A tremendous thirst for knowledge was the driving force behind the establishment, in December 1905, of Hebden Bridge Literary and Scientific Society.

There were already several mutual improvement societies in the area providing an invaluable outlet for education and advancement for the working man, yet a need was felt for an organisation of a different kind: one with the avowed purpose of encouraging the intensive study of natural history, literature, “physical science” and other topics that members themselves would initiate.

In a personal memoir of the society’s early days Mr Nowell recorded that the main impetus came from the naturalists: “while interest in literary studies was deeply felt among the early members there was not the opportunity for action which the cloughs and the moors provided for natural history students.”

Membership of the General Society was a notable 133 in the first year, reaching a peak of 1,640 in 1943 when there were many more sections; it fluctuated considerably over the decades but never dropped below 100.

Other sections were more successful, notably Drama and Local History; the Dramatic Society, which had started off as an “off-shoot” of the Literary Section in 1924, became a section in its own right in 1929 but cut its ties with the society in 1997 when Hebden Bridge Little Theatre was formed.

The Photographic Section also severed its links with the HBLSS following a disagreement with the general committee over the venue. In 1952 members wanted to move from Hollins House –

Together with astronomy (originally formed in 1918 and after several stops and starts restarted in 1980), Local History is the only section to survive to the present day. The Astronomical Society was renamed Physical Science Section in 1934, as such lasting until 1942 and revived again in 1956, but had only three members by the time it was wound up in 1959.

Along the way there have been some intriguing – if, sadly, short-lived – sections representing not only the interests of members but the social conditions of the day.

Other sections enjoying an often brief glory were Fine Arts (1921 – 24, then 1957 – 60), Music (1926 – 51; 1957 – 60), Horticulture (1949 – 58), French Circle (1957 – 64) and Bee-keeping. The records on Bee-keeping, too, are unfortunately scanty: a proposal to form a section was approved by the General Society in 1945 but there is little else in the minute book to indicate its success or otherwise.

Mr Nowell credited the “naturalists” with leading the way and also paid tribute to the Halifax Scientific Society whose members, especially noted botanist Mr W.B. Crump and “Harry Waterworth, who would now be called a bird watcher but was once described as one o’ them horny theologists!”

Also commenting in 1955 – the year when commercial television made its debut – Dent Sutcliffe, president, remarked: “It will probably be necessary for the constitution of the society to be re-examined and see how it can be made an even more useful organisation in the future of the community.