Calderdale Industrial Museum

I'd heard good things about Calderdale Industrial Museum in Halifax. It's only open on Saturdays so it has taken me a while to fit in a visit but it proved to be a real gem. Much smaller and more intimate than those of Bradford and Leeds, it is nevertheless packed full of interesting exhibits and there are some experienced and enthusiastic volunteers, very willing to share their knowledge with visitors. It is something of a community success story. The museum was opened in 1985 by Calderdale Council to promote the industrial heritage of the Calder valley; budget cuts led to its closure and mothballing in 2000. Since 2011, a team of volunteer enthusiasts have worked hard to reopen it and they have enabled it to open one day a week, with many of the exhibits now working and able to be demonstrated to visitors. I think it is still a work in progress but it's a very heart-warming story and it's worth a visit. It's well situated, right next to Halifax's famous Piece Hall. I can recommend its café too. I had an excellent pot of tea, served with a smile, for just £1. That's about a third of the price of one in the Piece Hall itself.

One room is dedicated to the story of the manufacture of carpets, which was one of Halifax's major industries in the 1800s and 1900s. Crossley Carpets at Dean Clough Mills was one of the largest carpet factories in the world, covering 20 acres and at one time employing over 5000 people. It ceased production in 1982. In the museum they have a working Wilton-Brussels carpet loom. Wilton carpet weave is made with the pile threads woven through as a continuous thread, raised above the backing by means of wires or hooks. It can be cut or left as loops.

Wooden, horse-drawn carts like the one below would have been a common sight on the streets of our towns and cities, carrying produce and raw materials and often taking goods to be transported by barge on the canal network.