Bringing history back to life with works at St Peter’s Garden have almost completed
After a swift few months, the regeneration works on St Peter’s Garden are almost complete, bringing us one step closer to delivering the Huddersfield Blueprint – a vision for the next decade of investment and beyond. We have been working in partnership with the Parish Church, a registered charity to form the improvements and revitalise the space.
A key feature of the scheme is the new events space for people to spend time in a more welcoming place that can be enjoyed both day and night whilst surrounded by new natural stone paving and planting.
The changes will create an elegant and high-quality environment inspired by the Church’s history with a strong focus on improved safety and accessibility for everyone.
As part of the works, 14 gravestones and a large tomb were relocated closer to the church. When doing so, many historical items were found from old smoking pipes to a broken but complete ink well manufactured in London.
One of the more interesting finds were pieces of a marble plaque belonging to the late wife of Capitan Lewis Fenton. Lewis Fenton was Huddersfield’s first MP from the wig party in 1831. These items will be available to view at the church during Kirklees Council Heritage Open Days 6th-15th September.
Putting the new space to good use, the church will be hosting a show on the 21st September with an array of acts performing from Stagecoach Theatre company, musician Pat Fulgoni, tribute band Storm and more. Visitors are encouraged to arrive from 4:30pm to enjoy the entertainment, whilst relaxing and taking in the refreshed greenery, seating and lighting.
Over the next few weeks, works to Byram Street to improve drainage, and vehicle and pedestrian access will be carried out with completion planned for this winter.
Cllr Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration said:
“It’s fantastic we have been able to revamp St Peter’s Garden which has stood since 1836 whilst maintaining the years of history it has provided to Huddersfield’s town centre.
A feature I’m most excited to see in action is the new events space, it will be a place everyone can enjoy and make memories for years to come with the support from Huddersfield Parish Church, which owns and will help maintain the space alongside the BID.
This revitalised public realm area is a clear demonstration of what can be achieved through partnership and a shared vision.
By investing in spaces that bring people together, we are fostering a stronger sense of community and supporting the long-term sustainability of Huddersfield.
As with our accompanying Huddersfield Blueprint projects, this one is key to supporting surrounding businesses by bringing more visitors to Huddersfield who will hopefully want to explore what the town has to offer.”
Rev Amanda Ogilvie, for Huddersfield Parish Church said:
“I’m pleased we have made such great progress with improving the church grounds, whilst not only preserving the history of St Peters Gardens but discovering so much more of it whilst we have been on site.
Working alongside the council and being a part of the Huddersfield Blueprint has been a positive experience and we can’t wait for people to visit our new outdoor space, and for it to become a regular place for the community.”
How was this funded?
This project has been paid for with a grant of £501,900 which comprises £380,000 of from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and a further £121,900 from the Golden Routes capital programme.