Shibden Hall

House & Family History: Shibden is famous today as the home of Anne Lister (1791-1840), whose family had been here since the early 17th century. Anne (known as "Gentleman Jack") kept a diary in code that wasn't deciphered until the 1930s; this diary documented, among other things, her lesbian love affairs, particularly that with Ann Walker (1803-54). Walker and Lister were married in Britain's first known lesbian wedding, their union sealed by taking the sacrament together on Easter Sunday in 1834 at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York (the church, today in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, has a commemorative plaque acknowledging the event). The Lister the family donated Shibden Hall to the City of Halifax in 1926. The estate opened as a public park; in 1934 the house became a museum.
Garden & Outbuildings: In 2007-08 the Grade II-listed gardens were restored in a £5 million project that was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Calderdale Council. The West Yorkshire Folk Museum is housed in an adjoining barn and farm buildings.
Architect: Samuel Gray

Date of Birth: ?
Date of Death: ?
Nationality: British
Notes: 19th century landscape designer.

Date: 1830
Designed: Landscaping for Anne Lister

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Architect: Joshua Major

Date of Birth: 1786
Date of Death: 1866
Nationality: British
Notes: Major was a Yorkshire landscape designer. He founded a nursery garden at Knowsthorpe in Leeds and won awards at flower shows. His son Henry became a partner in the firm, which was commissioned to landscape Hanover Square in Leeds in 1824 and Oakes Park in Sheffield in 1834.

Date: 1850s
Designed: Paisley Shawl Garden

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Architect: John Harper

Date of Birth: 1809
Date of Death: 1842
Nationality: British
Notes: Harper was born at Dunkenhalgh Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire. He was a pupil of Benjamin Wyatt and Philip Wyatt, and assisted them in the preparation of designs for Apsley House, York House (now Lancaster House), and the Duke of York's Column, all in London. He opened his own practice in York and was retained by the Duke of Devonshire for works at Bolton Abbey and entered the competition for the new Houses of Parliament. Most of Harper's work is in the Gothic style. He was an accomplished draftsman and his sketches of antiquity were admired by his contemporaries. He died of malaria during a visit to Italy in 1842.

Date: 1835-36
Designed: Tower and offices for Anne Lister

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Country Life: Nov 22, 1984.
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Reference: pg. 461
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Grade II*

Park Listed: Grade II
"Wuthering Heights" (1992). "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" (2010 - TV movie). "To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters" (2016 - TV movie, as the Devonshire Arms). "Peterloo" (2018). "Gentleman Jack" (2019-21 - TV series, as Shibden Hall).
Past Seat / Home of: William Otes, 15th century. Savile family, 16th century. Waterhouse family, 16th century. Anne Lister, until 1840. Ann Walker, 1840-54. Lister family, 1854-1926; the family was here since circa 1615.

Current Ownership Type: Government

Primary Current Ownership Use: Other

Ownership Details: Owned and opeated by Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01422-352-246

Fax: 01422-348-440

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://museums.calderdale.gov.uk

Historic Houses Member: No

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