St Hilda

Our parish was defined at the beginning of the 20th century when Halifax was growing as an industrial centre. The church of St Hilda was completed in 1911. The plans were by Charles Hodgson Fowler, a well known architect who spent much of his working life in the north of England.

The respect in which the first vicar's family was held is reflected in the stained glass window of our Lady Chapel, a nativity scene thought to be by Edward Woore, inscribed in memory of Arabella Footman, his mother.

We maintain an important link with the Duke of Wellington's regiment and our local population, as we hold a Roll of Honour naming 27 people killed in the First World War, whose names continue to be honoured and read out at our annual Remembrance Day service. We keep with pride a WWI Battlefield Grave Marker to an Unknown Soldier GRU 65K11, transferred from the Duke of York's Regiment in 1942 for safe keeping.

Our congregation could continue to worship and work without our church building but our area would be much the poorer for its closure. In 1987 alterations were made to create a suitable space for community activities. We nurture our traditional church pipe organ which is played regularly and maintain a robed choir who enrich our weekly services.

The demography of our parish has changed over time. The housing stock remains largely unchanged. We enjoy good relations with our neighbours who are mainly of Pakistani, Moslem heritage. We regularly welcome local school children into our church to learn more about Christianity and church traditions. The ordinary people of St Hilda's have, over the years maintained, by their ordinary lives, many of the traditions and cultural values of this area and country.