from the Friends of Haworth Art Gallery.
War near the Haworth
The sound of gunfire?
The Haworth was known as Hollins Hill when it was built as a home. The house and also Hollins School take their names from Hollins Hall which stood about 1/4 mile away. This was the home of one branch of the Cunliffe family whose head was Christopher Cunliffe. He was one of 4 Captains of the Parliamentary forces in East Lancashire in during the Civil War.

Attack
The approach to Hollins Hall was known as ‘The Barricades’ but this did not prevent an attack & severe fire damage to the ‘Ship’ room by a visit of Prince Rupert’s cavalry on their way to Marston Moor (a Royalist defeat). The Cunliffe’s then switched their main seat to Wycoller Hall near Colne; gained by marriage. Look for Wycoller Avenue off Hollins Lane, for the site of Hollins Hall.
Roger
Friends First Public Appearance
The Craft Fair last Sunday presented the Friends with an opportunity to “go public”. Families proved extremely generous in providing prizes for a tombola stall which kept busy all afternoon. There was plenty of interest shown in the aims of the Friends and several visitors expressed an interest in joining. In fact one lady actually filled in her form AND paid her first year’s subscription after having her go at the tombola. A win-win situation.
The Friends will be in evidence on Sunday December 17th when Father Christmas visits the gallery. Marilyn was the driving force behind the tombola stall and has already started collecting prizes for December
Harry
Peter takes a shot in the Billiard Room
Photographer Peter Graham has been working on interior shots of the Haworth to capture the overall layout of the rooms, the stunning plaster-work and intricate details of the wood carvings. His photographs will be cataloged for the Haworth archives, as there are currently very few images of specific architectural details of the house. They will also be displayed on our website and on other media. Peter’s work here forms part of his second year degree syllabus for Photographic Media at Blackburn College.
Alison
Our first curator
The new automobile………
Tea party at the gallery
We are indebted to Janet Duhan who is the great granddaughter of Abraham Whiston for this photograph we believe to show the celebration of the opening of the Haworth Art Gallery in 1921.
No doubt there could be other similar photographs tucked away in the backs of drawers in Accrington homes and we hope that their owners will loan them to us to copy and include in future publications and biographies. Eventually we look to producing a pictorial history of the gallery.
Harry
Staff biographies progress
The biography of Joseph Taylor is now finished. It has been a fascinating journey unearthing all the life history of the chauffeur to William and Anne Haworth. The book contains many copy documents relating to Joseph’s occupations, his military service and his social life.
Nearing completion are the biographies of Billy Beech the coachman, and Abraham Whiston, initially valet to William Haworth, and latterly the first curator of the gallery.
It has been a revelation to recognise the impact that Hollins Hill has had in the area. Descendants of the staff still live in the area and their input has been invaluable. We hope to make contact with the families of other members of the Hollins Hill household as our research progresses.
Jean
Bats about bats!
Did you know that lots of bats live in the grounds of the Haworth Art Gallery and Stables?…………..
What are bats? (Not the cricket kind)
Ever seen a shape at tree-top level fly past at dusk? It could be a bird going back to it’s nest…… Or it could be a bat. Video: bats leaving cave
Flying mammals
Bats are the only mammals that can really fly and British bats hunt insects at both dawn and dusk. One bat can eat 3000 insects in a night’s hunting. Bats live in houses & trees as well as caves.
Bat detectors
With the help of a bat detector, (as seen in the picture above), you can identify if it’s a bat and often which of the 18 different species found in Britain. Bats hunt by sending out sound waves most people can’t hear. The detector makes the sounds into a range we can hear. Simple ones are around £50.
When to see bats
Bats hibernate in winter when fewer insects are flying. Some birds are also fewer in winter but they feed all year round.
Roger
Tiffany Collection on Antiques Road Trip BBC1
Gillian Berry, the Curator at Haworth Art Gallery, had “15 minutes of fame” on the BBC’s Antique Road Trip recently when the show visited the gallery to discuss and view the Tiffany Glass collection. Gillian talked to James Braxton about the history relating to Joseph Briggs and why this collection found its home in Accrington.
Read more about this on FaceBook
Alison