David Cockman of the Holme Valley Civic Society presented the second part of his talk on the Blue Plaque Trail of Holmfirth.
He showed us a film presented by the late actor, James Mason, of Huddersfield, when he visited the premises of Bamfords, film producers of Holmfirth, later to become well know manufacturers of seaside postcards, of the rather risqué type!
Another site was that of the old Technical College, alongside the old Police Station, both of which featured in clips he showed us of the well-known TV series, Last of the Summer Wine. The building is now in urgent need of renovation, which, needless to say, Kirklees Council are eager to sell!
A tall stone column was next, “Owd Genn”, marking a memorial to the Peace of Amiens in 1802. In the event, the peace was soon reneged on, the mill owners refused to pay for it, so the stonemason, George Wadsworth, hacked away all the commemorative carvings, but the column nevertheless still stands!
The oldest building in the town is said to be that of Towser, an Elizabethan building, which has served at one time or another as a church, a prison, a base for horse drawn Fire and Ambulance service, and even a mortuary.
It was clear from the photographs he showed us that today’s traffic problems are no different from those of earlier times.
He finished by giving us details of the old Picturedrome, where the first “talkie” was shown in 1930, and showed a clip of Janet Gaynor singing “Keep your sunny side up” from that film, eventually leading on to a filmed rendition of the Holmfirth Anthem, “Pratty Flowers”, which encouraged one or two members to join in!