Description and History of Site:-
Purpose-built, three storey wire drawing works and card making factory. There is a central section of seven bays, flanked by two projecting wings, one to the east of four bays, and another to the west end of three bay width but with only one set of windows and used as a dwelling-house. The rear of the premises, facing Spice Cake Lane, houses a number of small businesses. Two houses to the east of the main block are dated 1904, but a further multi-story block with a truncated in-built chimney stack located behind them, may also form part of the original development by James Royston. In November 1807, James Royston purchased 2004 square yards of land lying between Spice Cake Lane and West Parade on which he erected a wire works, comprising a factory, warehouse, dwelling-house and steam engine. Royston and Heap were included as card makers in Pigot's Directory of 1816, and James Royston alone, as card makers and manufacturers of iron card, brass, and bobbin wire in Baines's Directory of 1822; James Royston and Son were recorded by 1845, and as James Royston, Son and Company in 1853. During 1873-4, the business began investing heavily in a site at Shroggs, near Lee Bank; thereafter both addresses began to be used until around 1876 when the West Parade works appears to have been vacated, and was advertised to-let, with room and power available. After this date, trade directories are silent upon who were the occupants of the West Parade premises, but today a variety of small businesses operate from the site, including automobile repair works, outboard motor and boat suppliers, trading from the rear of the building in Spice Cake Lane.

Further Reading and References:-
E. P. Wadworth ed., Halifax a Commercial and Industrial Centre, 1915, p. 97.

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Key Words :- engineering textiles wire drawing card making

Viewing the Site :- The site can be viewed from West Parade or Spice Cake Lane.

Address :- West Parade, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 2TE
Grid Ref :- SE 08784 24813
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.719655 , Long -1.868369
Local Authority :- Calderdale Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site in alternative industrial use
Site Dates :- 1808 -
Record Date :- 24 April 2017

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Peter Robinson