I must say it didn't look promising. The main entrance looks like a 1970s care home entrance and I was initially rather disappointed......and then.......through those same doors there is magic.

"Bankfield Museum is an important building of architectural significance. This very grand, Italian villa is sited in Akroydon Park. The beautifully kept grounds of the park compliment this impressive building, which was once the home of Colonel Edward Akroyd, a local business man.

Bankfield mansion became a museum in 1887 when Edward Akroyd sold his home to the Halifax Corporation. Primarily Bankfield has a growing reputation as a centre for textiles and contemporary craft. At present the museum is the home of many collections such as the Duke of Wellington Regiment of the West Riding. Bankfield is of local importance enabling heritage to be preserved and displayed."

The building is in dire need of repair, paint is peeling, windows boarded up and then there's the less than imposing entrance, but it seems to be a place which is much loved and which has a quirky and engaging collection. I will be back!