Oakenshaw residents call on Kirklees Council to put the their historic cross 'back where it belongs'

The cross, which was erected in the early 1700’s, was removed on February 11, 2022 after multiple vehicle strikes which caused the historic monument to become ‘dangerous’ and ‘misaligned’.

Now, over one year later and despite residents being told by the local authorities that the historic cross on Wyke Lane would be repaired and returned, residents are yet to see their beloved cross reinstated, leaving them ‘very annoyed’ and ‘concerned’.

Janet Burrell, resident of Wyke lane, said: “We love the cross. It was built in memory of Dr. Richard’s wife who died in childbirth along with the child. He built the cross here so he could see it from his home at Bierley Hall.

“We want it back, it means alot to us and it's always been there.

“The cross is in storage now at a secure unit in Liversedge, but it needs repairing and putting back.

“The council have received the details twice regarding the lorry that actually did the damage, but they have never followed up with the insurance. Now we don’t know where we stand with that two years down the line.

“It is just going to be forgotten. We are trying to get a meeting with highways because they say it's in a dangerous position but this lane has a seven and a half tonne limit and it's not a prohibited sign at the bottom of the lane it's an advisory.

“It needs to say that they are not allowed up the lane, except for the farm vehicles. There is no reason for them to come up here but they use it as a rat-run from Oakenshaw to Wyke.

“They will have to put some traffic calming measures in place if they don’t bring the cross back.

“We want to keep Wyke Lane as a lane, we don’t want people using it as a cut-through that they can just speed down. We live here and it’s horrendous at some points.

“When the cross was there they did have to slow down. It has its benefits as well as being representative of village life and we want it back.”

After a successful petition, which was signed by everybody on Wyke Lane, the residents held a protest on Saturday, February 11, which was ‘well attended’.

Now, the residents are planning to hold a second protest on Thursday, March 30, from 10.30am, to ‘keep the pressure up’.

Janet added: “We had a great response from the last protest and it was very well attended.

“We feel we need to keep the pressure up to get the cross back to where it belongs.

“Once you start losing history, that's it, you have to try and protect it - It represents village life.”

In light of these concerns from residents of Wyke lane, Kirklees Council say that discussions are ‘ongoing’ in regards to the reinstatement of Oakenshaw Cross.

Councillor Naheed Mather, cabinet member for environment said: “The Oakenshaw Cross had become dangerous and misaligned due to multiple vehicle strikes, posing a significant risk to vehicles and pedestrians.

“The council safely removed the monument following the last collision and stored it in a secure location.

“Discussions are ongoing about a suitable site for safe reinstatement of the cross and potential funding sources for this work.”