A piece of Huddersfield’s history went on public show for the first time as part of the town’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
The original Borough Charter and Award of Arms has been restored by West Yorkshire Archive Service and went on display at Huddersfield Town Hall on Friday.
On July 7 it was 150 years since Huddersfield was granted a Royal Charter to become a municipal borough .
Since then there have been a number of commemorative events including a Huddersfield 150 exhibition at the University of Huddersfield ’s Heritage Quay, which runs until November 4.
As guardians of the region’s unique documentary heritage, West Yorkshire Archive Service has contributed a number of treasures from the Kirklees Archive Office.
Showcasing Huddersfield’s pioneering approach, the Huddersfield 150 exhibition tells the story of the borough over the years, with the granting of a Royal Charter being pivotal to Huddersfield’s development into an industrial powerhouse.
Within 15 years of inception, the new borough was managing markets, water and gas supplies, the fire brigade and the police force.
The borough was responsible for some of the country’s earliest council housing and became the first local authority to operate its own tramway in 1883.
In 1893 an illustrated London magazine said: “The Huddersfield Corporation occupies a high position among the municipalities of England.
“No town of the same population can show the same extent and variety of municipal institutions. Few, if any, of our great cities can equal it, as there is not a single local service in Huddersfield which is not under the control of the corporation. In more than one department it has been a pioneer.”
Tomorrow/today (Saturday September 8) there will be a display called Extraordinary Women at Huddersfield Local Studies Library (10am-1pm) which highlights the influential women of Huddersfield down the decades with talks from local experts.
For more information see www.huddersfield150.org.uk .
