Encyclopedia
Huddersfield is a large
town near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of
Kirklees in
West Yorkshire and is located within the
historic borders of the
West Riding of Yorkshire.
History
It was a village during Anglo-Saxon times and appeared in the
Domesday Book as
Oderesfelt. However, there had been a settlement in the vicinity since Roman times, as evidenced by discovery of the remains of a Roman fort at Slack, just west of the town.
Castle Hill, a major landmark of the town, was originally an
Iron Age hillfort.
Huddersfield was incorporated as a municipal borough in the ancient
West Riding of Yorkshire in 1868. The borough comprised the parishes of Almondbury, Dalton, Huddersfield, Lindley cum Quarmby and Lockwood. When the West Riding County Council was formed in 1889, Huddersfield became a
county borough, exempt from county council control. The county borough was abolished in 1974 and its former area was combined with that of other districts to form the
Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in
West Yorkshire.
In 1952, in recognition of historic ties and links with The
Duke of Wellington's Regiment , Huddersfield conferred on the regiment the Freedom of the Town. This gives the regiment the right to march through the town with 'Flags Flying, Bands playing and Bayonets fixed'. Many of the town and district's male residents have served in the regiment during its 304 year history.
Huddersfield was always known as a Market Town, since Saxon times, but since the local
Polytechnic gained
University status, certain 'Up-market' elements of the town have insisted on calling it a University Town.
Attempts by the local council to gain support for
city status were rejected by the town's population in an unofficial referendum, held by the local media. The council did not apply for that status in either the 2000 or 2002 competitions.
According to the 2001 census the population of the Huddersfield urban sub-area of the West Yorkshire Urban Area was 146,234, and the population of the former area of the
county borough was 121,620. The wider South Kirklees area had a population of 216,011.
Institutions
Schools and colleges
Huddersfield is the home to three sixth form colleges
Huddersfield New College located at Salendine Nook, Greenhead College and Shelley College. With two higher education establishments of Huddersfield Technical College and the University of Huddersfield. The current Chancellor of the University is the actor
Patrick Stewart, who comes from Mirfield.
Hospitals
Huddersfield currently has one main hospital, the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary situated in Lindley, plus the smaller St Luke's Hospital at Crosland Moor which mostly provides geriatric and psychiatric care. Kirkwood Hospice provides care for the terminally ill, and is dependent on private donations and charitable gifts.
Recent changes to the services provided by the Huddersfield / Calderdale Trust will change these facilities in 2007 despite a campaign by the local population to retain them in house.
Historical landmarks
The colonnaded Huddersfield railway station in St George's Square was once described as 'a stately home with trains in it', and by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as 'one of the best early railway stations in England'.
A clock tower in the village of Lindley was constructed in 1902 by a local mill-owner, so that his workers would not have any excuse for being late for work! St Peters' Church, or 'Huddersfield Parish Church' was constructed in 1838 and is located in the town centre.
The most conspicuous landmark in the Huddersfield area is Victoria Tower atop
Castle Hill. A picture ot this features on the
New Zealand wine
Castle Hill.
Shopping and Entertainment
Huddersfield has a large and diverse shopping area, compared to most towns of its size, one of the central shopping areas is the Kingsgate Centre, completed in 2001. There is a covered Market Hall, which has listed building status, adjacent to the Town Hall and public library, with an open market on the opposite side of the town centre.
The town has a varied array of popular bars, clubs, fast food outlets and restaurants and a small casino, all within the central ringroad and an easy walking distance from the Rail and
Transport infrastructure
Road
Huddersfield is well connected to the national
motorway network via the
M1 and
M62 motorways. The M1 passes near the eastern fringes of the town about ten miles away. The M62 comes much nearer and Huddersfield is served by three junctions at Mount , Ainley Top and between
Brighouse and Cooper Bridge .
The Huddersfield Corporation built an inner ring road in the
1970s. The area within this ring road has come to define the
central business district of the town. The ring road is effective in relieving traffic congestion in the town centre where many roads are now
pedestrianised.
Rail
Huddersfield railway station enjoys a comprehensive local and regional rail service. However, there are no Intercity services or a direct service to
London, with passengers having to change at either Leeds or Wakefield Westgate. Many services are subsidised by the local-government public transport co-ordinator, Metro. A frequent express service operates to the nearby principal cities of
Leeds and
Manchester and a regular service to
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Sunderland,
Darlington,
Middlesbrough,
Scarborough,
York,
Hull,
Manchester International Airport and
Liverpool. This is operated by First
Transpennine Express. There are also local stopping services operated by Northern Rail which link Huddersfield with
Leeds,
Dewsbury,
Bradford,
Halifax,
Wakefield,
Barnsley and
Sheffield.
Bus
Huddersfield Bus Station is the busiest bus station in West Yorkshire with a daily footfall of almost 35,000. The majority of bus services pass through the bus station. Many services are subsidised by Metro who are also responsible for co-ordination, planning and timetabling of services throughout
West Yorkshire. Huddersfield's bus operators reflect the national situation; three dominant national operators provide most of the services in the area:
First who provide most local services across Huddersfield,
Arriva Yorkshire, who provide frequent services along Leeds Road towards Dewsbury and Leeds and
Stagecoach Yorkshire through its recently-acquired subsidiary, Yorkshire Traction who provide almost all services in the South West of the town. Other smaller operators include K-Line and FairRider, who are both based locally
Canal
The
Huddersfield Broad Canal, originally the Sir John Ramsden Canal, and the
Huddersfield Narrow Canal wind around the south side of the town. To the rear of the
YMCA in the
Turnbridge section there is an electrically operated road bridge, which is still in use, to raise the road and allow boat traffic to pass. This bridge was originally opened by use of a
windlass system.
Sport
Football
Huddersfield Town F.C. is the town's senior
association football team, founded in 1908, and currently playing in Coca-Cola League One.
In 1921-22 Huddersfield won the
FA Cup and between 1923-26 they became the first club to win the League Championship three times in a row, an achievement matched only by three other teams. The club left its ground on Leeds Road in 1994 and now shares the
Galpharm Stadium with the Huddersfield Giants rugby league team.
Notable ex-players include
Scottish international
Denis Law and Ray Wilson, a
World Cup winner with England in 1966. Bill Shankly and
Herbert Chapman are notable former Huddersfield Town managers.
Rugby
On August 29, 1895, 22 rugby clubs from across the north of England held a meeting in the George Hotel, next to the railway station. They voted to secede from the
Rugby Football Union and set up their own
Northern Rugby Football Union. In 1922 this became the
Rugby Football League.
Huddersfield is still a focus for
rugby league, being represented by the
Huddersfield Giants in the Superleague, and the Huddersfield Underbank Rangers in National League 3, as well as many amateur teams.
The Huddersfield Giants have won the Rugby League Championship seven times, most recently in 1961-62, and the
Challenge Cup six times, the last success being in 1952-53.
Arts
, founded in 1836, claims to
be the UK's leading choral society. Its history was chronicled in the book 'And The Glory' to commemorate the Society's 150th anniversary in 2001. The author was a choir member for over 35 years.
Huddersfield is also home to the Lawrence Batley Theatre, the annual and internationally-famous Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the
Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Huddersfield Singers.
Huddersfield had a strong Liberal tradition up to the 1950s and this is still reflected in the large number of Liberal Social Clubs in the town.
Notable people born in Huddersfield
- Simon Armitage, poet and author
- Lawrence Batley, British entrepreneur
- Andy Booth, footballer for Huddersfield Town
- David Borrow, Member of Parliament for South Ribble
- David Brown, British businessman
- Roy Castle, presenter, dancer and entertainer
- James Hanson, British and international businessman
- Harold Percival Himsworth, scientist
- George Herbert Hirst, English test cricketer
- Nina Hossain, broadcaster
- Derek Ibbotson, Olympic athlete
- Gorden Kaye, actor
- Anita Lonsborough Olympic swimmer and commentator
- Zöe Lucker, actress, known for playing Tanya Turner in the ITV1 Drama Footballers' Wives
- Wilf Lunn, inventor
- James Mason, actor
- Wilfred Rhodes, English test cricketer
- Harold Wilson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1964-70 and 1974-1976
Suburbs of the town
...
, Armitage Bridge,
Aspley- Beaumont Park, Berry Brow, Birchencliffe, Birkby, Blackmoorfoot, Brackenhall, Bolster Moor, Bradley, Brockholes, Butternab
- Cartworth Moor, Cliff End, Clough, Colne Bridge, Cowcliffe, Cowlersley, Cowmes, Crosland Moor
- Dalton, Dean Wood, Deighton, Dodlee
- Edgerton, Emley
- Farnley Tyas, Fartown, Fenay Bridge, Fixby, Flockton
- Golcar, Grange Moor, Greenside, Grimescar
- Hall Bower, Hepworth, Highburton, Highfields, Hillhouse, Hill Top, Holmfirth, Honley
- Kirkburton, Kirkheaton
- Lascelles Hall, Lepton, Lindley, Linthwaite, Lockwood, Longley, Longroyd Bridge, Lowerhouses, Longwood, Lower Fell Greave,
- Magdale, Marsden, Marsh
...
,
Meltham,
Milnsbridge, Moldgreen
...
, Pole Moor, Primrose Hill
- Quarmby
- Rashcliffe, Rawthorpe
- Salendine Nook, Scammonden, Scapegoat Hill, Scholes, Sheepridge, Shelley, Shepley, Skelmanthorpe, Slaithwaite, South Crosland, Springwood, Steps
- Taylor Hill, Thornton Lodge, Thurstonland, Turnbridge
- Upper Clough, Upper Fell Greave, Upper Heaton
- Waterloo
See also
- Haddersfield, Jamaica, locally referred to and named for Huddersfield
References
External links
- Huddersfield residents who have roots in Jamaica talk about storytelling traditions and the generation language gap.
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