thousandmilesblog | Walk Post 030 - Tea and Lesbians in Halifax

Date of Walk: 16/05/10
Walk organized by: Jill Liddington
Start time: 11:00
Start location: Piece Hall Halifax
Walk length: 4.03 miles including pre-walk wander
Weather conditions: Cloudy, sunny spells, brightening later

Shibden Hall

Details:
Shibden Hall and Anne Lister
Shibden Hall is a fifteenth century timber-framed house surrounded by gardens and a park. In 1729 it was inherited by Rev John Lister, and it remained home to the Lister family until 1933 when the house, gardens and park passed into public ownership. Anne Lister inherited the house in 1836, and did much to shape the appearance of the house and gardens. The gothic tower at the left hand side of the house was built to house her library. Anne also had a wilderness garden built, complete with waterfalls. Much of the garden has recently been restored, and a new visitor centre and cafe has been built next to the Mere, now a boating lake. The house is open to the public, and the nearby barn houses a collection of horse-drawn vehicles. There is also a folk museum.

Anne Lister shared Shibden Hall with her aunt, father and younger sister. She ran the estate and managed the tenants who rented smallholdings. She also developed the estate's few small coal mines so that mining could take place on a profitable scale. She was highly educated for a woman in her time, travelled widely and was influential in local politics. Although unable to vote herself she was able to influence several of her tenants to cast their votes in a direction she favoured, a practice that was not unheard of among land owners at this time. She was a keen hiker, and in 1830 became the first woman to ascend Mont Perdu in France. She dabbled in science, studying botany, natural history, geology, chemistry and anatomy. She is perhaps most widely known though for her lengthy and vividly written diaries, parts of which were coded, and which reveal a number of intimate relationships with other women. After a series of disappointments for Anne, when women with whom she had been involved decided to marry, she entered into a relationship with Ann Walker that was much like a marriage. Walker was a near neighbour, heiress to a local estate. The two lived together at Shibden Hall, each rewriting their will to benefit the other, exchanged rings and took communion together in Goodramgate Church in York. They travelled together in Europe, and it was during one such journey in Georgia in 1840 that Anne Lister died.

The Walk
The start point was Halifax Piece Hall, which was opened as a market place for selling woollen cloth. Many such halls existed in the eighteenth century, but Halifax's is the only one left standing today. It now houses a visitor centre, art gallery, various cafes and an eclectic mix of shops run by independent local retailers. From here we continued to Halifax Parish Church, now a Minster. Parts of the church date back to the 12th century, though most of the building is 15th century. We continued past the church, crossing the road and heading up to Old Bank, a steep cobbled road that was the main route from Shibden into Halifax. On this road in 1835, after a hotly-disputed local election, Anne Lister encountered a mob of angry Liberals who were aware of the influence she had exerted on behalf of the Tory candidate. She stood her ground and berated them for all the acts of vandalism during the election, and they allowed her to pass. We ourselves passed in the other direction up to Beacon Hill Road, crossed it and climbed the stone steps. We then followed a steep track opposite the steps up to Shibden Hall Road. This road offers excellent views across Shibden Valley, and continues towards Shibden Hall.

On reaching the Hall, we walked down from the upper terrace, overlooking some of the gardens, passed the house and outbuildings, and walked down through the park to the cafe, where we had lunch. After lunch we walked across the park, stopping to learn more about Anne's plot to win the affection of Ann Walker. From there we went back onto Shibden Hall Road, and down to a couple of Anne's tenancies, 'Ireland' and 'Denmark'. Here we learned more about how Anne used her influence on her tenants to persuade them on the issue of how to vote. We then went back up Shibden Hall Road and turned onto Shibden Hall Croft, taking a path up to Pump Lane. After a very steep climb we emerged at the top of the hill on Barrowclough Lane. We walked to the end of the lane, passing the site of some of the estate's coal mines, little of which is now visible. We took a path down the hill from here, joining Magna Via, a steep track that was the medieval road from Halifax to Wakefield. We walked down this back onto Old Bank and continued back into Halifax.

This was my first visit to Halifax, and I was quite pleasantly surprised by it (I really need to stop judging West Yorkshire by Leeds). I'd definitely like to go back to Shibden Hall especially, and have a look around inside the Hall and museum. The history part of the walk was fascinating. Anne Lister was obviously a formidable and highly unconventional woman. I'm very curious about her interest in science, and the places she travelled to. I doubt I'd have liked her very much, but she achieved a lot in her life that is to be admired.