Almondbury
Almondbury is a village 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Huddersfield town centre in West Yorkshire, England. The population of Almondbury in 2001 was 7,368[1] increasing to 18,346 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Almondbury | |
---|---|
Almondbury, showing Wormald's Hall (centre) | |
Almondbury Location within West Yorkshire | |
Population | 18,346 (Ward. 2011) |
OS grid reference | SE 16701 15345 |
• London | 160 mi (260 km) SE |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Huddersfield |
Postcode district | HD5 8 |
Police | West Yorkshire |
Fire | West Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
UK Parliament | |
Almondbury appears in the Domesday Book as "Almondeberie". After the Norman Conquest, the land around the village was held by the powerful De Lacy family, who gave their name to De Lacy Avenue.
For 300 years until the 17th century, the village's Monday Market was the most important in the area. Almondbury was the hub of parish activity and in its early history was a more important centre than the town of Huddersfield. The villages of Linthwaite, Lockwood, Honley, Holmfirth and Meltham were all part of the Almondbury parish area.
The village is close to Castle Hill, Huddersfield's most prominent landmark. Almondbury has several notable buildings including the 16th-century Wormald's Hall,[3] now the village Conservative club, and the Grade I listed All Hallows Church.[4] The church is mainly Perpendicular in style but the chancel is earlier. The roofs have a long inscription dated 1522 on the cornice. Other wooden furniture of interest includes a Georgian lectern, a pew of 1605 and a late Perpendicular font cover.[5]
Education
In 1547 the people of Almondbury were faced with the possible dissolution of its Chantry Chapel.[6] By "concent of the parishe", Arthur Kay of Woodsome Hall and his son John "dyd shifte yt" stone by stone, along St Helen's Gate, to be reconstructed as a school house. A royal charter, formally called the Letters Patent,[7] was granted by James I on 24 November 1608 and the school became a grammar school. The school has had various names (Almondbury Grammar School, King James's Grammar School) and today is called King James's School.[8]
The Harry Taylor Trust was established in 1987 in memory of Harry Taylor, former headmaster of King James's Grammar School (1952-1973), to benefit pupils at the school and young people in the village of Almondbury.
There is also Hill View Academy on Fernside Avenue and Almond House Nursery on Forest Road. Almondbury Community School made headlines in November 2018 when a video clip was circulated on social media, showing white pupils bullying a Syrian refugee pupil, attempting waterboarding. The incident that had originally occurred in October was finally investigated by the school and police a month later.[9]
Notable people
- Ronald Aspinall — cricketer[10]
- Benjamin F. Cocker (1821–1883) — Professor of Psychology, Speculative Philosophy and the Philosophy of Religion, University of Michigan (1869–1883); born in Almondbury[11]
- Shakespeare Hirst — actor, author, art collector and authority on the life and works of William Shakespeare
- George Lee — cricketer
- Carlton Oldfield (1871–1945) — Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of Leeds (1919–1932); born in Almondbury[12]
See also
References
- "Kirkless Census by Settlement spreadsheet". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012.
- "Kirklees Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- Historic England. "Wormalls Hall (1224854)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- Historic England. "Church of All Hallows (1225096)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- Betjeman, J. (ed.) (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches: the North. London: Collins; p. 333
- "A short history of King James’s School", Oas.org.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2016
- "The School Charter (‘the Letters Patent’)", Oas.org.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2016
- The Old Almondburians' Society, Oas.org.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2016
- "'They think I'm different:' Horrific video shows Syrian boy being choked on a school field". The Washington Post. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- Blowers, Janis (9 January 2013). "Cricket heroes were pals too". Shields Gazette. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- Leslie, Frank-Leslie's - Volumes 55-57, 1883, p. 177 accessed 19 December 2012
- Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of London, Volume 5, Royal College of Physicians, 1968 p.311 accessed 19 December 2012
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Almondbury. |
- The ancient parish of Almondbury: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.
- Almondbury in the Domesday Book