Quarrying in Crosland Hill

In December 1925 we moved into No. 83 , renting it from Harry.

Although Harry was 3 years younger than Dad he already owned property and lived in a larger house than ours, nearer the Chapel end of Crosland Hill Road. He had married into the Coldwell family, who “had a bit 0’ brass”. I don’t know which other houses they owned except that my Aunt Edith would call every Friday night, remorselessly, on her rounds collecting rents. She had ginger hair and a sharp tongue and was a hard working weaver running at least 4 looms, and it was said that when she was ‘carrying’ my cousin Brian she resented being hampered by a child and would sooner have had an extra loom. As it turned out, he was their only child. She had lost a brother during the war and his

photograph adorned the living room wall bordered with black ribbons and a bow. It was an unwelcome house and I only played with cousin Brian when I wanted to see their ferrets which were in cages on the flags by the outside wall.

I don’t think Dad stayed very long at Mallinsons Quarry. He worked at other quarries, but by the time I was 6 or 7 (1931) I remember visiting him at Wimpenny’s, where he worked till retirement. Uncle Whiteley joined him there as his top block man and dresser, until he too retired.

Uncle Whiteley had married in 1921 a girl from Slaithwaite, Louisa Pogson and they set up home in her father’s house at Hill Top, a good sized family stone cottage at the end of a terrace at right angles to the road over the moors. (I used to be amused by the street names there, two being 'Pickle Top' and 'Pig Hill Top' and wondered which was the original). Both Donald and David were born from that house, but since the war years we have never kept in touch. Donald worked in quarries and the building trade but David went into banking or insurance I think, a white collar job anyway. I used marvel at uncle Whiteley’s walking ability, making his way every working day across the valley, a

round trip of about 14 miles and seldom missed a day despite snow drifts and hailstorms. He was an experienced delver but settled to breaking up large blocks into wallstones, or preparing good blocks for the saw mills and ashlar work. He and Dad helped ‘rough out’ the two blocks from which a sculptor formed the statues outside Huddersfield Public Library, a prestige ashlar faced edifice.