Around Batley

In 1967, when Batley’s fortunes were declining, James Corrigan gave the town its famous Variety Club, which presented the top names in entertainment. After a decade, the club was in decline. Batley has become accustomed to peaks and troughs of prosperity. The rages-to-riches town, situated in the heart of the West Riding’s Heavy Woollen District, had few major industries to fall back on when the mills closed, except perhaps, for Fox’s Biscuits. The 1980s saw the rejuvenation of Carlinghow Mills and Cheapside Mills, the latter becoming the flagship of Skopos. In 1993, Kirklees Council obtained a share of Government City Chalenge money for Batley. It was allocated to job creation, roads and housing. A significant sum was used on business premises, including refurbishment of old mill properties. Many of the solidly-built mills and warehouses have a handsomeness which is worth preserving. A Batley without them and the fine Market Place, a by-product of the mil era, is unthinkable. This book contains 200 excellent old images from Batley’s heyday, selected by the author from his own extensive archive of picture postcards and ephemera of the area.