THE group photo of Keighley Borough Council was taken in around 1912 by the Keighley-based photography firm Hall & Siggers.

Sat in the centre, wearing the mayoral chain, is William Anderton Brigg.

He was born on August 27, 1862.

William was the second son of Sir John Brigg, the Liberal MP for Keighley between 1895 and 1911, and Mary Brigg – but only by a matter of moments! He was one of twins and just junior to John Jeremy Brigg.

They lived at Kildwick Hall from around 1875 to 1945.

When William became mayor of Keighley in 1912 he followed in the footsteps of his uncle Septimus Brigg, who had been the town’s first mayor in 1882-83.

William was to become the longest-serving mayor, holding the post from 1912-16.

As he was a bachelor, his sister – Mary Sharpe, of Darley Dale – undertook the role of mayoress.

He also served as a magistrate – and the police and court report columns of local newspapers at the time were full of his deeds in dealing with the strikes and riots of 1914.

William was mayor at the start of the First World War and was very active raising funds for war bonds, aeroplanes and recruitment, and for extensions at the Morton Banks War Hospital.

Along with his twin brother, William bought East Riddlesden Hall in 1913.

The hall was in a poor state, having been largely refashioned in the 19th century when it was divided up to house tenant farmers.

The brothers sought unsuccessfully to raise funds to preserve the house and it ended-up being sold at auction in 1921.

In 1933 a builder bought the site with a view to redeveloping it, but the Brigg brothers stepped-in once again.

The hall and the estate were handed over to the National Trust in 1934 on the understanding that the building would be looked after for ever and the land surrounding it used for recreation by the local community.

William died on January 4, 1938, aged 75.

He is buried in the Quaker cemetery established by Thomas Brigg in the 17th century, located between Lustre Street and North Dean Road in the Guard House area of Keighley.

The Hall & Siggers photography firm was a partnership between Harry Hall and Frank Siggers, who had worked together in Essex. Hall had two photography studios in Chelmsford. Their work there had included projects for William Gill, former president of the British Professional Photographers’ Association.

Looking for fresh fields from which to operate, the pair moved with their families to Keighley in 1909 and bought the studio of photographer Alexander Jennings at 105 Cavendish Street. Hall lived above the studio with his wife, son and daughter.

Hall’s son Gilbert was an apprentice in the photography business before moving to London.

He served in the Royal Fusiliers at the start of the First World War until he was wounded in 1916, then joined the Royal Flying Corps where he was an aerial photographer’s assistant.

He returned to Keighley in 1919 to rejoin the Hall & Siggers business, just as the ten-year agreement between Harry Hall and Frank Siggers was coming to an end. Siggers went to Leicester, and Harry and Gilbert became partners in the firm. Gilbert had two daughters with his wife Lilian, including Margaret J Hall in 1924. The family continued to live at 105 Cavendish Street.

Gilbert became sole proprietor of Hall & Siggers in 1926, although his father continued to lend a helping hand until he was well into his 80s.

The business flourished, including expanding to a second studio in Skipton from 1927 to 1934. Up to eight assistants were employed across both shops.

In 1935, the business relocated to 4 Cavendish Street. As a firm it took individual and group portraits as well as building and landscape photographs. Its work was included in various official Keighley Corporation publications.

Gilbert also served as a church warden at Keighley Parish Church and as secretary of the Parochial Church Council, plus he held office in the Three Graces Masonic Lodge at Haworth from 1942.

He continued the Hall & Siggers business until 1955, when he and his wife retired back to Essex.

* The images are from the Keighley and District Local History Society archive. The information was researched by committee member Tim Neal, with additional material from Andy Wade and Eddie Kelly.

For more about the society, visit keighleyhistory.org.uk.