Places of interest in West Yorkshire

Bingley. Is a town situated in West Yorkshire at the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a Manor with land to plough. It has transformed over the centuries and expanded. In the 1200's it became a Market town and two of the oldest buildings in the area are the Coaching Inn (Old White Horse Inn) and All Saints (the parish church). By the 1500s Bingley was on maps as a single street that had about 40 houses on either side of it and maybe manor house.

During the Industrial Revolution Bingley prospered, with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal being built in 1774. This runs through the centre of Bingley and is home to the famous five rise locks. It was home to woollen mills and a railway line was built which brought further trade and it was around this time that the Bingley Building Society was started .

Now the old mills and other buildings are being converted into flats and Bingley became part of the Bradford metropolitan district. Many council houses were built to replace old cramped and outdated terraced houses. These houses are now mainly privately owned and Bingley is now relatively prosperous place, with many people preferring this suburb. The Bingley Building Society merged with the Bradford Building Society to become the well known Bradford and Bingley Building Society in 1964.

A bypass was created and it opened in 2004 which added greatly to the house prices in this area and making it an even more desirable place to live.  

Bradford Is a town in West Yorkshire that throughout the Middle Ages was known mainly for being an important Textile and Woollen centre. It began its main growth in industry during the 19 th century with many overseas people coming to the area to find work.

Most of the old buildings are of the Victorian era but its oldest building is the cathedral in Church Bank, it dates back to the 15 th century, it also has a steam powered mill that was built in 1798. In the hundred years between 1801 and 1901 the population in Bradford grew by 176,000.

Today is up and coming cultural city with lots of shops, restaurants and entertainment for all ages.

Castleford a lively and friendly market town north of the M62 and is situated on the north bank of the River Aire. It has a large shopping area which has all major retailers and local shops with lots of parking and has good public transport links.

Castleford has a long and rich history dating from the late first century and was a Roman settlement and is home to Allinson's Stoneground flour mill which is situated on Aire Street and this site has been milling flour since the Roman times.

The industrial revolution saw the rapid growth of this town due to the mines being built in the area but it also has manufactures of glass and pottery and later chemicals to a lesser degree.

Denholme is situated in West Yorkshire and is on the route of the Roman road between Manchester and Ilkley. It may have started out as a small hamlet as early as the 1100s and was owned by Hugh de Thornton. It changed to the Tempest Family in the 1400s who then created a deer park which has long since gone. By the 1800s it became a home to people who worked in mining, hand loom weaving and farming industries.

It has many local shops and businesses with a thriving community spirit, with a primary school and many local clubs and events. villageagenda.com

Dewsbury is situated eight miles south of Leeds and Bradford with Huddersfield to the south west. It is close to the M1 and M62 and has the TranPennine Express railway line running through it making it an ideal commuter town.

Dewsbury dates back to Saxon times and was thought to be the centre of great importance, the market here was started in the 1300s for local clothiers and although it closed because of the plague it did reopen in 1741. Dewsbury was linked to the main canal system in 1770 thus giving it access to the distribution centres in Manchester and Hull, and became one of the centres for recycling of old woollen items, making them into uniforms and blankets by mixing them with new wool.

Dewsbury has had it s history of infamous people and incidents, Peter Sutcliffe (Yorkshire Ripper) was held in the jail here for questioning, Mohammed Sidique Khan (ringleader of the 7/7/05 bombing in London) lived here and the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews in 2008 by Michael Donovan, whixh became the largest hunt organised by the police since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper some 30 years earlier.

Halifax is situated south west of Bradford and its town grew because of the cloth trade. Its main town is one of the original textile towns and has a great character built by the mills of the 1800s with their dark grey stone, it lies among the hills and has spectacular views of Beacon Hill. It is a busy town with lots of shopping, markets and notable buildings such as Piece Hall which dates from 1779. This is where merchants displayed their cloth on market days. The town hall was built by Charles Barry in 1863 who also built the Houses of Parliament.

Many films have been filmed in this area due to the fantastic views and authentic buildings', most noticeable film was Brassed off' with Pete Postlethwaite and Ewan Mcgregor where the competition held in the film was shot in Piece Hall.

Haworth is set among the Pennines in West Yorkshire and is most famous for the Bronte sisters and is known as Bronte Country and is south west of Bradford. Among other attractions there is the authentically preserved steam railway which has been the setting for many films such as The Railway Children, Yanks and The Wall.

With many tea rooms, souvenir shops, antique shops, book shops, restaurants, hotels and pubs, Haworth makes and ideal place to explore this beautiful area.

Hepden Bridge Takes its name from the packhorse bridge over the Hebden Water and was the scene of the battle of Hepstonstall in 1643. The town remained small until the industrial revolution where it rapidly grew and became the town that is recognised today.

Today it is known for the liberal and artistic community having a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Holmfirth is best known for the setting of the long running TV series, Last of the Summer Wine, with its beautiful rural setting, but it is also known for the many floods that it has experienced in 1738, 1777, 1821, 1852 and 1944, with the one in 1852 being the worst when the Bilberry Reservoir burst and some 81 local people losing their lives.

Holmfirth prospered in the 1800s and became a booming town during the industrial era creating much needed work, with mills being built and dye houses being created. Theses closed down in the 1960, 70 and 80s with many being demolished or renovated into other smaller businesses or luxury accommodation.

Today Holmfirth has a thriving shopping area which caters for specialist and everyday needs. Also there are lots of cafes, pubs and restaurants catering for your every need.

Huddersfield is situated on the edge of the Peak District National Park and south Pennines and is known for its strong traditions, architecture, shopping, sport and fantastic festivals. The Huddersfield of today came about in the 17 and 1800s and its main industry at that time was built around the textile industry. This boom in industry bought about many changes and created beautiful Victorian buildings and an impressive railway station and its own town hall. The railway station façade is considered to be one of the best in England.

There are many different types of shops, from little side street shops providing individuality to pedestrian area providing all the modern national chain shops. There are markets every week selling everything from fresh produce to bric-a-brac . Entertainment is in abundance here including theatre, concert halls and cinemas, and with a wide range of restaurants, pubs and bars offering good quality food a night's entertainment is certainly catered for.

Ilkley is part of the borough of Bradford and is on the south bank of the River Wharfe. Within commuting distance of Leeds and Bradford it has a good rail link to support this. Many of the buildings in Ilkley are of a Victorian design and was once promoted as a spa town.

Ilkley and the surrounding area has been populated since the early bronze age, with a fort being built later by the romans. It became a spa town in the 19 th century owing to the reputation of the efficiency of its water. Based on this and the Hydro movement a number of convalescent homes and hospitals were established and with the easy railway connections made it easy for many to travel here. The only remaining Hydro is White Wells House.

Keighley is in the Airevalley, West Yorkshire and is about 12 miles from Bradford and 13 miles from Halifax. Its history dates back to the 9 th century and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It prospered in the 17 and 1800s with the woollen and cotton industries as did lots of villages/towns in that area. Today the mills have virtually gone but some have been converted into smaller units for businesses.

There is an excellent shopping areas, the Airedale Centre, Keighley Market, Cavendish Court, Cavendish Street and lots of smaller shops dotted around the town centre. On the out skirts of the town are retail parks with the usual large chain shops in residence. Keighley is easily accessible from the major towns around it by bus or train, and the most well know tourist attraction is the Keighley and Worth Valley Light Railway which was made famous by the film The Railway Children and has been featured in many films and adverts.

Leeds Was first mentioned in the Anglo Saxon times and was a welsh speaking area and up until the 1500s was a small village. It was in the 1500s that it showed signs of major growth in people and business. The Yorkshire Broadcloths, good quality cheap cloth helped this growth in Leeds and became a major cottage industry in the late 16 th and 17 th century and Leeds continued to flourish into the Victorian era. Then with the Industrial Revolution and machines being introduced and mass production of the cloths Leeds growth continued.

Much of the buildings today are due to the Victorian era with very impressive buildings still standing. Many were designed by Cuthbert Broderick and among his most famous are the Town Hall, Leeds Mechanic's institute, the Civic Centre and the domed Corn Exchange which was built in 1861.

Leeds has a large shopping area which consists of a number of arcades and streets, here also was the birth of Marks and Spencers which started off as a penny bazzar store. The largest employers today are the City Council, the Health Authority and the University, other employers include Tetley's brewery, the Yorkshire Post Newspaper, The Yorkshire Bank, Yorkshire Television and Yorkshire Electricity.

Other Leeds features are the Middleton Colliery Railway, which is one of the oldest in the world, this was first constructed in 1758. There are also notable houses in Leeds, such as Harewood House, Temple Newsam, Bramham Park and Lotherton Hall.

Otley lies on the boundary between west and north Yorkshire, just ten miles from Leeds. It has a monthly Farmers Market, three times a week there is a street market and there is a wide range of shops, bakeries (award winning), butchers and high street chain shops and at least 3 supermarkets. Otley has a good range of pubs and traditional inns offering good food and beers.

There is Riverside Park, with its lovely walks and there is a wooded hillside, rocks and moorland which provided fantastic views over the town. It has been in many programmes on television, such as Emmerdale, Heartbeat and The Chase. In addition to this Otley has a Bellman that walks around calling out the town's events and news.

Pontefract is situated just a few miles from Castleford and was originally called Taddensclvff, the later renamed Kirkby by the Vikings. It became Pontefract in 1000s. It has its own castle which was built in the 1100s by Ilbert de Lacy, and this later passed to the Earls of Lancaster. King Richard II was kept prisoner here and later murdered and James I of Scotland was also kept here along with Charles the Duke of Agincourt. The main street is long and like a market place where there are many buildings dating back to the 18 th century , these include the Town Hall, Butter Cross and the Red Lion. Pontefract is best known for its cakes, liquorice sweets that have been manufactured here since the 17th century.

Rothwell as a township was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In the 13 th century Rothwell became an important manorial centre but the high status waned and was lost during the war of the roses. The Rothwell Park became a royal hunting park and the Manor a lodging place for their parties. The largely agricultural economy was changed in the late 18 th and 19 th centuries with the introduction of deep mining and industrialised manufacturing. Because of this a number of craft industries were created, such as glass and pottery manufacturing but coal remained its main industry.

The town was lit by gas street lights after the public gas works was established in 1856 and then later between 1879 and 1881 the mains water, sewerage and drainage systems were installed. Rothwell became popular with commuters due to the good links with Leeds in the early 20 th century and pre war there were many houses built. In 1983 the last operation mine was closed.

Commercial Street is the main street of the town and it has kept a village like character and Marsh Street is the main thoroughfare of Rothwell. There is Springfield Park which an attractive park with many amenities.

Sowerby Bridge was only considered a hamlet until the Industrial Revolution and with the exploration of water power, this lead to the construction of even larger mills, thus leading the people to move away from the surrounding hillsides to the valley to get employment. The growth of Sowerby Bridge is attributed to the rapid development of transport and communications in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Sowerby Bridge was connected to Rochdale with the introduction of the Turnpike roads (toll roads) with their much improved quality ensuring much faster means of transportation. The railways and steam power gave a further boost to the economy and in the 1800s many public buildings were built, showing the growing prosperity of Sowerby Bridge and in 1853 it was described as a large but well built village by the Whites Directory and remained as a flourishing town until the mid 20 th century until foreign competition especially in the cloth industry led to its decline.

Today there are several initiatives to help restore, what has been several decades of decline, with the Rochdale Canal now restored for leisure use and mills complex home to many small businesses and plans to help relieve the traffic flow in the main street.

Wakefield is in West Yorkshire located by the River Calder and like many towns in this area was a centre for cloth making and dealing and strong links with mining. In the 1900s council house estate were formed to help home the increasing numbers of miners in the area thus causing surrounding areas to become suburbs of Wakefield. By the mid 20 th century, with the closure of many manufacturers and mines Wakefield suffered many years of decline.

There are two railway stations in Wakefield, Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate, both going to many towns and Cities in the surrounding areas and further afield. Wakefield also has a college which provides further education in the area to either full or part time students. It also has a prison which is maximum security prison and is one of the most secure in Britain and has housed such inmates as Ian Huntley, Harold Shipman and Charles Bronson.

Wakefield has many famous people who have been born here, such as the indie-punk band The Cribs, Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones Diary) and Jane McDonald (Loose Women) and has also had film and television programmes make here, such as The Sporting Life and Most Haunted.