Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
St George's Square
Photographed by Ray Gurganus, April 14, 2025
1. St George's Square Marker
(2) The George Hotel (1850, by William Wallen & Charles Child). It was here that the Rugby League was established in 1895, and the hotel offers an interesting museum about the sport and the Huddersfield Giants.
(3) Lion Buildings (1852-4, by Pritchett). This was built for mixed commercial uses; the lion is a fibreglass copy of the original which was in Coade stone, a ceramic stoneware.
(4) Britannia Buildings (1856-9, by William Cocking), occupied for many years by the Huddersfield (later Yorkshire) Building Society; the ground floor was converted into a banking hall for the Society by local architect Clifford Hickson in 1926.
(5) Tite Buildings (1856), a woollen
this page online
The 'new town', with its grid of streets to the south-east of the station, was the vision of George Loch, agent to the Ramsden estate, which owned the town centre until 1920. Loch had already been instrumental in bringing a through railway to Huddersfield on a line which opened up the opportunity for development. But the open square itself owed more to Joshua Hobson, a campaigning journalist and radical politician who was clerk to the Improvement Commissioners - predecessor of the Borough Council - at the time. Until the late 20th century the Square, along with the Market Place, was at the heart of local politics; mass meetings here marked the major issues of the day. The statue of Huddersfield-born Prime Minister Lord (Harold) Wilson (1916-95)(pictured) is by Ian Walters and was unveiled in 1999 by then PM Tony Blair and Lady Wilson. A statue of Sir Robert Peel stood in the Square from 1873.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
Location. 53° 38.89′ N, 1° 47.009′ W. Marker is in Huddersfield, England, in West Yorkshire. It is on Station Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 Station Street, Huddersfield, England HD1 1LA, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in England’s Yorkshire & The Humber. Globally, it is on the Atlantic Ocean, in the North Atlantic Region, in Europe, in Atlantic Europe, on one of the British Isles, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 23 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kirkstall Abbey (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); The Abbot's Lodging (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); The Refectory (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); Changes in Abbey Life (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); The Warming House (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); The Cloister (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); Other Rooms Leading from The Cloister (approx. 22.4 kilometers away); The East Range (approx. 22.4 kilometers away).
Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 106 times since then and 18 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on April 28, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
