The Save the Clock campaign to save Newsome has captured local residents’ imaginations with more than 500 people signing up to the Facebook group.
Here members explain why the iconic clock tower must be protected:
Frank Rigate said: “This clock tower is part of Huddersfield’s skyline and should be there forever.
“There’s more to life than money and so many of Huddersfield’s historical buildings are under threat, sadly we lost some of the unique buildings in the past.
“IT IS NOW TIME TO PRESERVE!”
Susan Sanders had perhaps the most poignant entry: “Hope the Clock Tower can be saved. It was visible from my grandparents’ back garden in Lockwood and I remember my grandfather checking his pocket watch against it in the 50’s and 60’s.”
Jane Kaye congratulated her young daughter Thea: “My daughter has even got her banner ready!!”
And she posted: “Found a picture on Britain above, one of the cottages in the middle of the field is still my family home after 44 years!
“They were built the same time as the mill for the workers.”
Stephen Halstead said: “I may live in Oxford now, but I’m still a Newsome Lad and brought up in a Textile family.
“The mill has always been part of my life and on my regular visits ‘home’, I love to arrive via Castle Hill so I can look over Newsome, the Mill and Clock Tower being the main part of the iconic view I miss. It will be so different now!
“I worry that the Clock Tower will be demolished, whatever the law says!”
Karen Hintz said: “Save the clock, I grew up with it in my back yard, it cannot go!”
LJ Kershaw added: “The clock is a defining landmark not only for Newsome but the whole town.
Mike Thompson said:“Obviously people are still a little shocked by recent events but if the clock is still intact we need to embrace the heritage of the village.
“The original gate house, clock tower, gated entrance and the mill offices behind the entrance gate minus roof which was set on fire several years ago are all still intact and could be saved, no problem.
“The actual clock tower is sound and NOT structurally damaged. This was built by the mill owners for the benefit of Newsome as it was then because most of Newsome was employed at the mill.
“The actual clock has to be hand wound every day unfortunately, it was never automatically mechanised like Big Ben. However, up until the mill was bought by developers in 2006, they got rid of the site caretaker who wound it every day, and it stopped working.
“Since then the hand was stolen, the clock faces have all been damaged, but the mechanism and bell etc are or were still intact.”
