Past ArtReach Activities

The Halifax Chartist Festival

[Halifax Chartist Festival]
[Halifax Chartist Festival]

Ben Rushton was a weaver from Ovenden who joined the Chartists to campaign for the vote for working men in the early 1800s. He walked hundreds of miles to address some of the greatest demonstrations ever seen, and his funeral in 1853 was attended by 10, 000 people who followed his coffin through the streets of Ovenden to Lister Lane cemetery.

The Chartist Festival took place in 2006 and celebrated the life of Ben Rushton through workshops, projects and public events which encouraged people to explore their local history. Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery and other volunteers worked in collaboration with Square Chapel to deliver art and history-oriented workshops in schools and community centres, culminating in a procession and celebratory event in July 2006.