The Town That Bought Itself Exhibition

Exactly 100 years ago Huddersfield famously became known as The Town That Bought Itself when the local council purchased much of the land in the town centre and surrounding area. This exhibition, which features original archives, tells the remarkable story of what happened 100 years ago and what this meant for the people of Huddersfield. The exhibition has been curated by University of Huddersfield history students in partnership with West Yorkshire Archive Service Kirklees.

The exhibition will be officially launched in Spring 2021, when it will tour venues across Huddersfield town centre, but this September we are delighted to be offering a preview of the full exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal moment in Huddersfield’s history. The exhibition will be on display in a pop-up shop in Unit 3 of The Piazza Centre (directly opposite the entrance to Huddersfield Library) on Saturday 26th September, Monday 28th September & Tuesday 29th September between 11am and 4pm.

Also available at the pop-up shop will be a new 250-page book, Power in the Land: the Ramsdens in Huddersfield, 1542-1920, published by Huddersfield University Press in association with Huddersfield Local History Society.

No booking required but please note that shop-style Covid-related rules will be in place to comply with Government guidelines, including restricted numbers, social distancing and the use of face masks and hand sanitiser.