Report on Visit to Birchcliffe Centre 15th May 2023

Monday the 15th May was the first of Mytholmroyd Historical Society’s Summer seasons visits and it was to the Birchcliffe Centre and it included a visit to Pennine Horizons Digital Archives and the refurbished Hostel. About a dozen people were on the guided visit which was most interesting. The history of the former Baptist Chapel which was opened in 1884 and sadly closed in 1974. It cost then £10,000 to build and was huge and extensive. Since it has become the Birchcliffe Centre which is used now for all kinds of conferences etc extensive alterations have taken place and the upper half of the former chapel is now separated from the lower half by a complete extensive artificial floor which much of the former balcony now provides seating addition to the portable chairs nearer the stage. As stated. The centre is extensive and requires much heating to which many novel heating arrangements have been introduced to reduce heating bills. Later we visited Pennine Horizons Digital Archives where Ann Kilby showed us all the work she does voluntary to transcribe photographs of various types whether they be postcards or slides etc into digital form and some of the expensive equipment used. This was followed by a visit to the Pennine Digital Archive Library where Barbara Atack also a volunteer described the kind of work she does in placing all the archive material etc into various files and cabinets. The visit also included a visit to the refurbished Independent Hostel which now stands on a loop of the Pennine Way. It is well furnished and very well used. Refreshments were provided by our guides Judith Schofield, Ann Kilby and Barbara Atack and we would like to thank them very much for a very interesting visit and the refreshments they kindly provided. The next of the Society’s two Summer visits is Friday June 9th.Details later There is no meetings July or August and our indoor Winter Programme of lectures starts as usual the Second Friday of the month in September in St Michael’s Church Hall, Mytholmroyd at 7.30pm Mike Darke Press Officer