Wakefield Cathedral

William Bagnall had a long association with the Cathedral: he sang as tenor soloist in the Choir for many years, was called on to inspect the repair of the spire, and was a supporter of the Wakefield Musical Union. This page brings together everything on the site that touches the Cathedral.

The Choir, 1905

William appears in this photograph, taken at the consecration of the Bishop Walsham Howe Memorial on 25 April 1905, when he would have been around 30. The photograph still hangs in the Cathedral's choir practice room - read William's page for the full story of how it was rediscovered.

The rediscovery came about through a 1979 Wakefield Express article, which quoted the then choirmaster Jonathan Bielby on how choir standards had changed since 1905. Read "They looked impressive but they weren't as good" in full.

The Spire Repair

According to William's Wakefield Express obituary, when the Cathedral spire was re-pointed, the then Archdeacon, Archdeacon Donne, asked William to go up and inspect the work once it was completed - which he readily agreed to do.

The Wakefield Musical Union

William's obituary also records that he was "not only the tenor soloist in the Cathedral Choir for many years, but... one of the leading lights in the Wakefield Operatic Society", taking a principal part in the 1907 production of The Mikado. "The Wakefield Musical Union had in him a good supporter, and he was prominent in the formation of the present Club in Queen Street. He was the first president and held that position until he went to Blackpool." Read the full obituary.

The Acid Bath Murderer

A different, later Cathedral Choir photograph carries a much darker connection: seated on the right of the bottom row, with "a cheeky grin", is John George Haigh - the Acid Bath Murderer, hanged in 1949. The photograph was sent to the Wakefield Express by a Mr H. Taylor, who joined the choir in 1914 and remembered Haigh as "a brainy lad but a bit of a loner".

The article names a "W. Bagnall" in the photograph, but the dates don't fit: if Mr Taylor joined in 1914 and is already pictured, William would have been at least 39 by then - too old to match this choir's photograph, so this is very likely a different William Bagnall, if not a misreading altogether. Read the full article.