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The latest news from the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms.
We are please to announce the re-opening of the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms on Wednesday, 23rd November 2022.
Jubilee Refreshment Rooms & Whistle Stop Window Autumn Opening Times
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JRR Coffee At Home
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Local Interest Section
We've created a Local Interest section and added an article about a selection of local books that we have here at JRR. We'll be adding more to this section as time goes on.
Mid Morning Griddle
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Canal Companion
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Situated only a few minutes walk from the canal in Sowerby Bridge, The Jubilee Refreshment Rooms features in the Canal Companion guide books. Feel free to visit us for refreshment. |
All aboard! Vintage buses shown in all day exhibition
Brothers Chris and Andy Wright of the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms at Sowerby Bridge rail station organised a day of transport nostalgia with an exhibition and quiz about old buses in Halifax.
The event was the idea of a retired bus driver who had amassed a collection of photographs of buses.
These images were joined by over 100 snaps taken by other enthusiasts to create a unique look at the history of Halifax.
Andy Wright, co-manager of Jubilee Refreshment Rooms, said: "There are a range of photos brought in by various bus enthusiasts."
"You can see pictures of buses in Halifax, old bus stops, and pictures from the surrounding districts. It's just to rekindle people’s interest in local transport."
The rarely-seen photos were projected as a slideshow onto a large screen and a quiz was given to guess the location where 40 of the photos were taken.
Enthusiast John Myddelton said: "In reality it matters little whether or not you have an interest in the buses themselves - many of these shots act as a reminder of how Halifax town centre and outer district used to be."
Oh What a Happy Valley
On the rainy evening of Monday 27th January 2014 a 70 metre reach “cherry picker” and a similar machine with a slightly shorter set of extending telescopic arms, each sporting a fine array of spot lights, arrived in Station Road Sowerby Bridge. The shorter reach machine was positioned by the old coal drops, the other was driven around the Lucy-Zodion Lighting building and set up so as to illuminate the station bus shelter and platform immediately adjacent.
Just after departure of the last of the daytime frequency trains a couple of scenes, to feature in the BBC1 television series “Happy Valley”, were recorded by the train times information notices on platform 1. The last scene involved a car pulling up outside the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms and a chap dashing inside: this was repeated again and again: the crew finally packed everything up by eleven o’clock.
An assortment of vans and associated equipment was left in and about the station car park and Station Road overnight.
Late morning Tuesday 28th January 2014, whilst customers were finishing their tea and coffee, set furnishers commenced an external transformation of the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms, in preparation for a further recording session. Blackout sheets were fixed to most of the windows, and orange lighting rigs set outside the main three section windows. Shortly after noon high intensity lighting was positioned within the bar area and at other strategic points within and without the room. For the following nine and a half hours the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms was a scene of carefully timed and re-timed, measured and re-measured, recording, re-recording, re-recording, re-recording and further re-recording: unwanted station announcement and noisy passing trains frequently interrupted otherwise fault-free recordings.
It was amazing that the crew required, for a scene involving just four characters, totalled 61 bodies, producers, producers’ assistants, directors, cameramen, sound recording technicians, dolly pushers and pullers, gaffers, riggers, runners, and we now know what a “focus-puller” has to do to earn his corn: there were two large metal cases full of lenses of different focal length.
Then, late Tuesday evening, for the first time in over forty years, for just a few hours, a short section of track was laid for the camera dolly, to bring back memories perhaps for those who recall when trains could pass or be passed at Sowerby Bridge station.
Other than each Christmas day, Boxing day and New Year's day, the afternoon and evening of Tuesday 28th January 2014 was the first occasion the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms had been closed to ordinary business since opening in July 2009: we had even remained open despite loss of electrical power for a week in 2012. Despite the particularly poor weather, and the forewarnings given to regular patrons, it was remarkable how many not-all-that-regular and some particularly irregular customers subsequently claimed to have arrived that Tuesday evening to be most surprised to see all that frenetic activity about the place yet not a drink to be had!
Spot those scenes recorded inside and just outside the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms in “Happy Valley” on BBC1.
In connection with this production Sowerby Bridge Police Station on Station Road has worn a “Yorkshire Police” banner since late 2013.
Working Title “Happy Valley”
RED Production Company, for BBC1
Director – Sally Wainwright
Author – Sally Wainwright (Last Tango in Halifax [2012], Scott & Bailey [2011], Unforgiven [2009], Bonkers [2007], Dead Clever [2007], The Amazing Mrs Pritchard [2006], ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew [2005], Jane Hall [2005] (for which she drew on her experiences as a bus driver in the nineteen eighties), The Canterbury Tales (TV series) 'The Wife of Bath' [2003], Sparkhouse [2002], At Home with the Braithwaites [2000])
Performers recorded in the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms
Jill Baker (Rides, Fish, The Professionals, Only Fools and Horses, Prime Suspect, Secret Smile, Waking the Dead, Holby City, Spooks, Wallender, Whatever it Takes, Midsomer Murders) as Helen
George Costigan (Bob in Rita, Sue and Bob Too, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Kavanagh QC, Murder Most Horrid, So Haunt Me, London’s Burning, The Bill, Holby City, Dalziel and Pascoe, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The Beiderbecke Connection, New Tricks and Casualty: film work includes Shirley Valentine and Calendar Girls) as Nevison
Sarah Lancashire (Coronation Street, Where the Heart Is, Seeing Red, Clocking Off, Partners in Crime, Dr Who, Last Tango in Halifax) as Catherine Cawood, a police sergeant
Alan McKenna (EastEnders, Doctors, Brides in the Bath, Waking the Dead, Judge John Deed, Spooks, Lead Balloon, Life Begins) as Phil Crabtree
Chris Wright (Bands of Gold. It's a Knockout) as the barman
