“Much in little.” – what a wide-ranging and informative talk! Rob Kingdom’s summary of the background to maritime navigation was succinct and clearly-illustrated with diagrams.

We learned that the Royal Observatory at Greenwich was created as early as 1675, to deal with the longitude problem and in 1884 it was agreed that Greenwich was the prime meridian. It was also good to be reminded of the vital part John Harrison, clock maker of Barton-on-Humber, had played, one of his timepieces being a breakthrough in enabling navigation.

Methods of communicating time to ships (to enable chronometers to be set) were discussed, such as firing time-canons or flying flags, both problematic. Timeballs had the advantage of being visible from all directions. The telegraph transmitted an accurate time signal from Greenwich, here to the Lowgate Post Office by the later radio telegraphy. The Guildhall timeball in Hull was a late addition to the building, beginning to work in 1920, an anachronism.

Next, Rob explained that World War II bombing damaged the Guildhall, including the tower. He showed clear pictures and diagrams, emphasising that the whole tower forms the clock. Aerial photographs indicated the magnitude of the task of renovation! No longer is the clock wound by hand. Moreover, it can be repaired from inside the tower. Both the weathervane (representing the Bounty) and the new timeball are resplendent in gold leaf. The ball now drops more slowly than the original and does not operate if the mast is icy. Now I have a new ambition for 2025, to hear the carillon!

Thank-you, Mr Kingdom, for a truly fascinating evening.

By Mrs Susan Heritage

The City Council are organising some events to inform local people about the Spring Bank Conservation Area Regeneration Project – see https://www.hullccnews.co.uk/26/06/2023/find-out-more-about-spring-bank-conservation-area-regeneration-project/

A new ‘Old Town and City Guide’ has just been published.  It is a colourful 36 page A5 booklet, and it is available from the Welcome Information Centre at the Station. 

Nigel Walker

Email:  

Comment or Message:  I am part of a small group of photographers currently recording memories of the fishing industry and community during the 1970’s which saw incredible changes as you will know. We are working with the Maritime Cities project to mount and exhibition in July/August this year and wondered if the Civic Society might like to contribute any thoughts they had from their archives or personal memories of members. The project covers those who worked in the industry or where families of those in the industry. It includes people who have recorded and researched the period since. It will include politicians etc who had some oversight of the industry at the time as well. I’m happy to have a chat if that helps, but we are looking at the broadest sweep we can for this project. Thanks . Nigel Walker (www.nigelwalker.co.uk )

CIVIC VOICE SPRING CONVENTION
19th – 20th May 2023
The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax, HX1 1RE
Join us for this important national event set in the spectacular Grade 1 listed Piece Hall. Immerse yourself in heritage while enjoying informative presentations and debate. Meet colleagues from civic societies across the country as we focus on ‘pride in place’ and how civic societies can work with others to protect, promote and celebrate local places.
We are delighted to confirm that the Civic Voice board have accepted our offer to co-host this national event in Halifax in association with Halifax Civic Trust.
The event starts at 2.30pm on Friday afternoon, 19th May, with tours of Halifax town centre organised by members of Halifax Civic Trust. The Convention will be on Saturday, 20th May, starting at 10.00am and concluding at 4.00pm. However, the highlight of the event will be the Convention Dinner on Friday evening, starting with a drinks reception from 6.45pm and then dinner at 7.30pm. The venue for the dinner and the Convention will be the Caygill Rooms in the historic Piece Hall with superb views over Beacon Hill.
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We are still working on the final details but information confirmed so far is as follows:
Friday afternoon: Meet from 2.00pm at The Halifax YMCA, The Marlborough Hall, 13-15 Crossley Street, Halifax, HX1 1UG (opposite the Town Hall) for the guided walks. You will be able to leave luggage here at a secure bag drop-off. Two tours are available at present: a Town Centre Walking Tour with Kate Peach, Conservation Officer, Calderdale MBC and a Dean Clough Walking Tour, with David Glover, Vice Chair Halifax Civic Trust.
There is no charge for these tours. If you are interested, book a ticket and further details will be sent to you nearer the time. Places are limited so do book early!
Friday evening: Doors open at the Caygill Rooms at the Piece Hall from 6.45pm where we shall have a drinks reception. This will be followed at 7.30pm with a three-course dinner followed by coffee. Our after-dinner speaker will be Nicholas Boys Smith, Director of Create Streets. The cost of the dinner is £60 per person (including a welcome drink on arrival, wine on the table, and coffee). If you book a place, we will contact you nearer the time with menu options and to ask for details of any special dietary requirements you may have.
Saturday: Returning to the Caygill Rooms, the doors open at 9.30am with tea and coffee available head of the formal start to the Convention at 10am. The Convention will feature a range of speakers talking about one of Civic Voice’s key themes – Pride in Place.
Guest speakers already confirmed are Nicholas Boys Smith, Director of Create Streets, and Nicola Chance-Thompson, DL, Chief Executive of the Piece Hall. Nicky will be talking in part about the restoration of the building. Further speakers will be added to the programme once they have confirmed their availability.
The Convention is scheduled to finish at 4pm. The cost is £50 (*) per person to include teas and coffees and a buffet lunch.
(*) YHACS is committed to encouraging younger people to become involved in the work of the civic movement. We are therefore offering a limited number of tickets at just £10 per person for the Convention to people living in the Yorkshire and Humber Region and aged 18 to 30. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please be sure to buy a ‘Young Person’ ticket.
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How to Book
YHACS is handling the bookings for the Convention.
The walks, dinner and Convention are all bookable separately and are open to all – you don’t need to be a member of Civic Voice or YHACS to attend. You can also bring guests. Want to bring a guest to the dinner who doesn’t fancy the Convention? That’s fine, just book the number of tickets you want for each part of the programme – there’s plenty to see and do in Halifax on the Saturday for partners who might want to explore on their own!
You can book any combination of tickets via our Eventbrite page here: https://bit.ly/3FUo2qS
Please note that Eventbrite booking fees are payable at the time of booking for chargeable elements, but you have the opportunity to pay by debit or credit card.
If you wish to avoid the payment of Eventbrite fees, you can pay by bank transfer into the YHACS account. Please email me for details –
Please note that we reserve the right to make late changes to the programme should it become necessary to do so.
Hotel Accommodation and Car Parking
For those wishing to stay overnight in Halifax, there are plenty of options to choose from; some in town and some a little further out. A good place to start your search would be the Visit Calderdale – Tourism Information for Calderdale website: https://www.visitcalderdale.com/
One hotel that we draw to your attention because of its convenient location is the Premier Inn, Broad Street Plaza, Halifax, HX1 1YA. There is a multi-storey car park next door to the hotel and the hotel is just a short walk (approximately half a mile) from the Piece Hall.
There is no car parking at the Piece Hall itself but parking is available close-by – at the Woolshops shopping centre and on King Street, for example.
Kevin Trickett MBE, YHACS Chair