The Life of Sir William Hartley

One of the most splendid gifts of Sir William and Lady Hartley to their native town was that of the Hartley Homes. These were actually presented to the Borough in October, 1911. But this was only the consummation of a long-cherished design as is clear from the statement made on that occasion by Sir William. He said: "Lady Hartley and I have had the erection of almshouses in contemplation for twenty years. I think it is fifteen years since we bought land for this purpose on the Keighley Road, nearly opposite the Horsfield Cottage. The explanation of the long delay in the erection of the almshouses is that it was felt in the town many years ago that a Cottage Hospital was really a necessity, and for a time this postponed the erection of the almshouses. It was on the strong recommendation of my friend Mr. Smith, the Deputy Mayor, that we discarded the original site nearer the town and substituted the present one. This is much larger and much superior in every way, and has enabled us to erect many more homes than we originally contemplated, or would have been possible on the old site."

It had been originally intended to provide eight Cottage Homes, but the abandonment of the site first selected for the purpose and the purchase of the larger site made it possible to erect twenty Homes. The total cost was £13,000. The Homes stand on a plot of land measuring an acre and a half, adjoining the plot on which the Hartley Hospital was subsequently erected. They command a glorious prospect and, beautiful themselves, they are surrounded by beautiful grounds. They are arranged in three sides of a quadrangle, the fourth side being left open. Eight of the homes, divided by an imposing clock tower into groups of four, face south, the long extension thus giving the maximum exposure to the sun, and this is flanked by six at either end, running at right angles to the long line of eight homes. The nature of the site, which rose sharply from the road, made similar treatment necessary to that subsequently applied to the site of the Hartley Hospital in the adjoining plot. The space between the central building and the road is laid out in terraces.