Huddersfield’s Temperance Movement

Hi, my name is Elliot Blair and I am a Second Year Undergraduate studying History at the University of Huddersfield. One of the modules I chose was Hands on History led by Dr Janette Martin.  In this module we have to work in groups of up to four on an exhibition project, ‘Made in Huddersfield’. Initially we chose to focus our efforts on Huddersfield’s very own Black Beer as we thought it appealed to the many alcoholics roaming the streets of Huddersfield usually from the Cherry Tree Wetherspoons. However the makers of the beer were not helpful and did not wish to give out any of their archive material. So alas we changed in a completely different direction along with me becoming straight edged (no alcohol, no drugs) we decided to focus on the Temperance Movement in Huddersfield. Temperance was an influential nineteenth century social movement which hoped to promote moderate drinking.  A more extreme version was teetotalism which meant no alcohol full stop. Those who joined the temperance movement took a pledge to abstain from alcohol.  We started by splitting into two teams: Team A included me and Luke, we went to the University Archive and looked through minutes from Brighouse council meetings, which in truth was painstakingly boring and yielded few results except examples of pledges, see below. Team B: Joe and Charlotte went to Huddersfield Library, on Plaza opposite Superdrug, with Greggs and Granger games to the left of it. The local studies library has lots of primary sources on temperance.  As well the group (me excluded) went to Greenhead Park, Huddersfield to look at the Temperance fountain that is there, this will form part of our primary sources. Finally I got a book out of the library called Drink & the Victorians: The Temperance Question in England 1815−1872by Brian Harrison, published in England in 1994 (I do hope there is enough information there for you to find the book I’m referring to). All the information and primary sources we get will be used for our exhibition board and will be proudly displayed on 8 New Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 2AR if you are interested(opposite KFC, the photograph below will help you locate it) Along with the board displayed in the shop window there will be a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone which will lead to more information on a website. I hope you enjoy reading this and I hope you look at Hands on History boards and website (but nobody will blame you if you don’t!).

History at Huddersfield uses research-led teaching and a commitment to public engagement to ensure that what we do is both useful to society and beneficial to the employability of our students. We see our students as researchers – partners in the development of knowledge with academic staff, often through co-production of knowledge with community partners. For more information see http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/full-time/undergraduate/history-ba-hons/ and http://www.hud.ac.uk/research/history/