Brittania Buildings, Elland

The sketch and description are from The Calderdale Sketch Book by JL Berbiers, published in 1973 by The Halifax Courier Ltd. Outrageously presumptuous by today’s functional standards of architecture, Britannia Buildings, Elland is as irresistible to some tastes as the last night of the Proms. It is a long time since Britannia ruled the waves or presided over an active, bustling scene of commercial transactions in the extravagant premises of the former Halifax and Huddersfield Union Bank. On a prominent site facing Elland Bridge, the bank premises were opened in 1859 and closed 15 years later. Since then the property has been used for a variety of purposes, mainly storage. Nevertheless, with its massive Aberdeen granite columns and elaborate stone carvings, all now as clean as when it was built, Britannia Buildings lends a special distinction to one of the gateways to Elland. PH/25.