WEDNESDAYS AT THE GRAYSTON UNITY @ 8.15 pm
Wesley Court, Halifax (opposite Town Hall porch)
January to June 2022 schedule
Mask wearing may well be mandatory – apart from drinking!
Please advance-book via seetickets
Entry £5.00 plus handling fee
January 19th Some Calderdale Murders – 1858-1957
From the Wadsworth Moor murder of 1858, through to the tragic killing of Emily Pye in Gibbet Street, Halifax, in
1957; looking at six different tragedies, and how they were investigated. Who was Bethel Parkinson? Why was the
priest at Todmorden attacked? Who was found dead at Shroggs Tip? Which Southowram choirmaster was killed by
a burglar? BOOK BY CLICKING HERE
February 16th More Calderdale Murders – 1556-1964
Who killed Holdsworth, Vicar of Halifax in his home? Why was the Excise Collector slain in Savile Park Road? Who
went mad and killed his boss in the newspaper office? Who was guilty of infanticide at Rhodesia Avenue? Hear also
about The Crib Lane Murder of 1926, the tragic death of Mary Hackett in 1953, and the unsolved slaughter of Vicky
Williamson at Barkisland in 1964. BOOK BY CLICKING HERE
March 16th Halifax’s Worst Serial Killer – John Reginald Halliday Christie
Although his crimes took place in west London, the name of Christie is forever linked with Halifax, where he was
born and raised. Did you know he was once a Halifax postman, convicted of theft? There were family connections
with Crossley’s, and his brother once sang with our Choral Society. Included – an account of Christie’s terrible crimes
and their consequences. BOOK BY CLICKING HERE
April 20th Those Cragg Vale Coiners!
Clipping gold and making money sound lucrative! The tale of how an enterprising group of men in the Calder Valley
area set up a counterfeiting operation in the 1760s, which would ultimately lead to the murder of local exciseman
William Deighton, engaged in tracking them down. Who sought justice for him, and how did bodies come to be
hung in chains on Beacon Hill?
May 11th “The Lost Prince” – Prince John and the Girl from Halifax
The unusual story of Winifred Thomas, a young girl from a terraced house in Halifax, and how she came to keep King
George V’s youngest son Prince John company at Sandringham – she is the missing local link from Stephen
Poliakoff’s 2003 TV miniseries. Hear about the early 20 th Century British Royal Family, plus an ordinary Halifax
household with military and Indian connections.
June 15th Old Prints and Views of Halifax, 1762-1900
A kaleidoscope of grand old prints depicting our “good old town” from long ago. Beginning with a Halifax panorama
engraved before the Piece Hall was built, David will show a variety of rare and unusual images, as well as some that
are better known. He will draw on work by Horner, J Rideal Smith, and H R Oddy. A real feast for the eyes if you
love local history!
There will be displays showing how to warp up a frame; the tools of the trade; samples demonstrating a range of different techniques; and some non-tapestry woven items, all made by members of the group. They will be offering a ‘Taste of Tapestry’ for people to have a go themselves in July.
