Councillors have accused Kirklees Council of neglecting a piece of Huddersfield’s history and leaving it at the mercy of vandals – and the elements.

Almondbury Liberal Democrat councillors have complained to council leader Clr Carole Pattison over the state of the grade II-listed Cloth Hall clock tower in Ravensknowle Park, close to Tolson Museum.

The clock tower was part of Huddersfield Cloth Hall, built for the textile trade in the 18th century. When the town centre building was demolished in 1930, the clock tower was saved and moved to Ravensknowle Park.

Clr Alison Munro was alerted to the plight of the clock tower by local residents. The decaying building had graffiti scrawled on it and glass had been smashed and strewn around.

She said roof tiles were loose, drainpipes had holes in them and gutters were blocked causing water to run down, damaging the stone pillars.

 

Clr Munro branded the clock tower a “hovel and a no-go area” and added: “The council has a duty of care for the grade II-listed clock tower building.

“Currently, I believe it is neglecting that duty and I will take this further unless action is taken immediately to bring it up to standard. The council must find the money for this building.”

Fellow ward councillor Paola Davies said the clock tower was in an “appalling” state and added: “Since the issues have been reported, I understand officers are to inspect the building but I would like to know what plans the council have to rectify these issues.”

Clr Munro said the state of the clock tower mirrored the neglect of the rest of the park. There had been a fire where debris still needed to be cleared and young people had been seen climbing a dangerous wall nearby. Park benches and litter bins had been removed and not replaced.

 

 

Ward colleague Clr David Longstaff added: “Seeing the park in this run-down, dishevelled mess with weeds in abundance, unkempt and uncared for is truly sickening.

“I feel sorry for local residents and users of the park. They have been complaining for some time about these things and quite rightly so. I now understand these are to be cleared but this should not be happening in the first place.

“There is no point in the leader of the council Carole Pattison praising other parks like Greenhead Park and those who maintain it, at the behest of other parks like Ravensknowle.”

Clr Graham Turner, Cabinet member for finance and regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “The Cloth Hall clock tower is a beautiful piece of Kirklees’ heritage and we want people visiting Ravensknowle Park to be able to enjoy it for many years to come.

“We’ve already placed an order for the graffiti to be removed and one of our officers went to the park on Tuesday to check for any other issues.”