In 1711, Paul Bairstow, a native of Sowerby, described by Oliver Heywood as "a wild blade" in his youth, who had later amended his ways and entered ministry, made provision in his will for a charity to be established to pay a schoolmaster an annual salary of £16 to teach twelve poor children "living within the chapelry of Sowerby."

On the 15th May 1820 an advertisement appeared in the Leeds Intelligencer inviting applications for the post of schoolmaster "to teach English grammatically, Writing and Arithmetic", with knowledge of Latin an additional recommendation.

In 1866, however, the school, which had apparently been operating for years "at the lowest state of efficiency" was temporary closed and the twelve free scholars sent to Sowerby National School. In 1875, after application to the Charity Commissioners and appropriate financial arrangements had been made, the new schoolhouse and headmaster's house shown in the photograph were opened at the bottom of Rooley Lane at a cost of £1,862 5s 7d (£1,862.28).

In the foreground, a boy can be seen transporting a younger child in a perambulator made from a soapbox.

Declining population, however, resulted in the closure of the school in 1904, when the funds were utilised for other educational purposes and the school premises purchased by Eli Siddall, a Sowerby Bridge joiner, for £525 and converted into dwelling houses.

We would like to thank Dr John Hargreaves for allowing us to reproduce the photograph and text from his book "Sowerby Bridge in Old Photographs", page 138.


For the location please see the main village photograph

Eli Siddall divided the property into 5 dwellings and renamed the 4 of these as "Prospect Place". The fifth dwelling he named "Prospect House" and took up residence there with his family.


1911 Census

Address	Name	Rel		Age	YOB	Occupation	Where Born
Prospect House	SIDDALL, Eli	Head	Married	56	1855	Retired Joiner	Sowerby
Prospect House	SIDDALL, Eliza Ann	Wife	Married 29 years	52	1859		Sowerby
Prospect House	SIDDALL, Sarah Ann	Daughter	Single	27	1884	Woollen Weaver	Sowerby
Prospect House	SIDDALL, Clara	Daughter	Single	24	1887	Woollen Weaver	Sowerby
Prospect House	SIDDALL, Millicent Elizabeth	Daughter	Single	18	1893	Sewing Machinist	Sowerby
Prospect Place	STANDEVEN, Jonathan	Head	Married	45	1866	Gas Meter Inspector	Sowerby
Prospect Place	STANDEVEN, Annie	Wife	Married 19 years	44	1867		Sowerby
Prospect Place	STANDEVEN, Selwyn	Son	Single	18	1893	Iron Turner	Sowerby
Prospect Place	STANDEVEN, Milton	Son		10	1901	School	Sowerby
Prospect Place	STANDEVEN, Beatrice Annie	Daughter		8	1903		Sowerby
Prospect Place	WHITAKER, Joseph	Head	Married	43	1868	Cotton Twiner	USA
Prospect Place	WHITAKER, Martha J	Wife	Married 16 years	43	1868		Sowerby
Prospect Place	WHITAKER, Albert	Son	Single	15	1896	Office Boy	Sowerby
Prospect Place	LEACH, Benjamin	Head	Married	31	1880	Warehouseman	Sowerby
Prospect Place	LEACH, Mary Hannah	Wife	Married 2 years	31	1880		Sowerby
Prospect Place	WILSON, Job	Head	Widower	77	1834	Retired Craker	Halifax
Prospect Place	WILSON, Elizabeth	Daughter	Single	39	1872	Wollen Weaver	Halifax
Prospect Place	WILSON, Micanda	Daughter	Single	32	1879	House Work	Halifax