. Several liberalising social reforms were passed through parliament during Wilson's first period in government. These dealt with the death penalty, homosexual acts, abortion, censorship and the voting age . There were new restrictions on immigration . Wilson personally, coming culturally from a provincial non-conformist background, showed no particular enthusiasm for much of this agenda. Higher education held special significance for
10556-569: The stadium is an Odeon cinema (formerly UCI). There are many pubs, restaurants and night clubs, one of which, Tokyo , which closed in 2019, occupies the former Huddersfield County Court , a 19th-century Grade II listed building . The oldest pub is The Parish , trading since 1720. Huddersfield has a large and diverse retail shopping area, enclosed within the town's ring road, compared with other towns of its size. There are three shopping areas: Kingsgate , The Packhorse Precinct and The Piazza Centre . The Piazza offers an outdoor shopping mall near
10672-474: The student population increased by over 10% each year. Pupil-teacher ratios were also steadily reduced. As a result of the first Wilson government's educational policies, opportunities for the working-class were improved; overall access to education in 1970 was broader than in 1964. As summarised by Brian Lapping, The years 1964–70 were largely taken up with creating extra places in universities, polytechnics, technical colleges, colleges of education: preparing for
10788-465: The synthpop musician Billy Currie (of Ultravox and Visage ), and the hard rock bassist John McCoy who played with Neo and Gillan . Huddersfield Art Gallery occupies the top floor of the library at Princess Alexandra Walk. It has an extensive collection featuring Francis Bacon , L.S. Lowry and Henry Moore , as well as significant regional artists. It has other halls for its temporary exhibitions for established and emerging artists. Ian Berry
10904-698: The town and surrounding area, examples being the Marsden Jazz Festival, Mrs Sunderland, Electric Spring, Janet Beaumont, the Holmfirth Festivals, and the Haydn Wood (Linthwaite). The Haydn Wood (for under 21s) and Mrs Sunderland festival focus on musical and oratorial performance. The Electric Spring festival is an exploration of electronic and experimental music, featuring the 50-channel, 64-loudspeaker Huddersfield Immersive Sound System (HISS). The Mrs Sunderland Music festival
11020-701: The town centre adjacent to the railway station. Each year there is a performance by a theatre company. The finale is a firework display. The 2007 show was performed by French company Plasticiens Volants, which used large inflatable sea creatures in a parade through the streets as they told the story of 'Pearl'. The 2005 and 2008 performances were by the Valencian artists Xarxa Teatre. The 2010 festival featured Belgian company Company Tol and their suspension act – Corazon de Angeles (Angels' Heart) and ended on 5 December with fireworks in St George's Square. Huddersfield has
11136-465: The university being the largest employer. Historically the town produced woollen textiles. This area of business, along with the chemical and engineering industries that emerged to support the manufacture of textiles, was the basis of the town's nineteenth and early twentieth century prosperity. The number of people who work in textiles has declined greatly, but the surviving companies produce large quantities of woollen products with little labour. The town
11252-499: The youngest person to hold that office since Lord Rosebery 70 years earlier. During 1965, by-election losses reduced the government's majority to a single seat; but in March 1966 Wilson took the gamble of calling another general election. The gamble paid off, because this time Labour achieved a 96-seat majority over the Conservatives, who the previous year had made Edward Heath their leader. The 1964–1970 Labour government carried out
11368-578: The youth choirs Alison North. The choir remains an amateur choir, with membership open to all via a brief audition while maintaining its performing commitments. The Huddersfield Choral Society was in partnership with the University of Huddersfield ; however, this relationship ended in 2012 for funding reasons. Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire , England. It
11484-475: Was a British statesman and politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , from 1964 to 1970 and again from 1974 to 1976. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1963 to 1976, Leader of the Opposition twice from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1970 to 1974, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1983 . Wilson is the only Labour leader to have formed administrations following four general elections. Born in Huddersfield , Yorkshire, to
11600-409: Was a government which faced disappointment after disappointment and none greater than the economic restraints in our ability to carry through the social revolution to which we were committed at the speed we would have wished. Yet, despite those restraints and the need to transfer resources from domestic expenditure, private and public, to the needs of our export markets, we carried through an expansion in
11716-529: Was a works chemist who had been active in the Liberal Party , serving as Winston Churchill 's deputy election agent in a 1908 by-election, but later joined the Labour Party . His mother Ethel ( née Seddon) was a schoolteacher before her marriage; in 1901 her brother Harold Seddon settled in Western Australia and became a local political leader. When Wilson was eight, he visited London and
11832-623: Was abolished in 1974 and its former area was combined with that of other districts to form the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire. Council bids to gain support for city status were rejected by the people in a poll held by the Huddersfield Daily Examiner ; the council did not apply for that status in the 2000 or 2002 competitions. Huddersfield had a strong Liberal tradition up to
11948-433: Was an aristocrat who had given up his peerage to sit in the House of Commons and become prime minister upon Macmillan's resignation. To Wilson's comment that he was out of touch with ordinary people since he was the 14th Earl of Home , Home retorted, "I suppose Mr. Wilson is the fourteenth Mr. Wilson". Labour won the 1964 general election with a narrow majority of four seats, and Wilson became prime minister , at 48
12064-589: Was born in Netherton, Huddersfield and was educated in the town and went to Greenhead College and is internationally renowned for his art using only denim jeans and was named as one of the top 30 artists under 30 in the world in 2013. In 1996 aged 11 he won the Huddersfield Daily Examiner 125th Birthday competition that saw his design printed on to mugs, tea towels and posters. Huddersfield Festival of Light takes place annually in December, usually in
12180-434: Was designed to serve their needs, as such it was billed as the "people's bank". Girobank was a long-term success, surviving until 2003. Wilson's government presided over a rate of unemployment which was low by historic (and later) standards but did rise during his period in office. Between 1964 and 1966 the average rate of unemployment was 1.6%, while between 1966 and 1970 the average stood at 2.5%. He had entered power at
12296-463: Was elevated to the Cabinet shortly thereafter as President of the Board of Trade . Following Labour's defeat at the 1955 election , Wilson joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chancellor , and was moved to the role of Shadow Foreign Secretary in 1961. When Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell died suddenly in January 1963, Wilson won the subsequent leadership election to replace him, becoming Leader of
12412-425: Was formed in 1889, Huddersfield became a county borough , exempt from its control. A more confined Huddersfield seat than the early 20th century scope has been represented by Labour since its creation in 1983 and is, by size of majority and length of tenure, a strongly-Labour leaning seat . Kirklees was the first part of the country to have a Green or other environmentalist party councillor – Nicholas Harvey – he
12528-527: Was instrumental as prime minister in appointing Claus Moser as head of the Central Statistical Office , and was president of the Royal Statistical Society between 1972 and 1973. As the war drew to an end, he searched for a seat to contest at the impending general election. He was selected for the constituency of Ormskirk , then held by Stephen King-Hall . Wilson agreed to be adopted as the candidate immediately rather than delay until
12644-579: Was instrumental in protesting against the intended closure of the Settle and Carlisle Railway line. The council has councillors of Labour, Conservative Party and Liberal Democrat parties; these retained the deposit , reaching more than 5% of the vote in the last general election (for an MP who serves in the House of Commons). Huddersfield expanded in 1937, assimilating parts of the Golcar , Linthwaite , and South Crosland urban districts. The county borough
12760-679: Was made redundant in December 1930, and it took him nearly two years to find work; he moved to Spital , on the Wirral Peninsula , to do so. Wilson continued his education in the Sixth Form at the Wirral Grammar School for Boys , where he became Head Boy . Wilson did well at school and, although he missed getting a scholarship, he obtained an exhibition ; this, when topped up by a county grant, enabled him to study at Jesus College, Oxford , from 1934. At Oxford, Wilson
12876-623: Was moderately active in politics as a member of the Liberal Party but was strongly influenced by G. D. H. Cole . His politics tutor, R. B. McCallum , considered Wilson to be the best student he ever had. He graduated in PPE ( Philosophy, Politics and Economics ) with "an outstanding first class Bachelor of Arts degree, with alphas on every paper" in the final examinations, and a series of major academic awards. Biographer Roy Jenkins wrote: Academically his results put him among prime ministers in
12992-525: Was regarded as self-important. He was not seriously considered for the job of Chancellor when Cripps stepped down in October 1950—it was given to Gaitskell—possibly in part because of his cautious role during devaluation. Wilson was becoming known in the Labour Party as a left-winger, and joined Aneurin Bevan and John Freeman in resigning from the government in April 1951 in protest at the introduction of National Health Service (NHS) medical charges to meet
13108-469: Was the key to economic and social advancement, as such he famously referred to the "white heat of technology", in reference to the modernisation of British industry. This was to be achieved through a new Ministry of Technology (shortened to "Mintech") which would coordinate research and development and support the swift adoption of new technology by industry, aided by government-funded infrastructure improvements. In practice, however, events derailed much of
13224-657: Was the largest exclusive producer of AC motors in the world, and had a turnover of £4,500,000. That same year Brook Motors Ltd operated 10 factories in Huddersfield, its biggest being Empress Works on St Thomas's Road, and opened one at Barugh Green, Barnsley. Other local manufacturers are Cummins Turbo Technologies , founded in 1952 as Holset by Messrs. Holmes and Croset. (turbochargers), David Brown Gear systems (industrial gearing), Huddersfield Fine Worsteds (textiles), Taylor & Lodge (textiles), C & J Antich (textiles), Syngenta AG ( agro-chemicals ), Pennine Radio Limited ( electronics transformers and sheet metalworking ) and
13340-446: Was to destroy Foster's Mill at Horbury – a village about 10 miles (16 kilometres) east. The government campaign that crushed the movement was provoked by a murder that took place in Huddersfield. William Horsfall, a mill-owner and a passionate prosecutor of Luddites, was killed in 1812. Although the movement faded out, Parliament began to increase welfare provision for those out of work, and introduce regulations to improve conditions in
13456-532: Was weakened after the Labour Party's 1959 defeat , his controversial attempt to ditch Labour's commitment to nationalisation by scrapping Clause Four , and his defeat at the 1960 Party Conference over a motion supporting unilateral nuclear disarmament . Bevan had died in July 1960, so Wilson established himself as a leader of the Labour left by launching an opportunistic but unsuccessful challenge to Gaitskell's leadership in November 1960 . Wilson would later be moved to
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