Milnsbridge House and Joseph Radcliffe (1744-1819)
This once elegant manor house was built around 1756 for William Radcliffe of Milnsbridge who had purchased the Manor of Marsden in 1724. It is thought it may well have been designed by James Paine, the famed architect, as several architectural features are the same as ones he used on contemporary projects. The mansion consisted of a central three storey section with five windows on each floor and a pedimented roof featuring a circular window. This was flanked by two storey wings on either side each with two windows on each floor and a sloping roof. The house had two faces, the front and garden faces, and each presented a pleasing symmetrical appearance. Besides that, ornamental gardens, including two lakes or fishponds and a large front lawn surrounded the property. Inside rococco plasterwork decorated the rooms, which must have been finely furnished. However, William was unmarried and childless, so that when he died his estate passed to the son of his sister, Mary, who had married Joseph Pickford and lived in Lancashire. Their son, Joseph, was baptised at Ashton under Lyne on 8th May 1744, so was in his 50s by the time he was offered this inheritance, provided he changed his surname to Radcliffe. He readily agreed and took up residence at Milnsbridge House soon afterwards, becoming also Lord of the Manor of Shepley.
This man, Joseph Radcliffe, became a Huddersfield J.P. and his attitude towards the Luddites during their uprising in the early 19th century made him one of the most revered or despised of men in the district, depending on which side you were on or which class you came from. A staunch and severe persecutor of the rebels, he determined to exterminate them and their cause and he was dexterous and persistent in pursuing this aim. After the attack on Cartwright's Mill and the murder of mill owner William Horsfall by Luddites in April 1812, he began a vendetta against all concerned, going beyond his jurisdiction in setting up an extensive system of spies and informers to infiltrate workers' meetings and report back. He even had suspects brought to his home to be interrogated and held there, and he offered rewards for information that might help convict his suspects. As a result, he sent three men, George Mellor, Thomas Smith and William Thorpe to York Castle for trial in January 1813, taking a place on the jury himself, although he was far from impartial, and sealing their conviction. When the 3 were hanged just a few days later, Radcliffe ensured he was there to watch their execution. His zeal had not gone unnoticed and earned the admiration of the upper classes and employers across the country as well as the government's, and so in November 1813 he was created a Baronet for his “indefatigable and unremitted exertions” during the uprising.
This Joseph Radcliffe died in February 1819. His grandson, also Joseph, inherited but sold off Milnsbridge House soon afterwards, moving the family to Rudding Park near Harrogate. Joseph Armitage (1778-1860), a woollen manufacturer in the locality bought the house and moved in, a convenient base from which to overlook his business. After his death it passed to his eldest son, George (1806-1878) who lived
there until around 1876 when he also purchased Nunthorpe Hall near Middlesborough. Both houses then passed to his son, Joseph (1840-1898) but by this time Milnsbridge House was no longer a pleasant country mansion set in landscaped surroundings. Industry had moved in and mills and industrial premises now surrounded it, making it unfit for use as a pleasant home for a gentleman, so this Joseph instead took out a lease on Storthes Hall at nearby Kirkburton and sold Nunthorpe. His son, George Pollard Armitage, continued to lease Storthes Hall until its freehold was sold to the West Riding County Council who decided to establish a lunatic asylum there. This George also decided to sell off Milnsbridge House, which had by now been divided up to form four habitations, to the Freemasons and did so around 1919 moving himself to Wiltshire. The Freemasons had hoped to convert the building into a masonic lodge, but finding that idea too expensive, sold it on to Mr W. H. Robinson for industrial use. In the 20th century the house was gutted and the pitched roof replaced by a flat one. None of the fine interiors survive and the grounds, which may have been opened to the public, being depicted as “Milnsbridge Pleasure Grounds”on an 1890s map, were largely taken over by an adjacent chemical works and the lakes drained. In 2005 planning permission was granted to convert the old mansion into apartments but no action had been taken to achieve this 10 years later and the ground floor was still in use by light industry. Nowadays a single apartment has been created in the again raised roof space. It was, too, awarded a blue plaque in 2010, mentioning the link to Joseph Radcliffe J.P., which was unveiled by the then Mayor of Kirklees, Councillor Andrew Palfreeman.