Memorial to James Copley at New Mill Club
The idea of a public meeting room for New Mill was first mooted by schoolmistress Miss Sarah Johnson, who went so far as to organise a bazaar to raise money for it in May 1850. Public meetings were then held, subscriptions received and a body of Trustees appointed. A committee was also appointed in 1871. Many delays followed. Then former New Mill resident James Brooke, now living in New Jersey, U.S.A., offered land on which to build the rooms. But the opportunity was lost on his death, before the land had been handed over. There followed a public meeting in 1900 resulting in the formation of a new committee and James Frederick Copley was a member of this, also becoming a trustee by 1903. Copley was a partner in the firm of Copley, Marshall & Co., yarn mercerisers and dyers, of Wildspur Mills and a resident of the village.
By 1908 three cottages had been purchased on Sude Hill and the Working Men's Club was established there. The first world war intervened, but after the war government funds were offered to assist in creating memorials to the fallen soldiers. Copley enquired about this funding, and it was decide to build a joint meeting and memorial hall. He was then involved in negotiations to buy Grove House instead for this same purpose, owned at the time by Mr Roebuck of Glendale Mills. As the Working Men's Club was closing at this time, much of its furniture was given to the new club. The New Mill War Memorial Institute was officially opened on February 11th 1922, having by then 222 male and 97 female members. James Copley was Chairman on this ocassion and made his remarks at the opening ceremony. The new club included a library and reading room, later to become the public library. Lectures, classes, concerts, dances, pageants and shows were held, a choir and orchestra formed, and bowling and tennis provided.
Mr Copley became president of the club in 1923. However, problems remained, in particular the mortgage repayments for the purchase of the House and grounds, and a field to secure a water supply nearby. In 1924 James Copley came to the rescue, giving £100 on behalf of Copley Marshalls Ltd., to start an endowment fund for the club, which was added to by other donations.
James F. Copley died in 1941, his death coming as a shock to all the members. His long time interest in the club and his quiet and unassuming help, his benevolence without snobbishness led to the erection of a memorial to him, on a wall at the rear of Grove House, in October 1941.
New Mill Brewery
Only the original gateway remains of New Mill Brewery which was part of the Bentley and Shaw group and has the date 1859 inscribed on it. Bentley and Shaw was founded by Timothy Bentley in 1795. It was based at Lockwood Brewery, Huddersfield and famous for its award winning Town Ales. In December of 1850 Mr Schofield, new landlord of the Crown Hotel, Scissett placed an advertisement in the "Huddersfield Chronicle and West Yorkshire
Advertiser" praising his own "large stock of choice ales and porter from the celebrated New Mill Brewery, near Holmfirth, in casks from nine gallons upwards".
An infamous incident occurred at the brewery gate in 1871 which became known as "the poising case". In the early morning of 12th March 1871 one William Castle, weaver, of Scholes, was returning home the worse for liquor. Having a relative who worked as night watchman at the brewery, he rapped at the door, but whilst doing so a policeman, Joseph Jowett, violently assaulted him by by striking him three times upon the head and then kicking him in the body. Castle managed to get home, but became ill during the day, so much so that a surgeon was called in and Castle was found to be seriously injured. As he was thought to be dying, he made a deposition or statement to the magistrate's clerk about the incident, before being taken to Huddersfield Infirmary, where he remained until the 19th of May. The surgeon, Mr King, again examined Castle after his release but found him suffering from injuries from which he doubted he would recover. Jowett had "poised" Castle into his present state of health. At this point Jowett, who claimed that Castle struck the first blow, was committed by Holmfirth magistrates for trial at Bradford. He was tried there on 26th June but acquitted.
Bentley and Shaw's were acquired by Hammond's Bradford Brewery Co. Ltd in 1944, at which time they had 192 tied public houses. Hammond's was itself bought by Northern Breweries in 1959 and is now part of the Bass Charrington group.
It seems the lettering above the brewery gateway was chipped away on purpose during World War II as a matter of national security, so that any invading Germans would not be able to get their bearings.
Barber's shop
Curious gentleman's hairdresser's housed in a wooden cabin on the outskirts of New Mill (see photo).