Honley Feast (1892)

The 1892 Honley Feast began on Sunday 25 September.

Huddersfield Daily Chronicle (13/Sep/1892)

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway advertised Honley Feast rail excursions to Peterborough, London, Cambridge, Brighton, Hastings and Eastbourne.

The "Scraps and Hints" opinion column in the Chronicle noted that Honley Feast coincided with the Salvation Army's "self denial" week, where members were meant to deprive themselves of "even of the very necessities of life." The writer felt that self denial during feast week was "not likely to produce much from this district."

The feast fairground was situated "in a field near the Lockwood Railway Station" and was well patronised due to the fine weather.

The traditional Honley Feast rugby union match was held at Fartown on Tuesday 27 September with the Huddersfield team taking on a team drawn from the best players in the various district teams. On the day, "very few of the men selected turned up on either side" and rain fell through most of the afternoon. The Huddersfield team won.

Also on the Tuesday, a bazaar in aid of Honley Parish Church restoration fund was held at the National Schools. Along with a variety of stalls, there was a display of "the wonderful Manx Mankins", and some waxworks exhibited by "Professor Barnes." Gypsy fortunes were given by Señoras Criskinissa and Zamora — in reality, Miss Leah Taylor and Miss Ann Carter. At the opening of the bazzar, the Rev. E. L. Walsh had the pleasure of announcing that an unnamed person had sent him a cheque for £30, which cleared the remaining restoration fund debt.

The Chronicle reported the railway ticket sales for the feast excursions, which included around 600 to Liverpool, over 1,500 to Blackpool, and 126 to North Wales.