Percy Shaw O.B.E., Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd, 1 Mill Lane, Boothtown, Halifax HX3 6TR

Percy Shaw Cats Eyes is a trading name of Reflecting Roadstuds Limited. Originally set up in 1935 it still remains in Boothtown, Halifax.

Once after a long day of road laying Percy was slaking his thirst at the Old Dolphin in Clayton Heights. Percy, like all other motorists at that time relied at night upon the reflections of their headlights from the tramlines to see them safely home.  The demise of the tram led to the eventual removal of the tramlines thus depriving the motorist of the night-time aid they had so relied upon.

Shaw realised this night-time guide to traffic must somehow be re-instated.  His encounter with a cat this densely foggy night proved his inspiration and catalyst. As he made his way home through the village of Queensbury to his home in Boothtown he had to descend down a twisting road.  A sharp reflection in his headlights stirred his curiosity and caused him to bring his car to a standstill.  On alighting from his vehicle he discovered that this reflection was the eyes of a cat but more importantly that he was traveling down the wrong side of the road, had he continued in a straight path he would have plummeted over the edge of this twisting road.

He applied his spare time to resolving this issue of a night-time guide and after many trials and failures he eventually took out patents on his invention and on 15th March 1935 the company of Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd was incorporated with Percy Shaw as Managing Director.

The development of the company and the “Catseye” reflecting Roadstud was to occupy the rest of Percy Shaw’s life. Initially it was extremely difficult to persuade the authorities to invest in his invention and it wasn’t until the black-out during the Second World War almost ten years later that his invention was widely adopted and used on UK roads.

By the 1950s he had established manufacturing independence having constructed a Foundry to produce the cast iron base, a rubber processing plant which dealt with the compounding and vulcanising of the rubber insert and a  glass manipulation plant for the production and mirroring of the glass reflector.

The 1960s saw the company expand it’s markets overseas.  In the Queen’s Birthday honours list of 1965 Percy received recognition for this by being awarded an O.B.E. for services to export.  He was interviewed for television by Alan Whicker who revealed his spartan and reclusive lifestyle to the nation. Percy Shaw had an inventive and engineering mind, a dogged determination, unremitting Yorkshire grit and an impish sense of humour which enabled him to overcome every obstacle along an un-troddden path and illuminating it on the way.  He died on the 1st September 1976 at the age of eighty-six. 

A new pub the Percy Shaw was later named for him.

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, The Railway Station, Haworth BD22 8NJ

The Worth Valley branch out of Keighley climbs up the valley serving several small Pennine villages along the way. At Oakworth, the railway leaves the valley of the River Worth and enters the valley of  Bridgehouse Beck, wherein lie Haworth and the line’s terminus at Oxenhope. The line has always terminated here, although press speculation of an extension to Hebden Bridge has at times been suggested. This has never been a serious proposition however.

The line opened in 1867, funded predominantly by local wealthy mill owners. Within a very short time, the railway became part of the Midland Railway until in 1923 at the Grouping, it was absorbed into the new London Midland and Scottish Railway. Upon Nationalisation in 1948, the line became part of British Railways, and with its fortunes declining with the rise of competition from the roads, the branch closed in 1962.
Much local opposition to this saw the rise of the KWVRPS and by their efforts, the railway reopened in 1968.

The railway has been used as a film location for nearly 50 years. Films such as Yanks and The Railway Children have featured it.

Whitelock's Ale House, 4 Turk's Head Yard, Leeds LS1 6HB

Whitelock's is one of the oldest pubs in Leeds. It was founded in 1715 as the Turk's Head. 

In 1867 the licence of the Turk’s Head was granted to John Lupton Whitelock. In the 1880s the Whitelock family purchased the pub, and in 1886 refurbished the pub, establishing the ornate decor still in place today, including the long marble topped bar, etched mirrors and glass.

From the mid-1890s the pub became known as Whitelock’s First City Luncheon Bar and in 1897 John Lupton Whitelock installed electricity, including a revolving searchlight, at the Briggate entrance to the yard.

Whitelock’s was a favourite rendezvous with stage stars and it received royal approval when Prince George, later Duke of Kent, entertained a party in a curtained-off section of the restaurant. At one time a doorman made sure that men wore dinner jackets and, as women were not allowed at the bar, waiters served drinks where female customers sat.

Poet John Betjeman enjoyed the atmosphere of Whitelock’s, describing it as “the Leeds equivalent of Fleet Street’s Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and far less self-conscious, and does a roaring trade. It is the very heart of Leeds.”

It was already a pub of some note by 1930, and the pub received a Grade II listing in 1963. In 2008, Whitelock’s was honoured by the Leeds Civic Trust with the 100th iconic “blue plaque” to be hung in the city. It was unveiled by Sarah Whitelock, granddaughter of Lupton Whitelock.

The Bradford Jesus Man (in memoriam)

Long ago (1960) there was an operative in the International Harvesters plant in Bradford. His name was Geoffrey Brindley. Suddenly one afternoon he walked out and punched in his last time ticket. He was going to live in a cave near Settle and find God.

Some time later he was spotted in Bradford moving in mysterious ways and wearing a monk's habit. He was known for his cheeriness and occasional aggressive shouting. As the generations evolved many legends grew up around him. The truth is he lived with a friend in Baildon. He was "spotted" so many times a website was set up to track his movements. 

In 2012 he had 20,000+ facebook nominations to carry the Olympic Torch through Bradford. He declined the offer in a modest way.

When he died in August 2015, at the age of 88, it left Bradford and most of West Yorkshire without their semi-mythical hero. The news even made the national press.

Since his death there have been facebook campaigns for a statue to commemorate him. Unfortunately Bradford MDC seem reluctant to honour this walking legend. A condolence book has been set up by his fans though.

Sandal Castle, Manygates Lane, Sandal, Wakefield WF2 7DS

Sandal Castle was probably first built in the early 12th century after William de Warenne received the Manor of Wakefield from Henry I in about 1106.

The earthwork motte and bailey castle was probably completed by about 1130.

The archaeological evidence suggests that the rebuilding in stone started at the very end of the 12th century and continued throughout much of the 13th century. The only documentary records relating to the building work are references to materials being supplied for building work in 1270 and 1275.  

Apart from a short period after 1317 when the castle was attacked and captured by Thomas Earl of Lancaster the castle continued to develop under the de Warennes until 1361.  

From 1361 the castle was in the hands of royal owners, who were largely absentee landlords and no further major building work seems to have taken place. In 1484/5  Richard III ordered building works to make Sandal suitable as a base for a permanent household in the north. 

His defeat at Bosworth in 1485 brought an end to any further development at Sandal. The major event of the Wars of the Roses to take place here was the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460 at which the Duke of York was mortally wounded. The battle was fought on Wakefield Green below the castle and the castle suffered no damage.

From then on Sandal was allowed to fall into decay. The progress of that decay can be seen in surviving surveys of the fabric of the castle undertaken in the years 1538, 1545, 1564 and 1565-6. These surveys are very detailed, listing building by building the extent of the repairs needed. It is clear from the increasing amount of work needed in each survey that most of the stonework was in an advanced state of disrepair.

The castle seems to have been completely unoccupied from about 1600 until it was briefly re-fortified by a Royalist garrison in 1645 during the Civil Wars. The occupation lasted only a few months and the castle surrendered on 1 October 1645. In 1646 on the orders of Parliament the castle was stripped of its defences. The heap of stonework that was left quickly became overgrown. The masonry that did survive was revealed during the excavations in 1964 -1973.  

  

Kirklees Priory, Clifton, Brighouse HD6 4HD

Kirklees Priory

Wallace Hartley of the Titanic, Surreyside, 48 West Park Street, Dewsbury WF13 4LD

Wallace Hartley (1878 - 1912) was the bandmaster of the RMS Titanic and lost his life during it's sinking. Though born in Colne he spent much of his later life in Yorkshire and lived at the Dewsbury address above. His memorial is in Colne and there is a blue plaque at the Dewsbury address. 

Polish Parish, 15/17 Edmund Street, Bradford BD5 0BH

The end of World War II brought a large influx of polish refugees into Bradford. At first the Roman Catholic poles worshipped at the local St Joseph's and St Patrick's churches. This was the beginning of the new polish parish from 1948. 

The new Parish Priest Henryk Borynski (whose mysterious disappearance in 1953 attracted much publicity in the local press) quickly established the Polish Parish Council, Polish Catholic Youth Association, Church Choir and Rotary Circle. Later a 21-year lease on an existing church building in Lansdowne Place was signed and in March 1960 the church was consecrated. Shortly after this the nearby Polish Parish Club was opened for social meetings and celebrations. 

In 1971 the church was bought outright under the invocation of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The pontification of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II brought much jubilation to Poles in the UK and all over the world. In January 1979 the Polish Church in Bradford received special recognition and thanks for their achievements from their much beloved Pope.

The parish today functions with a number of associations :-

Polish Catholic Elders’ Circle (KSWK)

Polish Catholic Youth Association (KSMP)

Polish School (Szkola Polska)

Polish Scouts (Harcerze)

Polish Parish Club & Day Centre

Manningham Mills, Heaton Road, Bradford BD9 4SH

Manningham Mills is one the prominent features on the Bradford skyline with it's 255 foot chimney. It is a grade 2 listed building and much of it has been converted into apartments by Urban Splash. It is also known locally as Lister's Mill due to it's founder Samuel Cunliffe Lister. The property was built in 1873 and replaced another mill on the site.

A strike at t'mill in 1890/91 led to the foundation of the Independent Labour Party from which the modern Labour Party evolved.

Keld War Memorial, Keld DL11 6LJ

Keld is a small scenic and remote village in the upper reaches of Swaledale. It derives it's name from kelda the norse name for a spring. It's World War I memorial is probably unique in only having four names on it.

The Great War 1914 - 1918 Those whose names are on this wall For their country gave their all: Coming hither, passing hence, Hold their names in reverence. Richard Alderson Thomas Clarkson William Waller Hutchinson Robert Rukin