Spring Hall, also known as Spring Hall Mansions, is a

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

situated off the Huddersfield Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire. A house had been built on the site by 1614, but it was demolished in 1870 leaving only the cellars. It was rebuilt in Gothic Revival style and completed in 1871 to a larger ground plan by architects James Mallinson and

William Swinden Barber William Swinden Barber FRIBA (29 March 1832 – 26 November 1908), also W. S. Barber or W. Swinden Barber, was an English Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts architect, specialising in modest but finely furnished Anglican churches, often wi ...

for Tom Holdsworth. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the house served as a hospital. It remained in the family's ownership until the death of Holdsworth's nephew in 1920. Subsequently, it became a boarding house, and passed through several hands until it was presented to Halifax Corporation in 1948. After most of the grounds had been sold off, the remainder was used for sports and recreation, the building was later used as a ballet studio. The building fell into disrepair but was renovated in 2009. As of 2014, Calderdale Register Office has officiated at wedding ceremonies in the Hall's ground floor suite since 2011, and the upper floors are now rented out as office space. Although many of Barber's buildings are now listed, Spring Hall remains unlisted, although it retains its 17th-century cellars and many original 1871 features including the painted and galleried

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

grand staircase.

Architect

By 1871 when he designed this mansion in partnership with James Mallinson (1819–1884), William Swinden Barber (1832–1908) was an established and respected local architect, having designed and co-designed important public buildings and churches in the Halifax area. He was a Gothic Revival and

architect, having connections with leading artists in these movements through mutual founder-membership of the Artists Rifles. Today, fifteen or more examples of his work are now Grade II listed buildings. The original plans by Mallinson and Barber of the rebuild, dated April 1870, still exist at West Yorkshire Archive Service.CMT1 - Halifax Borough (including predecessor authorities) (CMT1)- CMT1/HBI/A:354
Includes 1927 plan of Spring Hall Mansion, proving that Spring Hall and Spring Hall Mansion or Mansions are the same building. Retrieved 27 April 2014

Structural history

The building is first recorded as Spring Hall in 1614.West Yorkshire Archive Service: CC00002 - Halifax Antiquarian Society, records (HAS and HAS/A), HAS:725-745 (500/1)
Retrieved 27 April 2014 It has been known as Spring Hall Mansions at least since 1927, and is not listed, although it is a major design by Mallinson and Barber. In 1870–1871 it was razed to ground level to enable a rebuild, leaving only the 17th-century arched cellars.Image of boiler room cellar with arched C17 ceiling: :File:Spring Hall Halifax 061.jpg They extended the ground plan and constructed the present Gothic Revival and

mansion which was completed in 1871.Image of 19th-century

joist A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space, often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. When incorporated into a floor framing system, joists serve to provide stiffness to the s ...

and

lath A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work. ''Lath'' has expanded to mean any type of backing ma ...

ceiling in one of the cellar rooms, showing where Mallinson and Barber extended the building plan: :File:Spring Hall Halifax 063.jpg The work involved an application in February 1871 from the architects to alter the fence wall between the Spring Hall estate and the Huddersfield turnpike road.

Exterior

During office hours, most of the exterior and the remaining grounds are accessible to the public. Spring Hall is a large, three-storey, cellared building which was originally set in its own grounds. It has pitched roofs,

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

s and tall,

Elizabethan-style Elizabethan architecture refers to buildings of a certain style constructed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland from 1558–1603. Historically, the era sits between the long era of the dominant architectural style o ...

chimneys. There is a four-storey, octagonal,

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainl ...

d tower and a ground-floor entrance-porch at the south-east corner ''(pictured below)''. The west side, which faces the drive and the Huddersfield Road, has two non-functioning

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry wall ...

s representing a dog and fox on the outer corners of the central bay of the first floor. Besides being evident from outside, these gargoyles can be seen through adjacent windows, from inside the building. The lintel above the ground floor window on the same bay is carved with a

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

of stylised flower motifs separated by a zigzag line, and the window below contains stone frames with double

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinati ...

curves along the top edges. Above the south-east entrance porch is the Holdsworth family crest carved in stone: a lion rampant, holding an opened scroll. Holdsworth family crest
Retrieved 27 April 2014. The scroll may have once held the coat of arms' motto, "Sans changer" Spring Hall Mansion Halifax 003.jpg, Spring Hall in its setting Spring Hall Mansion Halifax 014.jpg, Tower Spring Hall Mansion Halifax 020.jpg, Porch Spring Hall Halifax West Yorks 2114.JPG, Fox gargoyle Spring Hall Halifax West Yorks 2112.JPG, West window lintel

Interior

Inside the building, only the porch and entrance hall are accessible to the public, during office hours. Although as of 2014 much of the interior has been adapted for office use and for the

Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the up ...

Register Office A register office or The General Register Office, much more commonly but erroneously registry office (except in official use), is a British government office where births, deaths, marriages, civil partnership, stillbirths and adoptions in Engl ...

, the grand Arts and Crafts wooden staircase has survived intact, along with some wall and ceiling decoration. The lower part of the staircase is visible from the entrance hall. The dark-varnished and galleried staircase retains faded gilding and stencilled motifs on its first floor ceiling and on the underside of the first landing, visible from the ground floor. The decorative, carved

around these ceilings also still has old and faded gilding.Image showing stencilled paintings and carved frieze on staircase ceiling: :File:Spring Hall Halifax 024.jpg The newel post is of unusual design. There are four carved wood and plaster corbels supporting the first floor staircase ceiling. They represent a woman with grapes and flowers, a winged cherub, a man with harvest motifs and a full-bearded man in medieval costume, carrying scrolls. In the latter corbel which overlooks the stairwell, the bearded man's profile is similar to Barber's profile in his portrait by David Wilkie Wynfield, and his scrolls are long and slim enough to be building plans. These details beg the question as to whether it is a portrait of the architect, placed to overlook his work.Image of corbel which may represent the architect, showing bearded man with scrolls like building plans: :File:Spring Hall Halifax 026.jpg The plaster corbels on the ground floor staircase ceiling are carved with lions, in connection with the Holdsworth family crest. Two original first-floor

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the desig ...

s survive. One of these has an over-painted stone surround and mantelpiece, and a hearth surfaced with Arts and Crafts tiles. The other one in the music room is a large and decoratively carved oak affair, with matching doorways either side. These doors open into a

dressing room A changing-room, locker-room, (usually in a sports, theater, or staff context) or changeroom (regional use) is a room or area designated for changing one's clothes. Changing-rooms are provided in a semi-public situation to enable people to ch ...

, allowing the fireplace to be a backdrop for performances.Image showing music room fireplace and doorways: :File:Spring Hall Halifax West Yorks 2104.JPG The doors and fireplace contain half-

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s and

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

s in a semi- neoclassical style, with a carved

of fruit and leaves, and the helmeted head of St Cecilia, patroness of musicians. The hearth contains a hand-made Arts and Crafts

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impu ...

hood and moulded, coloured ceramic tiles on the surround. The hearth's floor tiles have been removed. The music room has a carved, oak dado, and a decorative plaster ceiling with ceiling roses which double as

ventilators A ventilator is a piece of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilato ...

, and there are the original wooden beams designed to support the heavy hung ceiling. On the ground floor, a decorative plaster ceiling with layered and coloured cornice survives in the wedding room of the register office. That room, like several others, has a large window set back into an arch, as viewed from the interior. Another ground floor room also has a deep, decorative plaster cornice, but no decoration on the ceiling. In the cellar is the boiler room which was originally one of the kitchens, having the remains of a fireplace and of a Belfast sink. At least two of the rooms at this level, including the present boiler room, are the remaining cellars of the original 17th-century house. They are part of the old foundations, having arched ceilings and supporting walls. At least one other cellar room has a 19th-century flat ceiling made of wooden

s and

s, showing that the room is part of Barber's 1871 extension. Spring Hall Halifax 002.jpg, Grand staircase

newel A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar of a staircase. It can also refer to an upright post that supports and/or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post"). In stairs having str ...

post Spring Hall Halifax 043.jpg, Carved

in music room Spring Hall Halifax 048.jpg, A ground floor ceiling Spring Hall Halifax 061.jpg, Arched 17th-century ceiling in cellar Spring Hall Halifax 026.jpg, Corbel on grand staircase which may represent Barber

Owners and residents

Owners and residents before 1871

Richard Brodeley was Spring Hall's resident in 1614. Between 1649 and 1758, Joshua Wright owned the Hall. In 1761, Ben Hodgson, a yeoman, was living there. In 1847–1848 there was a case in the County Court disputing the will of merchant Joseph Bates the elder, a former resident of Spring Hall. The case was brought in the Prerogative Court of the Archbishopric of York by William Bates, son of Joseph Bates, against his brother Joseph Bates the younger and others.

Holdsworth family

John Holdsworth (1797–1857), was a textile manufacturer and founder of John Holdsworth & Co Ltd, Halifax. The company has been based at Shaw Lodge Mills since 1822, and currently makes fabrics for seating on public transport. During his lifetime, John amassed extensive lands surrounding the mill.Holdsworth family history
Retrieved 25 March 2014 On his death these lands were divided for his four sons, and his third son Tom Holdsworth, who was born on 12 February 1826, inherited the portion which included the original Spring Hall building.
Retrieved 18 February 2014 In 1858, freehold estate and "land and coal" at Spring Hall were included in a sale catalogue. John Foster bought land on the edge of Spring Hall estate, and this caused a problem when his planned Thornton-Bradford road threatened to impinge on Holdsworth's land. In 1871 Tom Holdsworth rebuilt Spring Hall to the designs of Mallinson and Barber. With his three brothers he was a partner in the family business, but retired to Spring Hall in 1874 due to ill health. He mortgaged the property in 1875. In 1880 he added a greenhouse to Spring Hall. Tom died suddenly aged 56 on Sunday 1 May 1881, at the Great Northern Hotel near

London King's Cross railway station King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United Ki ...

. He is buried inside All Saints’ Church, Salterhebble. Tom's nephew, Captain Walter Holdsworth, JP (1851–1885), a partner in the business, inherited Spring Hall and retained it until his death, when he was interred alongside his uncle Tom in the family mausoleum at Salterhebble church. Walter's younger brother Clement (1855–1920) inherited the property but did not live there.

Later owners and tenants

The Midland Railway Company bought land adjoining the Hall in the 1890s, but did not use it. James Booth, JP, owned it by 1905; he was a hosiery manufacturer and owner of Lee Mills at Lee Bridge. Between 1 February 1916 and 28 February 1918 the house, its annexe and the neighbouring Shaw Lodge were requisitioned as a "Convalescent and Auxiliary Hospital for injured servicemen, staffed by War and Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses." The number of patient beds varied from 84 to 220 during that time, and a total of 3,619 patients were treated. Between 1919 and 1931 Spring Hall was a guest house for young men, owned by

J. H. Whitley John Henry Whitley (8 February 1866 – 3 February 1935), often known as J. H. Whitley, was a British politician and Georgist. He was the final Liberal to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, a role he held from 1921 to 1928. Family an ...

. It was put up for sale in 1928–1929, then between 1931 and 1938 the building was empty. It was purchased in 1938 by the Halifax knitting yarn firm of

Patons and Baldwins Patons and Baldwins was a leading British manufacturer of knitting yarn. It was an original constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange. Early history The business began as two separate companies: J & J Bal ...

. Between 1929 and 1940 the sports recreation ground was used for matches by Halifax Rovers Amateur Football Club. The Hall was requisitioned again in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In 1948 Patons and Baldwins moved to

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington under ...

, and Spring Hall was presented to Halifax Corporation.West Yorkshire Archive Service: WYAS2702 - Spring Hall, Skircoat, building plan (WYC:1260), WYC:1260
Potted history of Spring Hall from 1871. Retrieved 27 April 2014 The Corporation used the land as a sports ground for schools, and in 1959 built the Percival N Whitley Memorial Sports Hall there. In 1973 two applications were made by B.A. Waddington, the borough architect, to build a sports pavilion in the grounds. Between 1942 and 1973, cricket matches between Halifax councillors and officials were played in the grounds. In 1977 and 1978, plans were submitted by the council for a new leisure centre in the grounds. Between 1947 and 1992, the Halifax branch of the National Council of Women Great Britain used the hall for meetings. In 1990 the building was rented to The Northern Ballet Theatre Company for a short period. Half of the land became a running track with athletics facilities in 2007. Between 1990 and 2009, the building was neglected and eventually fell into disrepair, although the remaining grounds continued to be available for sports. Calderdale Register Office, whose address had been in Carlton Street, Halifax, since 1878, was removed to Spring Hall in April 2009.Calderdale Council: Register Office
Contact numbers for opening times. Retrieved 9 March 2014

Recent history

In 2014 Ravenscliffe High School was awarded a grant of £113,882 by

Sport England Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded par ...

Inspired Facilities fund to build a sixth form and community centre in the former grounds of Spring Hall. As of April 2014, construction was expected to be completed by 2015.''Halifax Courier'' 23 April 2014: Ravenscliffe secure £100k for Spring Hall
Retrieved 23 April 2014

References

Bibliography

External links

{{commons category, Spring Hall, Halifax Arts and Crafts architecture in England Gothic Revival architecture in West Yorkshire Houses completed in 1871 William Swinden Barber buildings Country houses in West Yorkshire