April 2026 marks 130 years since the opening of Halifax Royal Infirmary on Free School Lane, but the provision of free healthcare goes back much further.

The latter half of the 19th century was a time of growth for Halifax and Calderdale. Alongside industrial development; municipal buildings, schools, housing for the working classes and almshouses were constructed. Industrialists also built ornate churches and mansions to showcase their wealth. In 1863 Jones’s trade directory lists fifteen architects in Halifax alone. Two of them, William Swinden Barber and James Mallinson were especially prolific through the mid to late 19th

Well, we’re nearly at the end of Local and Community History Month, and a post we’ve been considering for a while which seemed...

During lockdown we’re all trying to get out of the house and get some “interesting” exercise in. Walking around on the tops, you can see...