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History » The End of Caygill's Walk
Up until 1890 any traffic heading in the direction of Huddersfield travelled along the main route which ran from the town centre along the bottom of the Shay, up Shaw Hill to Huddersfield Road.
Caygill's Walk in 1889 - The Shay mansion can just about
be seen through the trees on the right-hand side
It was the idea of John Booth to develop the pleasant Caygill's Walk, which ran along the top of the Shay, into what is now the busy Skircoat Road. At the time his scheme came under heavy criticism from local people.
Before this, there was a steep declivity running down from Well Head, and Caygill's Walk ran along the bottom of it. A little beck ran down from Well Head Field to Shaw Syke, and this was covered in when this part of the estate was filled up with countless loads of earth in order to make the present road level. Some of the buildings on the Shay Estate were demolished to make way for the new road, though the Shay mansion remained intact (the mansion had, however, been bought by the Halifax Corporation on 8 August 1889).
This dramatic period in the Shay's history continued when, two years later, on 29 August 1891, Skircoat Road was opened for traffic for the first time. In 1903, with the Shay mansion no longer being used for residential purposes, the Corporation saw fit to demolish it.
A brief mention of the new road,
taken from the 'Halifax Courier' 29 August 1891
So ends another period in the Shay's history.
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