Where Co-operators Set the Pace

In Mytholmroyd a small cottage at Square, Scout Road, where Edward Henry Horsfall ran a school, was the starting point. In 1861 members moved to bigger premises next door to the White Lion, Burnley Road, where a shop was opened.

Once established Mytholmroyd Co-operative set the pace, becoming one of the first in the district to offer houses to customers. In 1869 land at Scout Road was purchased for £1,300; re-named Grove Terrace eight houses were built and sold to members. So successful was the venture that a second block of 12 homes followed in 1874.

Midgley Co-operative Society, too, was proving a great success. Members first met in a school- house at the top of Smithy Fold known as the "Radical Hoil." By 1861 premises at Lydgate had been acquired, run by Thomas Greenwood - over 40 years later still known as "Tom at Co-op".

Four cottages at the bottom of Thorney Lane, purchased in 1865, became the society's main store. Five years later the villagers' pride and joy, the Co-operative Hall, was erected on the site known as Grand Stand. The hall remained the social hub of the village until around 1960 when it closed.

Read the full story in Milltown Memories, issue 7. If this or other stories stirs a memory, we'd be happy to know - send us your memories and comments.