Destination West Yorkshire, England
West Yorkshire grew up around several industries. Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield were grown through the development of woollen mills, Leeds' traditional industry was the manufacturing of cloth, while heavier engineering industries facilitated growth in South Leeds. Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract and South and East Leeds were traditional coal mining areas.
• West Yorkshire At-a-Glance A-Z
» Discover Bradford
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Bradford rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture, particularly wool. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the earliest industrialised settlements, rapidly becoming the 'wool capital of the world' …
» Bretton Hall
Bretton Hall is a country house in West Bretton near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It housed Bretton Hall College from 1949 until 2001 and was a campus of the University of Leeds (2001-2007). It is a Grade II* listed building. In the 14th century the Bretton estate was owned by the Dronsfields and passed by marriage to the Wentworths in 1407 …
» Bronte Parsonage Museum
The Bronte Parsonage Museum is maintained by the Brontė Society in honour of the famed Brontė sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontė and is located in Haworth, West Yorkshire, an area of England covered in much open, expansive moorland. It is popular with those seeking to find the source of the sisters' inspiration …
» East Riddlesden Hall
East Riddlesden Hall is a 17th century manor house in Keighley, West Yorkshire, now owned by the National Trust. The hall was built in 1642 by a wealthy Halifax clothier, James Murgatroyd. There is a medieval tithebarn in the grounds. East Riddlesden Hall perches on a small plateau overlooking a bend in the River Aire on its way downstream from the town of Keighley …
» Discover Halifax
The name Halifax is said to be a corruption of the Old English words for Holy and Face, part of the local legend that the head of John the Baptist was buried here after his execution. The legend is almost certainly medieval rather than ancient, though the town's coat of arms still carries an image of the saint …
» Harewood House
Harewood House is a country house located in Harewood (the village name being pronounced as if written Hairwood), near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of Treasure Houses of England, a marketing consortium for nine of the foremost stately homes in England. The house itself is a Grade I listed building …
» Discover Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a town of Victorian architecture. Huddersfield railway station is a Grade I listed building and was described by John Betjeman as 'the most splendid station facade in England' second only to St Pancras, London. The station stands in St George's Square, and won the Europa Nostra award …
» Ilkley Moor
Ilkley Moor is the highest part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. The peat bogs rise to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level. It is famous as the inspiration for the Yorkshire county anthem On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at …
» Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall north-west of Leeds. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c.1152. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under the auspices of Henry VIII. The picturesque ruins have been drawn and painted by many artists …
» Kirklees Hall
Kirklees Hall is a 16th century Grade I listed Jacobean hall, close to the English village of Clifton in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. The first evidence of a hall constructed at Kirklees was that of Sir Thomas Gargrave, who conveyed the property to the Pilkington family. Lady Armytage (d: 2008 aged 81), sold the property in 1983 and moved into Priory Gardens a property she built within Kirklees Park estate adjacent to Old Farm (formerly Low Hall) and the Kirklees Priory site …
» Ledston Hall
Ledston Hall was the home of Lady Elizabeth Hastings, daughter of the 7th Earl of Huntingdon, known to everyone as 'Lady Betty'. The hall was originally a grange and chapel built by the monks of Pontefract Priory. It is a grade I listed building, and several associated buildings and garden features are also listed …
» Discover Leeds
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds can trace its recorded history to fifth century when the Kingdom of Elmet was covered by the forest of 'Loidis', the origin of the name Leeds. The name has been applied to many administrative entities over the centuries …
» Middleton Railway
The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. since 1960. The railway operates passenger services at weekends and on public holidays over approximately 1 mile of track between its headquarters at Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England and Park Halt on the outskirts of Middleton Park …
» Nostell Priory
The Nostell Priory is a Palladian house located in Nostell, near Crofton close to Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, approached by the Doncaster road from Wakefield. It dates from 1733, and was built for the Winn family on the site of a medieval priory. The Priory and its contents were given to the National Trust in 1953 by the trustees of the estate and Rowland Winn, 3rd Lord St Oswald …
» Oulton Hall
Oulton Hall in Oulton, West Yorkshire, England is a Grade II listed building, once the home of the Blayds/Calverley family.[1] After a major fire in 1850 the Hall was remodelled, but its fortunes eventually went into decline until it was revived for use as a hotel. It is now a 4 star hotel, part of the De Vere Group …
» Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was the site of the demise of Richard II of England, and later the place of a series of famous sieges during the English Civil War. The castle was first constructed in approximately 1070 by Ilbert de Lacy …
» Saltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. UNESCO has designated the village as a World Heritage Site, and it is a so-called Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage …
» Sandal Castle
Sandal Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Sandal Magna, a suburb of the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, overlooking the River Calder. It was the site of royal intrigue, the opening of one of William Shakespeare's plays, and was the source for a common children's nursery rhyme …
» Shibden Hall
Shibden Hall is a historic house, located in a public park, at Shibden, West Yorkshire, England. It dates back to around 1420, when it was recorded as being inhabited by one William Oates. For three hundred years, it was in the hands of the Lister family (c. 1615-1826). Its most famous resident was Anne Lister …
» Discover Wakefield
The most prominent landmark in Wakefield is Wakefield Cathedral, which has the tallest cathedral spire in Yorkshire. Other landmarks include the Civic Quarter on Wood Street which includes the Neoclassical Wakefield Crown Court of 1810, the Town Hall built in 1880 and the Queen Anne Style County Hall of 1898 …
