Cliffe Castle Park in the late 1950s

These beautifully atmospheric photographs of an autumn day in the park of Cliffe Castle were taken by Keighley-based photographer John Tobin in the late 1950s.

We have been given 100s of negatives for photographs taken by John and are gradually scanning them and adding them to our Flickr site. We also want to find out more about the pictures and about John himself, so if anyone can help please get in touch.

Our thanks to Kathleen Procter who donated the negatives and to Billy Stride for scanning the negatives and producing the wonderful images.

Weaponry and Japan

A big thank you to Ian Bottomley, former senior curator at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, who came along to the Library last night to deliver his talk on how the gun was introduced to Japan via Portugal and Goa. Over twenty members of the History Society attended in person, with a further half-dozen members on Zoom and several more guest visitors in person. The opportunity to handle some examples of the weaponry and associated equipment after the talk was much appreciated by many attendees. Photographs taken by Tim Neal and John Rodger.

Next month’s meeting is the members-only AGM (held on Zoom) then we are back in the Library on 12th December for the Christmas Meeting, which will be a joint celebration with the fact that the Society will also be holding its 20th anniversary party.

Upcoming Library Events…

Two events to look out for at Keighley Library…

Saturday 21st September 2024 – The Men of Worth Project are marking the 100th anniversary of the Keighley Roll of Honour 1914-18 and the War Memorial in Town Hall Square by mounting a special exhibition. It opens this Saturday and highlights the names of people omitted from the original Roll, following extensive research by the Project. Andy Wade will be giving a talk at 10.30 am.

Saturday 5th October 2024 – There will be a talk on influential Labour politician Philip Snowden, who was born in Cowling and served on Keighley Council before becoming an MP, first for Blackburn then for Colne Valley. The talk will take the form of a panel, hosted by Alex Clifford with guests Professor Keith Laybourn, Professor Andrew Thorpe and Will Barber, between 2.30pm and 4pm.

October’s History Society Meeting

October’s History Society meeting will be a talk from guest speaker Ian Bottomley, former senior curator at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The talk describes how the Portuguese, who were exploring the East, had trade guns made in Goa that they then spread further East, reaching Japan in 1543 and influencing that country’s history. Ian will be bringing along a couple of antique guns, and some accessories that attendees can handle.

The meeting is on Wednesday 9th October 2024 and will be held in the Local Studies Library, upstairs in Keighley Library. Doors open at 7.15pm (please use the Albert Street entrance if arriving at the Library after 7pm). There is a lift to access the first floor. Entry is free to History Society members and is £3.50 to anyone else – all are welcome to attend. The meeting is scheduled to finish around 8.45pm.

Membership of the History Society costs £15 for the calendar year. You can join at any of our meetings in the Library. If you join at this meeting you will get membership for 2025 with the rest of 2024 thrown in. Cash only please.

Lost & Forgotten Inns & Pubs

A reminder that it’s Eddie Kelly’s talk on The Lost and Forgotten Inns of Keighley tomorrow evening (Wednesday 11th November 2024). This is a members-only meeting held on Zoom. Members should’ve had their email from Anne-Marie by now with details on how to join the meeting (please check your junk mail folders if you can’t find it).

September 2024 Events

Plenty of activities lining up for September…

Sunday 1st September – Keighley Bus Museum is having an Open Day at their Dalton Lane site. The History Society has a display.

Saturday 7th September – Keighley Show. The History Society has a stall – hope to see lots of you there. We will have a special offer on History Society membership for new members – pay for 2025 membership and get the rest of 2024 thrown in. Membership is £15 (cash-only please).

Monday 9th September – The History Society is holding a guided walk around Keighley town centre as part of the Keighley Walking Festival. Meet at the Town Hall Square at 1pm (distance is about 1.5 miles, comfortable shows advised).

Wednesday 11th September – September’s History Society meeting is Eddie Kelly talking about the ‘Lost & Forgotten Inns & Public Houses of Keighley’. This meeting is on Zoom (NOT in the library) and is a members-only meeting.

Hope to see as many of you as possible at these different events.

‘120 Years of Keighley Library’ Talk

The History Society’s meeting on Wednesday attracted record crowds to hear society member Tim Neal give his talk on ‘120 Years of Keighley Library’. Thank you to everyone who came along and we hope you enjoyed it.

Tim also wants to thank the Local Studies Library, not just for letting us hold the meeting in the Library, but for the invaluable help they gave him in putting the presentation together. And thank you to Sue Hughes and Anne-Marie Dewhirst who took photographs during the evening.

Next month’s talk is Eddie Kelly on ‘Lost and Forgotten Inns and Public Houses of Keighley’. This meeting is a members-only one and will be held on Zoom. We’ll be back in the Library in October.

August Talk on History of Library

Great coverage in this week’s Keighley News of the forthcoming History Society meeting. Tim Neal will be telling the 120 years story of Keighley Library by dropping off at twelve key dates during its history and talking about the innovations and key people involved.

The talk is on Wednesday 14th August 2024, upstairs in the local studies library of Keighley Library. The meeting starts about 7.20pm. Please use the entrance on Albert Street.

Anyone is welcome to come along. It is free to History Society members and £3.50 to anyone else, no need to book in advance. History Society members can also join in via Zoom.