What Is The "Our Cultural Heart" Project In Huddersfield

Ever walked through Huddersfield town centre and wondered what’s going on behind all those construction hoardings? Well, a lot is happening. The huge project known as Our Cultural Heart is moving forward, and as Winter 2025 gets going, some really exciting changes are taking shape. It’s not just about one new building; it’s a whole new vibe for the town, mixing cool modern stuff with the town's amazing history. From a festive fire garden to paving stones inspired by old-school fabric, there’s plenty to talk about.

Getting festive with winter worlds

Get ready for a bit of Christmas magic! On Saturday 29 November, Huddersfield is set to host ‘Winter Worlds’, a massive day of fun and creativity. The event, sponsored by the Cultural Heart project, will run from 11am to 4:30pm in the Creative Piazza. Think of it as an early Christmas present to the town. There will be something for everyone: a ride-on steam train, ice skating, and even face-painting.

But it gets better. Local businesses are getting involved with some brilliant creative workshops. Fancy trying print-making? The West Yorkshire Print Workshop has it covered. More into fabrics? Thread Republic is running a textiles workshop. And if you’ve ever wanted to decorate your own elf, MakerWorld is the place to be. Alongside all this, St Peter’s Gardens will host a Christmas market from midday until 8pm. The real showstopper, though, sounds like the Fire Garden. Created by a group called Walk the Plank, this special installation will be a trail of flaming beacons leading from New Street down to the Parish Church. There, a huge metallic fire sculpture and 'Fire Trees' will create an incredible sight. It’s definitely not your average Christmas light switch-on!

Weaving history into the very ground

Huddersfield and the wider Kirklees area have a massive story to tell when it comes to textiles. For centuries, this part of the world was famous for making the best cloth. The Our Cultural Heart project is making sure that this important heritage isn't forgotten. How? By weaving it right into the new public square. The paving stones won't just be boring grey slabs. Instead, the brick paving will feature designs inspired by traditional textile patterns that made the area famous.

These patterns have some cool names – Madras, Glen Check, and Tattersall. They are classic designs that you might see on a smart suit or a cosy blanket. The idea is that as people walk across the new square, they’ll literally be walking over patterns that represent the town’s history. The inspiration for this came from a visit to a local tailor, Jacob Brian. They even decided to include the ‘Made in Huddersfield’ selvedge design. A selvedge is that neat edge on a roll of fabric that stops it from unravelling, and the 'Made in Huddersfield' one is a world-famous mark of quality. Including these patterns is a brilliant nod to the town's global reputation in the textile industry.

When a market building inspires modern art

Sometimes, inspiration comes from the most unlikely places. The iconic roof of Huddersfield's Queensgate Market has become the star of a unique art installation at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. The project is called ‘Paradoxical Symmetries: A Huddersfield Polytope’. That’s a bit of a mouthful, right? Let’s break it down. A polytope is just a word for a shape with flat sides, like a cube, but in any number of dimensions. The artist, Iannis Xenakis, was famous for using complex geometric shapes in both his music and architecture.

The Queensgate Market building, which was built in 1970, has these amazing sweeping, curved roof structures. These shapes reminded the artists of the complex geometry Xenakis used. So, they used 3D laser scanners to map the market and turned those scans into abstract animations. These animations are projected onto walls, creating a mind-bending art piece that’s part performance, part installation. It’s a fantastic example of how a historic building can spark fresh, creative ideas, connecting the town's past with its future.

It’s not all hard hats and high-vis

A big construction project isn’t just about concrete and steel; it’s about people, too. The team behind the Cultural Heart project recently proved this by swapping their usual work gear for gardening gloves to help out at the Huddersfield Riverside Nature Park. Staff from the main contractor BAM, Kirklees Council, and other partners teamed up with a group called Environmental Projects in Kirklees (EPIKS). They spent a day doing vital environmental work, helping to maintain a track at Kilner Bank that’s used by the fire service. It’s a great way for the construction team to connect with the local community and the lovely riverside environment.

And their community spirit doesn’t stop there. Another team from the project is volunteering at Uniform Exchange, a brilliant local charity. They’ll be helping to sort through school uniforms that are given to families in Huddersfield for free. It shows a real commitment to making a positive impact beyond the building site itself.

Big plans for the grand old george hotel

The George Hotel is one of Huddersfield's most famous landmarks. It's a truly historic building, and there's fantastic news about its future. Kirklees Council has given the green light to new plans for its renovation. After working closely with architects and Historic England, the team found a way to make the hotel even better. The revised plans mean the hotel will now have 108 rooms, which is 17 more than originally planned. This is a big boost for the hotel’s potential, bringing more visitors into the town centre. The main goal is to do all this while carefully preserving the building's beautiful architecture and character. Soon, this iconic building will be a thriving hotel once again.

So what does it all look like now?

After a year of work, the changes on site are massive. Phase One has come a long way since the partial demolition of the old Queensgate Market building. The brand-new library hub now has its full concrete frame, so you can really see its size and shape. This is going to be a state-of-the-art library for everyone in Kirklees. Meanwhile, the new food hall is also taking shape. The terrazzo tiling is being laid, giving a sneak peek of how cool the inside will look. Soon, the 'Commerce' artwork, a much-loved feature of the old market, will be reinstalled as a centrepiece.

Out in the public square, work has started on the foundations for a new fountain. Over the next few months, the library's façade will start going up, and work on the roofing for both the library hub and the food hall will continue. Before you know it, the special Kirklees textile-inspired paving will be installed, tying the whole area together. The Our Cultural Heart project is genuinely picking up speed, transforming the centre of Huddersfield piece by piece.