Nathaniel Waterhouse (1586-1645)
A dealer in salt, oils and dyeing materials was a generous local benefactor. In 1635, he founded the Halifax Workhouse to set the poor within the town and parish to work.
Nathaniel and his wife Dorothy had no children, and he left his lands and his money to the town. His will provided for the establishment of several charities, schools and Almshouses, including the Blue Coat School for 20 poor boys and girls, specifying the blue uniform from which the school got its name. He also provided a legacy to Heath Grammar School and left a sum of £60 per annum for the curates of 12 chapels in the parish of Halifax. He died in June 1645 and was buried in the North Chapel at Halifax Parish Church.
The original almshouses and school in Causeway Foot and Upper Kirkgate were re-sited on Harrison Road in 1852 with the school immediately adjacent. The almshouses were demolished in 1965 to make way for the current accommodation which opened in June 1967.
The school was situated on the site now occupied by the Wardens House and Community Room. There were 40 children - 20 girls and 20 boys. The girls were aged 10 - 16 yrs and the boys 10 - 14 yrs. In their extra two years the girls were trained to go into domestic service when they left. Originally the children were educated on the premises but were later educated at Holy Trinity School. All the children were from poor one parent families. The school closed in 1958.
John Mackintosh 'The Toffee King' (1868- 1920)
Violet and John Mackintosh married and opened a small business in a rented shop at 53 King Cross Street, Halifax, selling Violet's home-made cakes, pastries and tarts. They soon discovered that the bulk of their trade was on a Saturday afternoon when people were not working, and they sought to find a product which people could eat throughout the week, even if they only bought it on the one day. Violet devised a recipe which combined the hard and brittle qualities of traditional English toffee – much like a butterscotch – with the softer caramel which had recently arrived from the USA. They called the result Mackintosh's Celebrated Toffee.
In 1896 1896 new flavours had joined his original culinary creation of toffee deluxe – including creamery toffee, Yorkshire dairy, Yorkshire buttercups, aniseed toffee and egg and milk toffee. As new products were developed, John Mackintosh promoted them using the power of advertising. The company would often advertise in national newspapers and publicity stunts were common with free samples being used to tempt new customers together with competitions and prizes.
Greystones, John and Violet Mackintosh's Home, was built in 1900 in the Arts and Crafts Style in a prominent position on the corner of Manor Heath Road and Queensgate, Savile Park.
In 1925 Mackintosh Memorial Homes were opened at Albert Promenade by J.H. Whitley on 1st January. The 12 cottages were designed by W B Walton of Blackpool for Violet Mackintosh who built and endowed them in memory of her husband.