By Leah Conway –
St George’s Square is at the heart of Huddersfield and is often the first thing many people see when they arrive in Huddersfield.
The Huddersfield Local History Society has received funding from Historic England’s ‘Regenerating Historic High Streets through Heritage Action Zones’ (HSHAZ) scheme. The grant will go towards celebrating the history and heritage of St George’s Square.
This Society will produce an illustrated book to be published in summer 2023 and a specially created website – oursquare.org – due to be launched at the end of June 2021.
Share your memories
Christine Verguson, co-ordinator of the Society’s Memories of Our Square project, together with the Society’s Vice-Chair, Brian Haigh, said: “Not only will we be looking for eye-witness accounts, images and maps from the past but we are inviting anybody who has their own memories and photos of the Square to share these initially on the project’s website.
“This will allow us to make selections for the book and, where contributors give their permission, these submissions will also be passed on to the West Yorkshire Archive Service to be preserved for future generations.”
St George’s Square today
The very heart of the town
The project’s website will include a timeline outlining the story of St George’s Square and its buildings. It will also have a series of articles on aspects of St George’s Square history.
Brian Haigh, who has been researching the history of the Square, said: ‘Local people are proud of St George’s Square, which has witnessed huge gatherings to hear political addresses, take part in peaceful protest, celebrate local and national events, and enjoy themselves. It lies at the very heart of the town. We all have different memories of the Square.’
St George’s Square from the Festival of Light
“A real people’s history.”
Cyril Pearce, chair of Huddersfield Local History Society, says: ‘Huddersfield Local History Society is delighted to be part of the winning team that has brought a Historic England grant to Huddersfield to support community-led cultural activities here over the next three years.
‘As a local history society, we are committed to encouraging, exploring and publishing the ever-expanding body of work on the history of our town and its people.
“Our contribution, at the heart of the planned Heritage Action Zone in and around St George’s Square, will build on all of that enthusiasm and experience. We are excited and looking forward to embarking on a new approach to our local history.
“It will be built on the idea of discovering people’s memories, blending them with historical research and then sharing all of that to create a real people’s history of the town’s iconic centre.”
Huddersfield HSHAZ Consortium
Huddersfield Local History Society is a member of the Huddersfield HSHAZ Consortium. HSHAZ consortium was recently awarded a £90,000 grant from Historic England to create and deliver a series of community-led cultural activities on the high street.
To find out more about the project or share your memories of St George’s Square, email info@huddersfieldhistory.org.uk
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