The statue of Edward Akroyd was a set of pictures I took using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet on the 15th February 2014. There are a total of 6 pictures which can be seen below or on Clickasnap where they are full size, resolution and un-watermarked.
Edward Akroyd was an textile manufacturer born in Ovenden, a district of Halifax in 1810. He inherited his fathers business in 1847, and concerned about the terrible social conditions of Victorian Halifax built up model villages around his mills at Boothtown (Akroyden) and Copley. These were built for the workers he employed with the intention of showing how housing conditions could be improved. These villages still stand today as a reminder of his intent. Other social improvements he was responsible for included, the first working mens college outside London, a local allotment society, a school for child labourers, workers pension scheme, and he contributed to a number of Anglican churches being built around the Halifax area including All Souls Church which his statue stands outside of.
He helped found the the Yorkshire Penny Bank, and Halifax Building Society, bring the railway to Halifax, became Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Yorkshire West Riding Rifle Volunteers in 1861 and served as member of Parliament for Huddersfield (1857-59), and Halifax (1865, 1868-74). Due to failing health, Edward Akroyd left Halifax to live in St Leonards-on-sea and died there in 1887. His funeral held at All Saints Church was attended by over 15000 mourners.
The statue of Edward Akroyd was unveiled on the 29th July 1876 at nearby North Bridge before a crowd of 10000. It has a 9ft bronze statue set atop a 10ft high plinth. Bronze Panels sit on each side of the plinth to commemorate events from Colonel Akroyd's life. It cost £2000 and was sculptured by Ceccardo Egidio Fucigna and John Birnie Philip. It was moved to its current location on the 28th October 1901 so that North Bridge could be developed for trams. Grade II listed status was given to the statue on the 3rd November 1954.
The pictures below feature on the plinth and commemorate a scene from the life of Edward Akroyd.
| This panel which can be seen on the plinth is to commemorate the statue being completed by the townspeople of Halifax. |
| Colonel Akroyd is represented on horseback giving orders out to the 4th West Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers, at his feet are Major Ingram, Major Holdsworth and Captain Holroyde. Men from the regiment are visible behind his horse. |
| This panel shows the laying of the corner stone at the nearby All Souls Church on 25th April 1856. Some of the other men shown in the picture are Mayor Joshua Appleyard, Bishop Longley of Ripon, Reverend Canon Fawcett, Archdeacon Musgrave, Richard Carter Mayor of Barnsley and Gilbert Scott architect of All Souls Church. |
| The picture on this panel shows the cutting of the first sod of the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Railway of which Edward Akroyd was chairman. The picture is to show a scene from 1846 when the railway was known as the West Riding Union Railway. In addition to Colonel Akroyd some of the other men featured in the picture are Jonathan Akroyd, Lord Morpeth, Charles Wood (Lord Halifax), Colonel Joshua pollard and the lines engineer Sir John Hawkshaw. |
