On Tuesday 14 October 1958 St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society met to discuss their forthcoming pantomime. They settled on that old favourite Cinderella, a choice which may have been sublimel…

The summer holidays are over, so I managed to add a few more posts to the Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study in September. The six new posts for the month brings the total number to 492.…

These are the history pieces which appeared in the Batley St. Mary of the Angels and Birstall St. Patrick’s bulletin during September 2026. As the parishes are jointly administered and a single bul…

The St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society’s production in February 1954 was The Arcadians, described as a show with a light, humorous theme, with good lyrics and attractive songs. The Arcadians might…

I’ve written about several St. Mary of the Angels theatrical productions of the 1940s and 1950s. This piece takes you back to an earlier era, 1930. It was the production of what was to be a s…

St. Mary of the Angels church was packed on the evening of 02 May 1937 to see the parish’s May Queen, nine-year-old Rita Kelly, crown the statue of Our Lady. Rita Kelly Born in March 1928, she was …

The girl chosen to be the Batley St. Mary of the Angels May Queen in 1936 was eight-year-old Patricia Josephine Houston. Born on 18 March 1928, she was the daughter of St. Mary’s school teacher Alf…

Despite the summer holidays, gorgeous weather and time off, four more posts were added to the Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study in August. This brings the total number to 486. One other…

This brick building on Melton Street is intrinsically associated with the RC Parish of Batley St. Mary of the Angels. Over the decades it has been the venue for countless wedding receptions, baptis…

The Batley St. Mary of the Angels May Queen for 1930 was Eileen Hutton. Whilst there was no report in the Batley News about that year’s May Queen ceremony itself, 11-year-old Eileen had a prominent…

These are the history pieces which appeared in the Batley St. Mary of the Angels and Birstall St. Patrick’s bulletin during July 2026. As the parishes are jointly administered and a single bulletin…

A crowded St. Mary’s church was a kaleidoscope of colour on the evening of 6 May 1934 for the annual May Queen procession in honour of Our Lady. The blue, red and white dresses, as the columns of p…

With the addition of 12 new posts in June, the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study now stands at 468 posts, including lots of new photographs. One other post has been updated. Those are t…

The Queen officially opened The Brontë Birthplace in Thornton in May 2025 after a fundraising drive.

These are the history pieces which appeared in the Batley St. Mary of the Angels and Birstall St. Patrick’s bulletin during June 2026. As the parishes are jointly administered and a single bulletin…

At the beginning of September 1948 it was announced that St. Mary’s senior curate Father Denis O’Mahoney (left) would be leaving to become the parish priest at the newly-formed parish of St. Anthon…

This is the 24th St. Mary of the Angels school photo, taken circa 1946 with the boys born circa 1936 or thereabouts. With thanks to John Norgate for this one. I have been sharing these photos from …

Renowned British photographer David Yarrow tells BBC Sport what inspired his viral Norway World Cup send-off photo.