Talk Castleford with Tony - the blog

St Paul's, Glasshoughton To celebrate Heritage Open Days, we look at five old buildings in Castleford to seek an answer to: What should happen to a building we value when it’s no longer needed for its original purpose?  1. Queen’s Mill on Aire Street. The building by the river is an excellent example of finding new uses for a well-loved old building. It was a working flour mill and has a water wheel, which (sadly) isn’t working just yet. When the mill itself ceased working, it could easily have become vacant, deteriorated, then demolished. Luckily for the town, that didn’t happen. Thanks to the Castleford Heritage Trust, it has found a new life as a community and heritage hub. It has events, organisations and businesses, such as the popular tea room, while still milling some flour. 2. Castleford Library and Museum, Carlton Street. The old Carnegie Library frontage, dating from 1905, is still there on Carlton Street. But behind it is a new library and museum building. A compromise o...

Climate change is often discussed as if the choice is between spending a great deal of money now or doing nothing and saving the cost. But doing nothing is not free. Flooding, heatwaves, damaged roads, water shortages, rising insurance costs and emergency repairs all have a price. The real question is not whether we pay, but when, how much and whether the money is spent sensibly. This post argues for practical, targeted action that protects homes, communities and future generations. It is better to take action on climate change, but with one important qualification: it must be practical, targeted action, not panic spending or symbolic gestures that achieve little. The actual choice is: Spend money deliberately now or pay more later through floods, heat damage, water shortages, food disruption, insurance costs, health problems and emergency repairs.That is why most serious economic analysis comes down on the side of action. The Climate Change Committee’s 2026 report says the UK needs ab...

 In the fifties, long before computer games, tablets and round-the-clock TV, children of Castleford amused themselves by playing cowboys and cowgirls, games of taws, and digging deep holes. Digging deep holes? Yes, because there were looking for treasure in their back gardens and those of neighbours’ or even public spaces. The treasure being a Roman artifact, usually a piece of pottery. They didn’t find any, but was that chipped piece of brick a remnant of a Roman villa? Teachers and parents told them about modern Castleford being on the site of a Roman fort. This was a spark to the imagination of young Castlefordians. But why did the people of a far-off country decide to come to this area? The Roman Emperor Claudius ordered the invasion of Britain, partly to restore the full power of the emperor, which had suffered under his predecessor, Caligula. The expansion of Roman power in Britain began in 43 CE. As the Romans moved northwards, they met fierce resistance. The expansion of th...