From Beheadings to Uranus
This week, our travels would take us to West Yorkshire, home of FC Halifax Town.
When I start writing about our groundhopping adventures, one of my favourite things is researching a town’s history and discovering new trivia…
Halifax didn’t let me down!
The market town has a rich history and was once the centre of the UK’s wool industry. Indeed, the shopping district is still known as the Woolshops to this day.
A ‘must see’ place in Halifax also harks back to the wool trade – Piece Hall, which I will come back to.
Halifax has a long history of confectionery, thanks to John Mackintosh. He introduced toffees and later created Rolo’s, Toffee Crisp and Quality Street. The original shop was located at 53, King Cross Street.
Mackintosh’s was taken over by Rowntrees of York, which was subsequently taken over by the Swiss conglomerate, Nestlé.
Halifax was also the location of the world’s largest carpet factory – Crossley Carpets. At half a mile long and 1,250,000 square feet, it was truly enormous.
However, I want to highlight the fact that Halifax was once a place where you could be guillotined!
Beheadings
I had no idea that the guillotine was ever used outside of France, let alone West Yorkshire.
It seems to have been the only place where executions were carried out in this way, as the rest of the UK used the more traditional axeman or hangman’s noose to carry out death sentences.
Although last used in 1650, a replica of the Halifax Gibbet is still on show on Bedford Street, just off Gibbet Street (the clue is in the name).
Unfortunately, it was quite a walk from the town centre, so no pictures I’m afraid. The original gibbet blade is on display at the Bankfield Museum, Halifax.
Uranus
The twelfth-century parish church in Halifax once had a very famous organist, William Herschel (born in Germany as Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel).
William was actually the man who discovered the planet Uranus in 1781.
Another famous resident of Halifax was Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe. This famous storybook is said to be second only to the Bible for the number of translations printed.
Well, with so much history, I was even more excited to visit Halifax!
The Journey
We set off for the bus station on a misty, rain-sodden morning and caught the 07:48 #65 bus to Durham.
After grabbing pastry-based goodies from Greggs, we scaled the east face of Mount Durham and awaited the 08:59 train to London Kings Cross.
The train dutifully arrived on time and we boarded and took our seats.
It was a pleasant journey, with no crisp munchers or screaming kids around us and we arrived in Leeds at 10:15.
Twelve minutes later, we were aboard the Northern train to Halifax, arriving at our destination at 11:12.
Halifax
Upon our arrival, we headed straight from the station to the remarkable Piece Hall, less than five minutes away.
The Piece Hall
Piece Hall opened on the 1st of January 1779.
It was built as a way of consolidating the town’s wool trade into one efficient marketplace. The building consists of 315 rooms arranged around a huge central open courtyard.
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the Piece Hall became largely redundant as the large mills started to trade directly with exporters and merchants.
The Hall was converted to a wholesale market in 1868, although by 1971, that too became obsolete.
At this point in its history, Piece Hall became what we see it as today, an incredible building used for tourism and commerce. Shop spaces were created in the rooms and an art gallery was incorporated, although this later closed in 1998.
A lottery grant was awarded in 2010 and restoration took place in 2014, re-opening on August 1st 2017.
Today, the Piece Hall is a Grade I listed building that serves as a major tourist attraction and also plays host to live music events.
Having wandered around this building and taking in some of the great little independent shops within, we moved on.
Duke of Wellington Regiment Monument
From Piece Hall, we made a short walk along Market Street to take a look at the Duke of Wellington Regiment Monument.
The regiment has a long-standing link with Halifax and the West Riding of Yorkshire and has been honoured in bronze by the town.
The statue was unveiled 17th of May 2019 by Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and Dot Foster, Mayor of Calderdale.
There are some great pictures of the statue in the link above.
Having seen a couple of Halifax’s attractions, it was time to move on to the first watering hole of the day.
The Three Pigeons
The Three Pigeons is a popular haunt for visitors to the town and it’s easy to see why.
Located between the train station and the Shay Stadium, it is easily accessible and has a stunning Art Deco interior.
Built in 1932 by Webster’s Brewery, it has been refurbished but maintains its original 1930s Art Deco look.
The friendly bar staff served us with a session IPA and a pineapple cider, which were both delicious. Though not cheap at £9.60 for the two, it’s worth paying a little extra for quality drinks in a lovely setting.
We walked from room to room taking pictures of the fabulous interior before settling in one of them and enjoying our drinks.
Rumour has it that Bob Marley was so impressed with this place, that he wrote “Three Little Birds” as a tribute.
Ok, that’s a rumour I literally just made up but it would have been a wonderfully fitting… ‘coo’ for this marvellous little pub.
The Shears Inn
Having enjoyed the Three Pigeons, we moved on to our next watering hole, the Shears Inn.
This pub lies behind one of the old mill buildings that occupy Halifax and its looming chimney towers into the sky.
This one is a little harder to find than the Three Pigeons and is more of a place for locals. It is also more suited to people wanting to eat and the food menu looked good.
With it being already well past 13:30, we didn’t have time to order a meal and contented ourselves with a round of drinks.
A pint of Warsteiners and a dark fruit cider cost £9.45 and we sat at a table with two gents, one of whom was wearing an FC Halifax Town shirt.
We had a great chat with them about the club and how the team was performing. Time flew by and we followed them out the door around 14:10 pm.
Definitely check out the Shears Inn if you are hungry.
just under a ten-minute walk from the Shears, we finally arrived at the day’s ultimate destination, the Shay stadium.
FC Halifax Town – The Shay Stadium Exterior
The Shay Stadium is the home of both FC Halifax Town and also, the Halifax Panthers Rugby League club.
Both team’s next fixtures were shown on the board adjacent to the path leading in.
A car park is on this eastern side of the ground, which is dominated by the East Stand.
On the southeast corner of the stadium, is a steel framework that marks the proposed facilities for hospitality and media suites. Although never finished along with the East Stand, should the need arise, the work has already started.
Meanwhile, it doesn’t help with the overall look of the place.
Turnstiles to the South Terrace prevent any look around that side of the ground, so we headed up the side of the East Stand.
This brought us to the steps leading up to the North Terrace, although not open on the day.
The Dorking Wanderers team coach was parked up in front of the steps.
The gates in the corner allowed for a sneak peek inside the Shay Stadium, too.
Again, there was no way to look further than this because time was running low and we still had to get inside.
First though, was a pin badge from the ‘pop-up club shop’ just inside the East Stand.
In reality, this was just a set of tables in a ‘U-shape’ with club items for sale.
We purchased a club crest pin badge for £3.00 and made our way to the East Stand turnstiles.
FC Halifax Town – The Shay Stadium Exterior Gallery
FC Halifax Town – The Shay Stadium Interior
Getting In
After ignoring the cash turnstile, we headed to the all payments turnstile clutching our debit card.
Apparently, ‘all payments’ don’t include cards… instead, we were told to head to reception to pay our entry fee.
Once in the reception, it was a simple matter of paying for two vouchers.
Clutching our vouchers, we returned to the turnstiles and were allowed in at the second time of asking without any problems.
Once inside, we bought a programme from a vendor just inside the concourse.
At a cost of £3.00, you get forty-four thick, glossy pages of Shaymen-related news and a nice spread on the visitors, Dorking Wanderers.
Programme
South Terrace
Once inside the stadium, it was immediately apparent that Halifax Town are an ex-Football League club.
The Shay Stadium is bigger than some clubs that sit two divisions higher.
To our left, was the South Terrace.
This is a large, covered terrace that houses the more vocal home supporters.
Along with its mirror-image counterpart at the northern end of the stadium, the South Terrace was built in 2008 as part of a redevelopment of the ageing stadium.
Skircoat Stand
Opposite the East Stand is the Skircoat Stand.
Nowadays, this is an all-seated stand that runs from the North Terrace almost to the penalty area at the south end of the ground.
The stand is built on the side of a slope and the bank has terracing still visible through the grass at the southern end of it.
This stand is left unused unless a large crowd is expected.
Trees that run along Skircoat Road behind this stand give it a little extra in the scenery department.
North Terrace
The North Terrace, like its counterpart at the other end, is a large, covered terrace.
Unused for today’s game, its only occupants were FC Halifax Town flags.
For a big game, with both North and South Terraces in use, the Shay Stadium would likely have an excellent atmosphere.
East Stand
This brings us back to the stand we were sitting in, the East Stand.
This is the main stand at the Shay Stadium and was opened in March 2010.
It is a single-tier all-seated structure with a cantilever roof and contains six executive boxes.
A retractable players’ tunnel is in the middle and the technical dugouts are located on either side of the halfway line in front of it.
Away fans are located at the northern end of this stand. A small but noisy band of Dorking fans had made the 236-mile journey up from Surrey.
The total capacity of the Shay Stadium is 14,061.
The pitch is a natural grass and floodlights are located in the traditional manner, with one in each corner.
FC Halifax Town – The Shay Stadium Interior Gallery
FC Halifax Town Tidbits
The original Halifax Town was formed in 1911.
The club was dissolved in 2008 with total debts of over two million pounds.
In the summer of the same year, the club was reformed with its current name and played its first-ever season in the Northern Premier League Division One North.
By 2013, they had achieved three promotions under manager Neil Aspin and were back in the non-league’s top tier.
In the 2010/11 season, Jamie Vardy was the club’s top scorer with 26 goals in 37 games. I hear he did okay for himself after being sold on… Amazingly, he was replaced by another striker who went on to bigger things with Millwall and Stoke City.
In three seasons and 129 games with the club, Lee Gregory managed 82 goals. This includes an FC Halifax Town club record of 29 League goals in a single season.
In 2013/14, Halifax’s first season in the fifth tier of English football resulted in a play-off place, losing to Cambridge United in the semi-final. This made them the highest-placed semi-professional team in the country
In 2016 Halifax won the FA Trophy but also suffered the ignominy of relegation to the National League North. They were promoted again the following season and have remained in the fifth tier since.
Last season saw the Shaymen positioned in 11th place and they also secured a second FA Trophy win after defeating Gateshead 1-0 at Wembley.
FC Halifax Town’s record attendance is 8,042 for an FA Cup tie with Bradford City in 2014.
Halifax fans view nearby clubs Huddersfield Town, Burnley and Rochdale as their main rivals.
FC Halifax Town – Pre-Game View of the Shay Stadium
FC Halifax Town v Dorking Wanderers – The Game
Form
Coming into today’s game, Halifax sat in seventh position with thirteen points from nine games.
They have three wins, four draws and two defeats under their belt, including a 0-1 away win at rivals Rochdale a couple of weeks prior.
They would be looking to build on that with three points today, against a Dorking team who were only promoted to this level at the end of last season.
Dorking have struggled to adapt to the higher level up to this point and sat in 22nd position before today’s game.
During that spell, they have won two, drawn three and lost four, letting in fourteen goals.
Their last two matches have both been 0-0 draws. At home against fellow strugglers Eastleigh and away at Oldham Athletic.
My pre-match prediction was a 3-1 win for Town.
Oh dear, oh dear!
Kick-Off
Summary
The Shaymen started on the front foot and forced a fine save out of the Dorking keeper early on but the game was a tight affair from the off.
It was clear that chances were going to be at a premium and whoever scored first was going to have a massive advantage.
It was the visitors who grabbed that advantage with thirty-four minutes on the clock.
This was Dorking’s first goal in four matches and it was captain, Tony Craig who got it.
You can view the goal in the video below.
Halifax huffed and puffed but seemed toothless up front and Dorking held on to the lead at halftime.
The second half was a display of dogged defending from Dorking and more toothless action from Halifax.
How they must wish they had a Jamie Vardy or Lee Gregory-type figure up front now.
Dorking’s noisy little band of seventy-two supporters kept chanting their team to the finish line and it was a win that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the FC Halifax Town website.
Full-time – FC Halifax Town 0 – Dorking Wanderers 1
Attendance – 1,467
Entrance Fee – £21.00
Programme – £3.00
FC Halifax Town v Dorking Wanderers – Post-Match Interview
With no highlights of the game available, I will instead leave this interview with the victorious Dorking manager, Marc White.
For those who don’t know, White IS Dorking Wanderers.
He founded the club in 1999 and is the manager and chairman of the club. Did I mention he also played for them?
When he founded the team, they were playing in the seventeenth tier of English football. He has guided them to twelve promotions and they now sit just one promotion away from the Football League.
An incredible story and a real-life game of extreme Football Manager.
League Table After Today’s Game
Up Next
Next up for Halifax is a tough away match against league leaders Chesterfield on Tuesday 19th September.
Things don’t get much easier at the weekend either, as they face another away game at third-placed Barnet on Saturday 23rd.
September ends with two easier-looking fixtures at home. First up will be Dagenham & Redbridge on the 26th, before facing Eastleigh on the 30th of September.
Dorking, meanwhile, will look to build on today’s win with two upcoming home games.
First, they face Wealdstone on Tuesday 19th September, before hosting Rochdale on Saturday 23rd.
September closes out with a trip to Ebbsfleet United on the 26th before another home fixture against Hartlepool United on the 30th.
Thoughts
Halifax is a great place to visit for a game of football.
A plethora of great pubs to choose from, coupled with a stadium that punches above the club’s weight class, all make for a great matchday experience.
An established club shop would be a welcome addition to the stadium, to replace the temporary-looking affair that exists at the moment.
While it is better than nothing, the lack of space and the jumble sale feel of it in a dimly lit room, doesn’t feel very professional.
Having said that, fair play to the fans from the Supporters Club who run it and make sure there is something there for the fans.
There is obviously no pressing need for the club to finish up the southeast corner of the stadium. However, it would go a long way to improving the looks if they placed a temporary piece of artwork over the steel girder framework.
I was impressed with the programme that the club produce but it was disappointing to see that you had to pay again if you wanted a teamsheet. In my opinion, these should have been given away with programmes.
Overall, I would highly recommend a visit to the Shay Stadium and the Shaymen would be a welcome addition to the EFL, should they ever complete that comeback story.
Halifax – After the Game
Following the final whistle, we exited the Shay Stadium promptly. Although the train station is only half a mile away, our train was due at 17:17, so there wasn’t much leeway.
Although the road changes name three times, it is a straight route to the station from the Shay.
We turned onto Shay Syke, over the roundabout onto South Parade and past the Three Pigeons, before crossing a final roundabout that brought us onto Church Street. A right turn after the National Children’s Museum brought us back to Halifax train station.
Our train turned up on schedule at 17:17 and we boarded the train to Leeds, arriving thirty-eight minutes later.
The 18:08 train to Durham had been cancelled the day before, so we knew we would have a longer wait at Leeds for the next one.
We eventually boarded the 18:39 train and arrived in Durham at 19:49.
After sliding down Mount Durham, we waited for a bus home on Milburngate and were home clutching a bag of chips from the local chippy by 21:00.
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week, we will be heading to the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool.
It will be Mrs Hopper’s first experience of Blackpool, with the Seasiders playing host to Reading.
I’m really looking forward to this one and after the turmoil that the Tangerines suffered under their previous ownership, I’m grateful that I still have the opportunity to do so!
It was a close-run thing for them for a while and the fans deserve a lot of credit for helping oust the Oyston family from the club.
Can’t wait to see Bloomfield Road and experience a Blackpool home game!
Onto the next!
