A Century of Progress 1868-1968

As part of the celebrations in 1968 to mark the centenary of the founding of the Borough of Huddersfield in 1868, an exhibition titled "A Century of Progress 1868-1968" was held at Huddersfield Town Hall between Friday 19 April and Saturday 27 April.[1]

The exhibition was organised by Huddersfield Corporation and the Huddersfield Branch of NALGO (National and Local Government Officers' Association), and included exhibits from the following Huddersfield Corporation departments and organisations:

  • Baths Department
  • Borough Architect & Town Planning
  • Borough Engineer
  • Children's Department
  • County Borough Police
  • Department of Water Pollution Control
  • Education Department
  • Estate & Property Management Department
  • Finance Department
  • Fire Brigade
  • Health Department
  • Library Service
  • Markets & Fairs Department
  • National and Local Government Officers' Association (NALGO)
  • Parks Department
  • Passenger Transport Department
  • Public Cleansing & Haulage Department
  • Stationery Department
  • Tolson Museum
  • Town Clerk
  • Water Works Department
  • Weights & Measures, Shops and Petroleum Department
  • Welfare Department

Gallery

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Welcome from the Mayor of Huddersfield

Dear Citizen,

Welcome to the Centenary Civics Exhibition which has been arranged jointly by Huddersfield Corporation and the Huddersfield Branch of the National and Local Government Officers Association.

The purpose of the Exhibition is to show the growth of the Borough as a unit of Local Government over the past 100 years, and at the same time illustrate the progress of the services and the evolution of the citizens. We have tried to portray to you the conditions which existed in this town a century ago and hope that having seen these you will realise the tremendous difficulties which faced fast growing towns like Huddersfield in the days of the Industrial Revolution.

All departments of the Corporation have stands in the Exhibition. Many of them were not in existence at the incorporation of the Borough, and some of them are of quite recent creation. Yet all their stories have a basic theme — progress. In all of them we feel there is a reflection of the character of generations of Huddersfield people, renowned for their sturdy independence, a native dourness, a shrewd capacity for making the best of what is available and an ability to face problems as they arise and overcome them.

The Exhibition starts at the top of the main staircase where you enter through a representation of the entrance to the old Cloth Hall, a touch of artistic licence, which may arouse nostalgia in many of you. The street scene does not depict an actual Huddersfield street of 1868 but is intended to capture as near as possible the atmosphere of the mid Victorian period.

The original services of the Authority at the time of the Incorporation of the Borough in 1868 are depicted in the first six stands of the Exhibition, while the remaining stands show those Departments formed since 1868 and their development to date. The last exhibit, which is the Borough Architect's and Planning Departments', not only concentrates on the past and present but endeavours to show the future growth in the next century. You will find this stand in the Conference Room on the ground floor.

Staff are on duty at all the stands throughout the Exhibition. They are there to help you understand the various exhibits and will be pleased to supply you with any information relevant to their Department. It is their hope and ours that you will leave the Exhibition feeling you have benefited greatly from your visit and that we have contributed in some way toward a closer co-operation and understanding between Citizens, Members of the Council and Staff, and a greater appreciation of your town and the way it is administered.

Notes and References