Glusburn Institute still going strong after 120 years (From Craven Herald)

Glusburn Institute still going strong after 120 years

9:00am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Craven History

Glusburn Institute has just changed its name to Glusburn Community and Arts Centre. The move comes after ownership of the 19th century building moved from the parish council to a trust set up by the institute’s management committee. “It will always be known as the institute locally,” said chairman of the board of directors Gill Birks. Deputy editor Lindsey Moore looks at its history.

Glusburn Institute was erected in 1892 as a religious, educational and social centre for the people of the village.

It was a permanent endowment from local mill owner John Horsfall, who was later to receive a baronetcy for his philanthropic work.

He owned Hayfields Mill where the majority of villagers worked.

“My only wish and hope is that the institution shall be the means of general improvement to the people of this and the surrounding villages and of raising them to a higher standard, morally, intellectually and spiritually,” he said.

His gesture was similar to that made by Sir Titus Salt in the village of Saltaire and the two institutes are said to bear many similarities.

Although officially opened in 1892, Glusburn Institute was added to over the following 20 years.

An extension was built in 1897 to house art rooms on the upper floor and a gym on the lower floor.

Bathing facilities were provided by another extension in 1905.

And the final pieces – the clock tower and dome – were completed in 1911 to mark the Coronation of George V.

Numerous activities developed and the institute became home to conversaziones (a kind of concert), Glusburn Institute Players, Glusburn Women’s Institute, the Band of Hope, pensioners’ teas, Cross Hills and District Youth Club, Men’s Choir, Young People’s Fellowship and a library.

The lower ballroom (now a veterinary practice) was used for old-time dancing and the top ballroom was for modern dancing.

But it was not all good news. In the mid 1930s, there was concern over the behaviour of some attendees and the 1936 annual meeting decided that members had to be approved.

In 1948, the art room was converted to a Baptist Chapel and the rooms below were used for the Sunday School.

There were big changes in the 1970s when the Horsfall family transferred the building into a charitable trust. The parish council became the custodian trustees and a management committee was appointed.

The constitution, submitted to the Charity Commission, stated: “The object of the charity shall be the provision and maintenance of a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of Glusburn and the surrounding district without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for meetings, lectures and classes and for other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the life for the said inhabitants.”

The new committee agreed to sell the Baptist Church and the rooms underneath to the West Yorkshire Baptist Association and these were then partitioned off from the main building.

Other changes included the closure of Hayfield Mill Social Club, which met in the main hall – although its weekly bingo session continued – and the conversion of the ground floor kitchen into a playcentre. The swimming pool closed because it failed to meet health and safety standards.

Then, in 1996, the institute faced a new threat which put its future in doubt.

A fatal hotel fire in Scarborough resulted in strict new regulations being introduced and Glusburn Institute was told it would have to erect a new fire escape.

But its plans initially failed to find favour with Craven District Council’s planning committee. “We shall have to give the viability of the whole building some very serious consideration,” said the then management committee chairman Allan Clough.

However, following desperate pleas, the crisis was averted and planning permission was granted.

More changes followed in 2000 when the Baptist Chapel closed and was put on the market with a £45,000 price tag.

Institute managers said buying the chapel would secure the future viability of the institute and they persuaded the parish council to purchase the building, using £30,000 of its own money and £15,000 from the Glusburn Pantomime Fund.

“The building is unique to the whole area and to bring it back as a whole will reset the jewel in the village,” said secretary Peter Seward.

Today, the institute is a thriving arts venue, hosts numerous organisations and groups and is home to Ashlands Veterinary Practice.

And the future looks rosy as it enters a new era as Glusburn Community and Arts Centre.

As former headteacher Winifred Harrison said in her book marking the centenary of the institute in 1992: “Sir John’s Horsfall’s vision of the institute as a religious, social and educational centre for the village is a material fact.

“We must say a retrospective thank you to the one who had this vision for the community life of Glusburn, to those who gave freely of their time, thought and energy to make the dream a reality and to those who saw the institute through difficult years.

“It is good that there are present-day enthusiasts who are willing to carry on the good work. My hope is with the younger generation and that through them the institute should continue to play a major part in village life.”