& CULTURE Nothing to celebrate at the Armouries! T

Concerts don’t come much better than this

HONLEY Male Voice Choir with guests Carlton Frickley Main Colliery Band presented a Christmas concert to remember at Huddersfield Town Hall.

Both band and choir were under conductor Steven Roberts, with accompanist Catherine Hall-Smith.

The band confirmed their status as third best in the world, performing pieces such as Troika (Prokofiev), Sleigh Ride and The Christmas Song. Perhaps the highlight of the band’s contribution to the evening was their rendition of Oh Holy Night which featured a euphonium solo by Toni Durrent.

The concert was signed for the deaf by Dr Paul Whittaker OBE, and the choir and audience participated in a signed version of White Christmas.

The audience had a glimpse into the funny (some wold say mischievous) side of the men of the choir with their performance of The Twelve Days After Christmas.

The choir’s next concert is also at Huddersfield Town Hall, on Saturday, March 10, with special guest, internationally renowned soprano, Lesley Garrett.

Alongside her opera career, Lesley is a BBC Radio 2 presenter, Masterchef contestant, star of stage, musicals and her own TV show and, of course, a Yorkshire lass!

Further guests include the 2016 BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year Lindley Junior School Choir.

Joining the Yorkshire folk on stage are Altrincham Choral Society and Chesterfield Philharmonic Choir.

Tickets are now on sale from Huddersfield Town Hall Box Office on 01484225755 or online at www.tickets.kirklees.gov.gov.uk, and cost £15 to £35. HIS Christmas the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds is taking a trip back in time to the 1650s and they have some terrible news ... Christmas has been cancelled.

Caught in the turmoil after the bloody English Civil War, visitors must choose whether to join the Royalist Christmas insurgents determined to celebrate the season with music, decoration and delicious food or the Parliamentarian ‘riot police,’ equally determined to prevent any sign of idolatrous behaviour.

The event takes place between December 27 and 30 from 10am to 5pm and is themed around the English Civil War in the 17th century.

Throughout it, the two camps will be stationed around the museum delivering dramatic performances and engaging opportunities to delve into the period. Among the characters will be soldiers from the New Model Army as well as Royalists in support of the return of monarchy.

Christmas was effectively banned in Britain by a 1644 Act of Parliament with the Long Parliament of 1647 passing an ordinance which officially abolished the feast of Christmas, making its celebration punishable.

The ban remained in place until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

The Royal Armouries houses the Littlecote Collection, the most important surviving armoury of the English Civil War.

Many private armouries furnished with relics of the English Civil War existed in Britain, but they were dispersed until the only major example left intact was the Popham armoury at Littlecote House.

The Littlecote armoury was acquired by the Royal Armouries in the 1980s.

Mark Jackson, events manager at the Royal Armouries, said: “We wanted to do something different this Christmas and what could be more unconventional than cancelling it altogether? The English Civil War and Commonwealth that followed are incredibly important parts of British history, and perhaps periods that some know little about. “This event will be a great learning opportunity for visitors of all ages with plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained. “It will also give visitors a chance to engage with our wide collection of arms and armour from this era in a fun and interactive way.”