A plea has been made for Kirklees Council to take action to save a crumbling old Grade II-listed house with a fascinating history.
The house on Meltham Road close to Lockwood Bar traffic lights is called The Green and is now in a derelict state and deteriorating all the time.
It was used by doctors as their home and surgery for around 135 years.
Chas Ball from Beaumont Park has written to planning enforcement at Kirklees Council urging them to take action.
His call has been backed by Huddersfield Civic Society which is worried about several historic buildings falling into severe disrepair across Huddersfield such as the Grade II-listed old Huddersfield Infirmary next to the new Lidl store at the bottom of Trinity Street.
The old infirmary building has been bought by a local business owner whose identity has not been revealed.
The 1.79 acre plot has planning permission to be converted into 32 residential apartments and 10,000 sq ft of office space but the old buildings have been damaged inside by water getting in through holes in the roof, intruders and general neglect so is on Historic England’s Buildings at Risk schedule.
Chas said about the house in Lockwood: “With investment taking place in the road network at Lockwood the dereliction of this building, The Green at 32 Meltham Road, gets more obvious.”
Concerns about the building have been raised over several years by Huddersfield Civic Society and in May 2023 then HCS chairman David Wyles wrote to Kirklees to say: “Concern was raised a number of years ago by former HCS chair Chris Marsden but I don’t think there was ever a response.
“There are indications this house conceals what is likely to be part of a much earlier building, possibly medieval, but its deterioration over a long period of time is worrying unless contact can be made with the owner and some measures taken to prevent deterioration or, even better, some indication of a restoration project.”
Nothing has happened since and the building is getting more and more ruined.
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “We received an enquiry on January 12, 2026, regarding The Green at 32 Meltham Road. This has been logged as an enforcement case and an investigation is underway.
“Kirklees Council works closely with landowners to ensure properties that are impacting the local area are repaired, only using enforcement when necessary. All costs for remedial work rest with owners or developers, not the council.”
In terms of the deteriorating state of the old infirmary, he added: “As part of the new Lidl development in Huddersfield town centre a Section 106 agreement was established to ensure remedial works are carried out to the Infirmary. Discussions with the developer remain ongoing.”
Clr Graham Turner, Cabinet member for finance and regeneration, said: “We are committed to working constructively with landowners to protect and repair derelict and run-down buildings within Kirklees.
“We will always seek to resolve issues through co-operation wherever possible. Enforcement is used only as a last resort but we will not hesitate to take action where buildings are at risk and responsibilities are not being met.”
Drone image by: Virtual Huddersfield
In a book called The History of Lockwood and North Crosland published in 1980 and mentioned in detail on the Huddersfield Exposed website, author Brian Clarke reveals that The Green dates back as far as 1500 and part of the house could be the remains of the original Lockwood Hall.
He adds: “The greater part of the building can, without doubt, be dated back to around the year 1500 but nothing is known with certainty of its history until early in the last century.
“Up to around 1830 the lower part of the east wing was used for hand loom weaving while the upper room was a public mangle room.
“This was the place where the women of Lockwood would bring their wet washing and while waiting their turn to use the mangle they would no doubt exchange all the local gossip.
“Shortly after 1832 the house became a residence for the local doctor, a role it was to play for over 100 years.”
The first was Dr Dow who died in 1873 aged 54. He planned to modernise the house and build stables and a coach house to the rear although the work was not started until after his death.
Dr Dow was followed by Dr James Ashbridge Hall who, in about 1891, formed a partnership with Dr Henry Clifford Baldwin who lived there from 1909 – when Dr Hall retired – until 1924.
The practice and house then came into the hands of Dr James Walker until 1956 and finally to Dr G Rowarth until he retired in 1968. Since then it has been a private residence.
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies.
