The Keighley and Worth Valley railway line reopened as a passenger-carrying line on the 29th June 1968. The Mayor of Keighley, Alderman James Henry (‘Harry’) Waterworth cut the ribbon at a ceremony to mark the occasion. Bob Cryer, chairman of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society (and later MP for Keighley) and the Mayoress, Mrs Harriet Anne Waterworth, were also in attendance. The line had originally been built between 1864 and 1866, financed by local mill owners, and opened in 1867. By the 1960s the line was managed by British Railways and the decision was made to close the line to passengers in December 1961 and to close the line fully in June 1962. A preservation society was formed and after many years of struggle the line was reopened and remains open to this day.
The Mayor of Keighley, Alderman James Henry (‘Harry’) Waterworth cuts the ribbon at a ceremony marking the reopening of the Keighley and Worth Valley railway line between Keighley and Oxenhope, on the 29th June 1968. He is observed by Bob Cryer (1934-1994), chairman of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society and later MP for Keighley (far left) and the Mayoress, Mrs Harriet Anne Waterworth (immediately behind the Mayor). The photograph was donated to the History Society by Daniel Waterworth (grandson of Harry Waterworth) in May 2020.The Mayor and Mayoress of Keighley, Alderman James Henry (‘Harry’) Waterworth and his wife Harriet Anne Waterworth, attend the ceremony marking the reopening of the Keighley and Worth Valley railway line between Keighley and Oxenhope, on the 29th June 1968. Stood immediately behind the Mayor is Bob Cryer (1934-1994), chairman of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society and later MP for Keighley. The photograph was donated to the History Society by Daniel Waterworth (grandson of Harry Waterworth) in May 2020.
Devonshire Street Congregational Church opened for worship on 25th June 1856. It had capacity for over 1,000 worshippers and cost just short of £4,000 to build. It was frequented by some of the most influential families in Keighley. Apparently coachmen would sit on the back row of the church in order to slip out during the last hymn and bring the carriages around to the front door. In May 1948, an architect reported an outward bulge in the north wall caused by a fracture in an arch. Extensive repair work was undertaken and the church reopened in 1949. Dry-rot then set in, in the roof beams and the wooden friezes. Despite celebrating its centenary in 1956, the building was subsequently declared unsafe and was demolished in 1964. The site is now occupied by the New Devonshire House office building. This Reliable Series postcard from around 1905 and the photograph taken in 2018 are courtesy of Tim Neal.
Devonshire Street Congregational Church. A Reliable Series postcard from the start of the 20th century. From Tim Neal’s collection.New Devonshire House office buildings on the site of the old church. Photographed in 2018 by Tim Neal.
