In the late 18th century, Obediah Brooke owned a large field near this pub. It was one of several owned by the Brooke family. A century later, they owned the town’s flourishing tannery. Their name is recalled in nearby Brooke Street. Elsewhere, the land was farmed communally on large, open fields. These were enclosed around 1795, with many taking the names of their owners. Several were owned by the Brooke family. Obediah Brooke owned one a few hundred yards from this site.
A photograph of Market Place, Cleckheaton, c1905.
On the left had side stands the handsome Co-operative Society building which was erected in 1868 and housed many different departments, with offices, a library and a reading room on the upper floor. The gas lamp is a reminder that Cleckheaton had the benefit of gas lighting from 1869 when ratepayers bought the Gas Company for £23,562.
A photograph of the Triangle, Cleckheaton, with Central Parade on the right, c1910.
Almost every building in this photograph has now disappeared. On the left is the Lancashire and Yorkshire bank built in 1898 by local architect, William Henry Howorth. In the distance is an eighteenth century merchant’s house which was demolished in the 1960s. On the right are some of the small shops which surrounded the second market place. The iron railings disappeared along with most others in the Spen Valley during the Second World War, melted down for armaments.
A photograph of Cleckheaton fair, c1905.
The fair was held on the Feast ground until 1912 when the area was converted into the miniature park. A writer in 1911 recalled the early days of the fair.
A photograph of Whitcliffe Road, Cleckheaton, 1919.
A photograph of Northgate, Cleckheaton.
A photograph of Bradford Road on Market Day, Cleckheaton.
External photograph of the building – main entrance.
If you have information on the history of this pub, then we’d like you to share it with us. Please e-mail all information to: pubhistories@jdwetherspoon.co.uk