Edward Wadsworth
Edward Alexander Wadsworth, the artist, was born in Cleckheaton in October 1889. His mother, Hannah, died nine days later of puerperal fever and as a result his father, Fred, found it difficult to take to his new son. Fred was a manufacturer, a worsted spinner, and was able to employ a nurse and other servants to look after himself and the boy. They lived at "Highfield House", off Waltroyd Road, at this time (1891) - see photo. Edward's grandfather, Elymas Wadsworth, had himself worked as a wool sorter in the textile industry, but had been determined and enterprising enough to set up his own worsted spinning business, at first at Upper Mills Lane but eventually in part of Broomfield Mills on Westgate. His business soon occupied the whole mill and by 1862 employed over 600 people. The family prospered.
At age 10 Edward was sent away to Godby's boarding school in Ilkley, then at Fettes College, Edinburgh. He then spent a gap year in Germany studying engineering and art in his spare time, before enrolling at Bradford School of Art against his family's wishes. His father wanted him to go into the family textile business. He continued his artistic studies after gaining a scholarship at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. In 1911 both father and son were living in Finchley whilst Edward continued his art studies. Fred had become despondent about the family business, having no-one to take over from him, so had sold up and moved to London. On 8th April 1912 Edward married Fanny Eveleigh, a violinist and 11 years his senior, at St Philip's Church in Kensington, London. Edward was a fully fledged artist by now. During World War I he served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. His artwork came in useful when he was engaged on the dazzle camouflage campaign. Two thousand naval vessels were painted in geometric designs to confuse the enemy. After the war, in 1920, he was able to hold his first solo exhibition of paintings. He developed a unique style, based on Surrealism and Vorticism, working in both oils and tempura. He created over 500 pieces, some of his best are "View of A Town" (1918), "Dazzle ships in Dry Dock" (1919), "The Beached Margin" (1937) and "Bronze Ballet" (1940). He was also an engraver working on copper and wood. Interestingly, he was commissioned to paint two panels for the smoking room of the "Queen Mary" ocean liner. In July 1934 whilst residing in Maresfield, Sussex, he appeared before Sussex Assizes charged with manslaughter, having run over a John Harris on May 13th, whilst driving home after a game of tennis. He was acquitted, however, his defence being that the man had jumped into the road immediately in front of his car and he had no chance of avoiding him. When Edward's father died in 1921 he had become a wealthy man. In Cleckheaton the family continued to live at "Highfield House", but Edward, who died on 21st June 1949 in Bayswater, is actually buried in Brompton Cemetery in London.
Train crash
Between 10.30 and 11pm on the evening of 20th June 1928 (not 22nd June as stated on the plaque) six fully laden wagons carrying 60 tons of coal, together with a guard van, fell over the parapet of the railway bridge above Westgate, Cleckheaton,
demolishing a butcher’s shop and collapsing in a heap of splintered wood and twisted metal onto the road. Luckily, the building was unoccupied at the time, but several people narrowly escaped death or injury. A newsagents shop opposite, kept by Mr M. Saville, was undamaged but his niece, Mary, a schoolteacher, had crossed the road less than a minute before the crash. Mr Saville’s mother, sister and aunt had also just passed under the bridge, witnessed what happened, and feared for Mary’s life. They began a search for her, but were hampered by the dense clouds of coal dust thrown up, which covered some of those present in its mire. The goods train had been directed into a siding to allow the London-Sheffield-Bradford express to pass, but a coupling had snapped, releasing the wagons which ran down the incline, broke through the buffers and over the side of the bridge. The guard had jumped clear of the guard van and hurried down the line with his red light to warn the express train, which stopped only 150 yards short of disaster. After some delay, the express had to be diverted onto another line. Westgate had to be closed whilst firemen, working overnight by the light of flares, were brought in to clear the wreckage on the road with the help of a steam crane, whilst a team of railway workers cleared the debris on the line. A large crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene, despite the rain. The butcher, Mr John Woodcock, afterwards bemoaned the loss of all his stock and his premises. Although they were insured he doubted any pay out would cover his losses. Spen Valley Civic Society has erected a plaque about the crash at the spot.
Sladdin's
This faded ghost sign in a narrow passageway is all that is left of Sladdin's, the reputable gentleman's outfitters shop which once held pride of place on Northgate, Cleckheaton. The business was established in 1886 by William Henry Sladdin of Brighouse who had served a long apprenticeship in tailoring. William Henry was described as a woollen cloth merchant in 1891 but he went on to open his own factory manufacturing shoulder and collar pads, sleeve heads and interlinings for the tailoring trade. His factory and residence were at Lightcliffe Road in Brighouse. To start with 20 workers were employed but this soon became 200 hands. William and his wife Sarah Ann had three sons, Faraday, Robert and Arnold the youngest. The two older boys followed similar occupations to their father, Faraday being an assistant shoulder pad manufacturer and Robert a woollen draper in 1901, but Arnold was apprenticed to an architect and eventually qualified and practiced himself as an architect and surveyor.
However, Arnold did eventually join the family business in 1917 not long before his father's death the following year. The three sons were now in charge and expanded the business with the purchase of the Phoenix Mills, but these burnt down in 1927. However the company recovered sufficiently to buy another mill, Crowtrees, in 1932, retaining the original Lightcliffe Road works as a branch factory. Arnold had become managing director in 1921 and introduced many new lines to the benefit of the clothing trade. They also opened the gentleman's tailors shop on Northgate. An advert for the shop printed in the Spenborough Official Guide and Review (undated) luckily survives.
The Pygmalion
A rival gentleman's outfitters to Sladdin's occupied premises not too far away on Market Street. This alternative business was run by Mr Walter Sharp. Walter had been born in 1871 in Leeds to Simeon Sharp, a dyer's labourer, and Marianneth his wife. In 1891 Walter was still living with his parents and siblings in Albert Terrace, Headingley cum Burley, and was working as a gill maker, but by 1901 had moved to Cleckheaton. He at first lodged with Pearson and Annie Bentley on Railway Street but even so was described as a gentleman's outfitter. Then on the 9th September 1902 he married Adelina Gertrude Wright at the Central Chapel there. She was the daughter of John Sutcliffe Wright of Tofts Villa, Heckmondwike, a well known county auctioneer. Both father and daughter loved music, Adelina became an accomplished pianist and played with the Cleckheaton Philharmonic Orchestra, an organisation that her father was also a keen member of. In December 1904 Adelina is mentioned as accompanist to the orchestra's performance of "Bohemian Girls" at Cleckheaton Town Hall. The young couple had just one son before Adelina's early death, aged just 34, on 26th September 1910. At her funeral, Walter is described as "the well known trader of the town". Presumably Walter then dedicated himself to the business and his only child. His father-in-law died on 1st January 1936 and Walter attended the funeral with other family members. At his own death in January 1953, aged 82, at Pygmalion, the shop which was also his home, he was described as one of the oldest traders in
Cleckheaton, having been in business in the town for 54 years. His son, Granville Sharp, was M.P. for the old Spen Valley parliamentary division between 1945 and 1950.
William Hardill & Sons
This company close to Cleckheaton town centre was founded by William Hardill in 1874. He had been born in the Bradley district of Huddersfield in 1827 or thereabouts. By 1851 he was living in Market Street, Cleckheaton with wife Hannah from Gomersal, and the start of their large brood of children, and William was a green sand iron moulder. By 1871 William was still an iron moulder but his family had multiplied. The couple had at least 11 children and at least one of these, Mary, died as a young child in December 1856. A later child was given the same name. Eventually William took the precarious step of founding his own company operating from the Netherfield foundry and manufacturing pulleys, machines and steel products. His sons - he had 7 - joined him in the business, as did a Joseph Longden, although the Hardill-Longden partnership was dissolved in October 1889.
William died at his residence, Ash House, on 25th January 1895 aged 68. He had long been associated with the Wesleyan denomination in the town. By this time he had 44 living grandchildren and another 13 had pre-deceased him. His sons, however, continued the business which survives to this day at the Providence Works on Stocks Lane. Nowadays the company is described as "conveyor drum and process roll manufacturers".
Whitcliffe Mount School
The original Foundation Building of Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton has been in grave danger of demolition and may already have been demolished (please let us know). The school was built in 1909-10 and first opened to pupils in September 1910. Five prominent local men, outraged that the West Riding County Council Education Authority had by- passed the town when deciding on the location of the one secondary school they had allocated to the Spen Valley, formed a Charitable Trust and together with the people of Cleckheaton raised funds to build their own school - Cleckheaton Secondary and Technical School, later to become Whitcliffe Mount Grammar School.