Coordinates: 53°38′42″N 1°46′47″W / 53.6450°N 1.7798°W / 53.6450; -1.7798
Huddersfield (
i/ˈhʌdərzˌfiːld/) is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies 190 miles (310 km) north of London, and 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south of Bradford, the nearest city.
Huddersfield is near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. Located within the historic county boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire, according to the 2001 Census it was the 10th largest town in the UK and with a total resident population of 146,234. It is the largest urban area in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees and the administrative centre of the borough. The town is well known for its important role in the Industrial Revolution, for being the birthplace of rugby league and for being the birthplace of the late British Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
Huddersfield today is a town of higher education, the media and sports, being home to the rugby league team, Huddersfield Giants, founded in 1895, who currently play in the European Super League and Football League One football team Huddersfield Town F.C., founded in 1908. The town is home to the University of Huddersfield and the sixth form colleges Greenhead College, Kirklees College and Huddersfield New College
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; having been renovated at a cost of £1 million it subsequently won the Europa Nostra award for European architecture.
There has been a settlement in the vicinity for over 4,000 years.[1] The remains of a Roman fort were unearthed in the middle of the 18th century at Slack near Outlane, just west of the town.[2] Castle Hill, a major landmark of the town, was also the site of an Iron Age hill fort. Huddersfield itself was noted in the 1086 Domesday Book as a village known as Oderesfelt also as Odresfeld.
Huddersfield has been known as a market town since Saxon times. The market cross is on Market Place.
Huddersfield was a centre of civil unrest during the Industrial Revolution. In a period where Europe was experiencing frequent wars, where trade had slumped and the crops had failed, many local weavers faced losing their means of livelihood due to the introduction of new machinery, which would have condemned them to poverty or even starvation. The Luddites began destroying mills and machinery in response; one of the most notorious attacks was on Cartwright — a Huddersfield mill-owner, who had a reputation for cruelty — and his Rawfords Mill. In his book Rebels Against the Future, Kirkpatrick Sale describes how a large army platoon was stationed at Huddersfield to deal with Luddites; at its peak, there were around a thousand soldiers in Huddersfield and only ten thousand civilians. In response, the Luddites began to focus their attacks on nearby towns and villages, which were less well-protected; the largest act of damage that they ever did was the complete destruction of Foster's Mill at Horbury — a village which is about 10 miles (16 km) east of Huddersfield.[3] The government campaign that eventually crushed the movement was provoked by a murder that took place in Huddersfield. William Horsfall, a mill-owner and a passionate prosecutor of Luddites, was killed in 1812.[4] Although the movement faded out afterwards, Parliament began to increase welfare provision for those out of work, and to introduce regulations to improve conditions in the mills.
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. The current Member of Parliament (MP) for the Huddersfield constituency is Barry Sheerman, a Labour Co-operative member. Kirklees Council was the first in the UK to have a Green Party councillor: Nicholas Harvey who lived in Taylor Hill and represented the Newsome Ward. Harvey, a former employee at Huddersfield railway station, was instrumental in the creation of the protest train against the intended closure of the Settle to Carlisle rail line. He declined to stand for a second term and no longer lives in Huddersfield. He is now a resident of Filey where he operates his own 'green' railway train.[5]
The far left is well represented in Huddersfield (considering its size), with Revolution, the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party of England and Wales all having active groups which are involved in campaigns such as Stop the War, Save Huddersfield NHS, as well as individual members of Workers Power (involved in Revolution and their group in Leeds), Socialist Appeal and the Communist Party of Britain. The town also has substantial Conservative Party and UKIP presences, with various other centre-right and rightist groups also represented.
Two Prime ministers have spent part of their childhood in Huddersfield: Harold Wilson and Herbert Asquith. Wilson is commemorated by a statue in front of the railway station. There is no memorial to Asquith's briefer connection with the town.
Huddersfield was incorporated as a municipal borough within 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. Huddersfield expanded in 1937, including parts of the Golcar, Linthwaite, and South Crosland urban districts.[6] 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.
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 newspaper, the Huddersfield Daily Examiner. The council did not apply for that status in either the 2000 or 2002 competitions.[7] As city status has to be awarded to a district not a town, either the city status would have been awarded to Kirklees, or the borough could have been renamed to Kirklees and Huddersfield to give Huddersfield city status, similar to the current situation with Chester.[8]
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 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.
Huddersfield is still a manufacturing town, despite the university being the largest employer. Historically the town produced textiles. The number of people who work in textiles has declined greatly, but those companies which survive produce large quantities of woollen products with little labour. The town is home to textile, chemical and engineering companies; including Cummins Turbo Technologies (turbocharger manufacturers), Huddersfield Fine Worsteds (textiles), C & J Antich (textiles), Syngenta AG (agro-chemicals), James Crowther (textiles), Sellers (Textile Machinery), Trojan Plastics Ltd. (bathroom products manufacturer), Pennine Radio Limited (electronics transformers and sheet metalworking) as well as a large number of niche manufacturers. Huddersfield is home to Andrew Jones Pies a regional award winning pie-maker, where a worker was killed in a gas explosion on 10 April 2009.[9][10]
Huddersfield experiences a temperate oceanic climate which is relatively mild for its latitude, which comes without major temperature extremes due to the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream. According to the Köppen climate classification, Huddersfield is certified as Cfb.
| Climate data for Huddersfield |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average high °C (°F) |
5
(41) |
5
(41) |
7
(45) |
10
(50) |
13
(55) |
16
(61) |
18
(64) |
18
(64) |
15
(59) |
11
(52) |
8
(46) |
6
(43) |
11
(52) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
2
(36) |
2
(36) |
3
(37) |
5
(41) |
7
(45) |
10
(50) |
12
(54) |
12
(54) |
10
(50) |
8
(46) |
5
(41) |
3
(37) |
6.6
(43.9) |
| Source: [11] |
After boundary changes in 2004, Huddersfield now covers eight of the twenty-three electoral wards for Kirklees Council. Neighbouring wards in the Colne Valley, Holme Valley, and Kirkburton are often considered to be part of Huddersfield though they are predominantly semi-rural. Huddersfield town centre is located within the Newsome ward. The eight wards that make up Huddersfield proper, with their populations, areas and constituent suburbs (mid-year 2005 estimates) are:
| Ward |
Population |
Area (miles²) |
Population density (/mile²) |
Places covered |
| Almondbury[12] |
16,610 |
3.863 |
4,299 |
Almondbury, Fenay Bridge, Lascelles Hall, Lepton |
| Ashbrow[13] |
17,470 |
4.366 |
4.001 |
Ashbrow, Brackenhall, Bradley, Deighton, Fixby, Netheroyd Hill, Sheepridge |
| Crosland Moor & Netherton[14] |
17,400 |
2.856 |
6,092 |
Beaumont Park, Crosland Moor, Lockwood, Longroyd Bridge, Netherton, South Crosland, Thornton Lodge |
| Dalton[15] |
17,520 |
4.975 |
3.521 |
Colne Bridge, Dalton, Kirkheaton, Moldgreen, Rawthorpe, Upper Heaton, Waterloo |
| Golcar[16] |
17,370 |
2.375 |
7,313 |
Cowlersley, Golcar, Longwood, Linthwaite (part of), Milnsbridge, Salendine Nook |
| Greenhead[17] |
17,620 |
1.706 |
10,328 |
Birkby, Edgerton, Fartown, Hillhouse, Marsh, Paddock |
| Lindley[18] |
17,020 |
2.737 |
6,218 |
Ainley Top, Birchencliffe, Lindley, Mount, Oakes |
| Newsome[19] |
17,110 |
3.233 |
5,292 |
Armitage Bridge, Berry Brow, Hall Bower, Lowerhouses, Newsome, Primrose Hill, Springwood, Taylor Hill |
Like many former mill towns, Huddersfield has a higher than average number of residents from ethnic minorities. The white population makes up 81% of the population comparing to 91.3% for England as a whole. The largest ethnic minority group are those who have described themselves as being Asian or British Asian originating from the Indian sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) with 10,837, or 8.9% (compared to 1.4% for England as a whole). An ethnicity summary of the town's 121,620 population is 98,454 (81.0%) white, 15,072 (12.4%) Asian or British Asian, 4,328 (3.6%) Black or Black British, 328 (0.3%), 259 (0.2%) Other and 3,131 (2.6%) Mixed.[20]
Huddersfield is slightly above the English average for those who have no religion and also for the number of Muslims. Conversely, it is below average for its number of Christians.
There are a number of churches, Gurdwaras, mosques and temples covering a wide spectrum of religions in the Huddersfield area. These include established Christian denominations, such as the Church of England, the Baptist Church, Methodism, Presbyterianism and the Roman Catholic Church. Religions that are relatively new to Britain also have places of worship in the town: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism and Sikhism all have congregational buildings.
| Denomination |
Population |
Percentage |
Comparative percentage for England |
| Christian |
77,843 |
64.0 |
71.7 |
| Buddhist |
133 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
| Hindu |
577 |
0.5 |
1.1 |
| Jewish |
70 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
| Muslim |
12,147 |
10.0 |
3.0 |
| Sikh |
2,250 |
1.9 |
0.6 |
| Other religions |
341 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
| No religion |
18,694 |
15.4 |
14.8 |
| Religion not stated |
9,604 |
7.9 |
7.7 |
Victoria Tower at 'Castle Hill'
Huddersfield is notable for its abundance of fine Victorian architecture. It has the third highest number of listed buildings of any town or city in the UK.[21] The most conspicuous landmark in the Huddersfield area is Victoria Tower on Castle Hill. Overlooking the town, the tower was constructed to mark Queen Victoria's 60th Jubilee Year. A picture of the Victoria Tower features on the New Zealand wine Castle Hill.
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'.[22] A bronze statue of Huddersfield-born Sir Harold Wilson, Prime Minister 1964–1970 and 1974–1976 stands before the entrance in St George's Square.
The Huddersfield parish church (St. Peters Church) was constructed in 1838 and is adjacent to the town centre, on Byram Street, near the Pack Horse Centre.
The Pack Horse Centre is a covered pedestrianised shopping area constructed over the former cobblestoned street originally known as the Pack Horse Yard, now named Pack Horse Walk in memory of the beasts of burden, Pack horses which ferried merchandise over the Pennines before the Standedge Tunnels were built. This pedestrian-only link passes from Kirkgate, across King Street and along Victoria Lane, by the Shambles, to the Piazza and the distinctive Market Hall at Queensgate, which was built to replace the old Shambles Market Hall in the early 1970s.[23] Next to the Piazza is the Victorian Town Hall and the 1930s Public Library.
Beaumont Park situated about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south of the town centre was bequeathed to the people of Huddersfield in the 1880s, by the Henry Ralph Beaumont ('Beaumont's of Whitley' estate) and opened on 13 October 1883, by the Prince Leopold, fourth son of Queen Victoria, and his wife Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (The Duke and Duchess of Albany). It is a fine example of a Victorian era public park with water cascades, bandstand and woodland.
A map of Huddersfield from 1954
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 10 miles (16 km) away. The M62 comes much nearer (about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) away) and Huddersfield is served by three junctions: Mount (A640, J23 – limited access), Ainley Top (A629, J24) and between Brighouse and Cooper Bridge (A644, J25).
The Huddersfield Corporation built an inner ring road (part of the A62) 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.
Main routes into Huddersfield include the A62 Leeds Road, A641 Bradford Road, A629 Halifax Road, A640 New Hey Road and the A62 Manchester Road.
Huddersfield railway station enjoys a comprehensive local and regional rail service. However, there is no direct service to London, with passengers having to change at either Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds or Wakefield Westgate. Many services are subsidised by the local-government public transport coordinator, Metro. A frequent express service operates to the nearby principal cities of Leeds and Manchester and a regular service to Darlington, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester Airport, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Scarborough and York. This is operated by First TransPennine Express. There are also local stopping services operated by Northern Rail which link Huddersfield with Barnsley, Bradford, Brighouse, Dewsbury, Halifax, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield.
Huddersfield Railway Station in St. George's Square
The Huddersfield Free Town Bus
Huddersfield bus station was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Mernagh on 26 March 1974, despite the fact that it had not actually been completed.[24] It 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, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
Huddersfield's bus operators reflect the national situation; local subsidiaries of three dominant national operators provide most of the services in the area: First Calderdale & Huddersfield who provide most local services across Huddersfield with some services running outside the Kirklees area with destinations including Bradford, Brighouse, Halifax, Manchester and Oldham. Arriva Yorkshire, who provide frequent services along Leeds Road to Dewsbury and Leeds, and Centrebus Holdings (Huddersfield Bus Company), through its recently acquired subsidiary, Yorkshire Traction, who provide almost all services in the south east of the town. Other smaller operators include locally based operators Teamdeck, trading under the name of K-Line and Stotts Coaches. Centrebus Holdings purchased Teamdeck in May 2008, along with Stagecoach Yorkshire's Huddersfield depot.[25]
In November 2006, a zero-fare town centre bus service, known as Free Town Bus, was launched. Buses run every ten minutes from 7.30 a.m. (from the railway station) to 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Saturday. Stops on the route include the bus station, University of Huddersfield, Kingsgate, and the indoor market. The service is run by K-Line in partnership with Kirklees Council and Metro.
The Huddersfield Broad Canal, originally the Sir John Ramsden Canal, and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (both navigable by narrowboat and the former by wider craft also) 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.
Football and rugby league are the two main spectator sports in Huddersfield. The town has a professional football team Huddersfield Town F.C. who currently play in League One. In 1926, they became the first English team to win three successive league titles, a feat which only three other clubs have been able to match.
The town was the birthplace of rugby league, and is home to the Huddersfield Giants who currently play in the Super League, the top division in Europe. The town is also home to Huddersfield Underbank Rangers rugby league club, who currently play in the Rugby League Conference.
The town is also home to a number of other sports clubs including Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club who play in the National Division Three North and Huddersfield Rams Aussie Rules club. The main sporting arena in the town is the Galpharm Stadium which is home to both the football team and rugby league side.
Rugby was first recorded in the town in 1848 and the Huddersfield Athletic Club, the direct progenitors of the current Huddersfield Giants, formed in 1864, playing their first rugby game in 1866. It was in Huddersfield on 29 August 1895 that 22 northern clubs held a meeting in the George Hotel and voted to secede from the Rugby Football Union to set up their own 'Northern Rugby Football Union'. In 1922 this became the Rugby Football League.
The Rugby League Heritage Centre is located in the basement of the George Hotel.
Following the split of 1895 Huddersfield became a focus for rugby league and is currently represented by the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. The Huddersfield Giants (under their original name of Huddersfield Rugby League Club) have won the Rugby Football League Championship seven times, most recently in 1961–62, and the Challenge Cup six times, the last success being in 1952–53.
After 1895 rugby in the Huddersfield area was played exclusively under the auspices of the Northern Rugby Football Union until 1909 when Huddersfield Old Boys were formed to play under rugby union rules, nomadically playing at five grounds until buying farmland at Waterloo in 1919 and, in 1946, retitling the club as Huddersfield RUFC.
In 1969 the club was at the forefront of a revolution in English rugby, when it became the first club in the country to organise mini and junior rugby teams. This innovation spread quickly and today, almost every club in the country has a thriving junior section providing a production-line of home grown talent. Junior players at Huddersfield number over 200.
In 1997 the Waterloo junior grounds were sold and a 26-acre (0.11 km2), former Bass Brewery estate, at Lockwood Park was purchased for construction of a replacement. With the assistance of a matching £2 million grant from Sport England, the club has transformed the site into a major sports complex, conference centre and business park.
Huddersfield Town FC is the town's senior association football team, founded in 1908, and currently playing in Football League One.
In 1921–22 Huddersfield won the FA Cup and between 1923 and 1926 they became the first club to win the League Championship three times in a row, an achievement matched only by three other teams. However, they have been less successful in modern times, having not played in the top division since the early 1970s.
The club left its ground at 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, Ray Wilson, a World Cup winner with England in 1966 and Trevor Cherry, England international. Herbert Chapman, Bill Shankly and Neil Warnock are notable former Huddersfield Town managers.
Huddersfield has an Australian rules football team, formed in 2008, who played their first season in 2009 and won the Aussie Rules UK National League - Central Division. They will be taking part in the North West Division in 2010.
Huddersfield has a number of field hockey teams, many of which train at the Lockwood Park sports complex on the all weather pitch.[26]
Notable local people include James Whitham, former 'British Superbike Champion'.
Lepton born Tom Sykes was a new addition to the Yamaha Motor Italia World team in the 2009 World Superbike season[27] after impressive spells in both British Supersports & British Superbikes, in which in the latter he finished 4th in the 2009 Season. He also managed to win his first race in World Superbikes in one of two wildcard meetings.
Motorcycle speedway racing was staged in Huddersfield in the UK pioneer year of 1928. A venue in the town staged four or five meetings.
Huddersfield Choral Society, founded in 1836, claims to be the UK's leading choral society. Its history was chronicled in the book 'And The Glory',[28] written to commemorate the Society's 150th anniversary in 1986 — its title derived from a line in the Hallelujah Chorus featuring in Handel's landmark choral arrangement Messiah. The author was a choir member for over 35 years.
More recently, the town's other main claim to international musical renown is the annual Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. It is also home to the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra and the Huddersfield Singers.
On Christmas Day 1977, the Sex Pistols played their last two British shows, one of which was a matinee for the children of striking firefighters, at the then Ivanhoe's nightclub, before embarking on the ill-fated US tour which saw them collapse into acrimony. In the early-mid 1990s, Flex, the seminal underground Jungle/Drum 'n' Bass record label, was founded in Huddersfield by the musician and future BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ, L Double. In 2000 another independent record label Chocolate Fireguard Records was founded in Huddersfield by singer Pat Fulgoni who also developed the three stage community music event Timeless Festival held in the town's Ravensknowle Park, featuring a range of electronica, hip hop and rock music.
There are a number of other annual local music festivals held within the town and surrounding area, examples being the Marsden Jazz Festival,[29] Mrs Sunderland,[30] Janet Beaumont, the Holmfirth Festivals, and the Haydn Wood (Linthwaite). The Haydn Wood (for under 21s) and Mrs Sunderland festival focus on musical and oratorial performance. The Mrs Sunderland Music festival is the second oldest in the United Kingdom, started in 1889 and now lasting for nine days each year. Also, in recent years, free music concerts have been put on for the town, including bands such as the Ordinary Boys, the Script and Elliott Minor. There are however many other local choirs, both youth and adult, a noted example of the latter being the Honley Male Voice Choir.[31]
Home-grown musical talent of all kinds is complemented by the student intake to the University of Huddersfield's music department.
Further fame was added to the musical history of Huddersfield by the inclusion of the song "The Sheriff of Huddersfield" by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden on the B-side to their 1986 single "Wasted Years". Written about their co-manager Rod Smallwood, leaving his home town of Huddersfield and struggling to settle into life in Los Angeles.
Huddersfield is home to thrash metal band Evile, dance rock outfit Kava Kava, the birthplace of the synthpop musician Billy Currie of (Ultravox and Visage) fame the hard rock bassist John McCoy who played with Neo and Gillan.
The building was designed by John H. Abbey and was built in two stages between 1875 and 1881. The first section of the building opened on 26 June 1878, comprising the Mayor's Parlour, Council Chamber, Reception Room and a variety of municipal offices including the Sanitary Inspector, Inspector of Weights and Measures, Medical Officer, Town Clerk, Borough Surveyor and the Rates Office. The second section of the building was opened in October 1881 and comprised the Magistrates' Court and Concert Hall, which seats up to 1,200 people and hosts various events ranging from classical to comedy and from choral to community events.
Various long-running television series have been filmed in and around Huddersfield. These include Last of the Summer Wine, which is usually associated with Holmfirth, but which uses various locations in both the Holme and Colne valleys; Where the Heart Is, which was filmed in the Colne valley around Slaithwaite and finished filming in 2006; Wokenwell, which was also shot on location in the Colne valley in and around Marsden; and The League of Gentlemen, which also made extensive use of locations around Marsden. The feature films Between Two Women and The Jealous God were both filmed extensively in and around Huddersfield.
Kirklees Council's Cultural Services also ensure that the art gallery, which occupies the top floor of the library on Princess Alexandra Walk, offers a balanced schedule, all year round, which showcases local painters and photographers alongside commissioned artists' displays.
This 'free festival' takes place annually in November, usually in the town centre adjacent to the railway station. Each year a performance is put on by a different theatre company. The event finale is a firework display. The 2007 show was performed by French company Plasticiens Volants, which saw large inflatable sea creatures paraded through the streets as they told their story of 'Pearl'. The 2005 and 2008 performances were both by the Valencian artists Xarxa Teatre. The 2010 festival featured Belgian company Company Tol and their suspension act - Corazon de Angeles (Angel Heart) and was ended on 5 December with fireworks in the newly updated St. George's Square.
The carnival, usually in mid July, begins with a procession from the Hudawi Cultural Centre in the suburb of Hillhouse, through the town centre to Greenhead Park where troupes display their costumes on stage. West Indian food, fairground rides and various stalls and attractions are available to try. A 'young blud' stage presents Hip Hop, UK garage, RnB and bassline.[32]
Each year since 1986 Huddersfield's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community have embarked on a summer celebration and picnic. The event now attracts thousands from miles around and is held as a gay pride event, usually at Castle Hill.
Huddersfield has a large and diverse retail shopping area — mostly enclosed within the town's ring road — compared with other towns of its size. There are three adjacent shopping schemes: Kingsgate, the Packhorse Precinct and the Piazza. The Piazza offers an outdoor shopping mall bordering the public library, with a partially grassed area, used for relaxation and various events held throughout the year such as entertainment, international markets and iceskating in winter. Through the adjacent Market Arcade there is a covered market hall, which has listed building status, due in part to its distinctive roof formed by hyperbolic paraboloids. It is also adjacent to the town hall and public library (see Historical landmarks above). An open market is located next to the Tesco store, on the opposite side of the town centre. Virtual Huddersfield features photographs of nearly 2,000 local shops as well as videos of local events, aerial views and live webcams.
The town centre is home to several national high street retailers and chain stores including Clinton Cards, GAME, Gamestation, HMV, House of Fraser, JD Sports, JJB Sports, W H Smiths and Wilkinsons; up until January 2008, it also had a Woolworths. Fast food outlets include Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway and Wimpy. High street clothing and fashion retail outlets such as British Home Stores, Marks & Spencer, River Island, Topman and Next. There are three major supermarket outlets, two Sainsbury's and one Tesco. Additional smaller supermarkets exist a few hundred yards outside of the town centre such as Aldi, Asda (formerly a Netto)[33] and Lidl. There are also a wide variety of small specialist independent shops, many of them located in the three-storey Byram Arcade.
The Lawrence Batley Theatre, opened in 1994, housed in what was once the largest Wesleyan Chapel in the world,[34] and now presents dance, drama, comedy, music and exhibitions. Among other things, it acts as the base for Full Body & the Voice, a company focusing on the integration of disabled people into mainstream theatre.
The Galpharm Stadium (formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium), is a multi-use sports stadium and provides many sporting activities including a gym, swimming pool, spa and several types of sporting classes. The stadium is home to the local rugby league team Huddersfield Giants and Huddersfield Town football team. Adjacent to the stadium is an Odeon cinema, Huddersfield's only major cinema.
Huddersfield has a large selection of pubs, restaurants and night clubs, one of which, named Tokyo, is located in the former Huddersfield County Court, which is a 19th century Grade II listed building. The oldest pub in the town centre is the Parish (formerly the Fleece Inn), the pub has been trading since 1720.
As well as a complete range of primary and secondary schools, which cover compulsory and sixth form education for the town's suburbs, Huddersfield is the home to two sixth form colleges, Huddersfield New College located at Salendine Nook and Greenhead College located west of the town centre. Huddersfield Grammar School is the only independent school in Huddersfield to offer secondary education, though it does not offer sixth form education. The town centre has one general further education college, Kirklees College which was formed following the merger of Dewsbury College and Huddersfield Technical College. Huddersfield has one establishment of higher education in the University of Huddersfield. The current Chancellor of the university is the actor Patrick Stewart who comes from Mirfield.
Huddersfield has one main hospital, the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary situated in Lindley. Medical services are split between that hospital and the Calderdale Royal Hospital located at Salterhebble, near Halifax. Kirkwood Hospice provides care for the terminally ill, and is dependent on private donations and charitable gifts. Princess Royal Hospital originally provided Huddersfield with its maternity facilities until the risks of not being able to get an ambulance to A&E in the event of complications were judged to outweigh the benefits of specialist service provision. It now functions as a day clinic, family planning consultation centre and GUM Clinic.
A decision to move most of the maternity services provided by the Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust to the Calderdale Royal Hospital changed those facilities in 2007, despite strong opposition from some of the local population. The campaign was led by Save Huddersfield NHS which elected a councillor, Dr Jackie Grunsell in the Crosland Moor ward.
The former St. Luke's Hospital was situated in the suburb of Crosland Moor and mostly provided geriatric and psychiatric care. The hospital closed in 2011 and the land was sold to a developer.
Thirty-four people and one military (infantry) regiment have been granted the Freedom of Huddersfield, between 1889 and 1973.[35]
- Wright Mellor JP DL – (25 September 1889)
- Henry Frederick Beaumont JP DL – (28 August 1894)
- Lt Col Sir Albert Kaye Rollit LLD DLC LittD JP DL – (28 August 1894)
- James Nield Sykes JP – (12 March 1895)
- Joseph Woodhead JP – (28 October 1898)
- Sir Joseph Crosland Knt JP DL – (28 October 1898)
- Major Charles Brook – (23 May 1901)
- Major Harold Wilson – (23 May 1901)
- Sir Thomas Brooke Bart JP DL – (25 July 1906)
- Rev Robert Bruce MA DD – (25 July 1906)
- William Brooke JP - (15 October 1913)
- John Sykes JP – (15 October 1913)
- William Henry Jessop JP – (18 September 1918)
- Earnest Woodhead MA JP – (18 September 1918)
- George Thomson JP – (18 September 1918)
- Benjamin Broadbent CBE MA JP – (18 September 1918)
- John Arthur Brooke MA JP – (18 September 1918)
- James Edward Willans JP – (18 September 1918)
- Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty GCB OM GCVO DSO – (24 July 1920)
- The Rt Hon Herbert Henry Asquith Earl of Oxford and Asquith, and Viscount Asquith – (6 November 1925)
- Sir William Pick Raynor Knt JP – (17 December 1926)
- Wilfrid Dawson JP – (25 July 1934)
- Rowland Mitchell JP – (25 July 1934)
- James Albert Woolven JP Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur – (25 July 1934)
- Sir Bernard Law Montgomery Field-Marshal GCB DSO – (26 October 1945)
- Joseph Barlow JP – (23 June 1949)
- Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) – (2 July 1952)
- Sidney Kaye LLB – (19 November 1957)
- Alderman Arthur Gardiner OBE JP – (11 October 1960)
- Alderman Harry Andrew Bennie Gray CBE JP – (11 October 1960)
- Sir Malcolm Sargent MusD(Dunelm) MusD(Oxon)(Hons) LLD(Liverpool) Hon RAM Hon FRCO FRCM FRSA – (13 October 1961)
- The Rt Hon Harold Wilson OBE MP Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury – (1 March 1968)
- Alderman Douglas Graham CBE – (5 March 1973)
- Alderman Reginald Harmley MBE JP – (5 March 1973)
- Alderman Clifford Stephenson – (5 March 1973)
On 2 July 1952, in recognition of historic ties and links with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), the Huddersfield County Borough had conferred on the regiment the Freedom of the Town. This gave 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 had served in the regiment during its long history. This right to march was technically lost when the County Borough itself was merged with Dewsbury to form Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council though, unofficially, continued as on 25 March 1979, Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council gave the Freedom of Kirklees to the 3rd battalion of the Yorkshire Volunteers. The 3rd Battalion was the Duke of Wellington's Territorial Army unit.
When the 'Dukes' were amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Green Howards' to form the Yorkshire Regiment on 6 June 2006. The right to march was finally ended as the award did not give the right, for the freedom to march, to be passed on to any heirs or successors. The majority of the Yorkshire Regiment is now composed of soldiers from the north and eastern areas of Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Regiment requested the right to march to be transferred to them. However, the County Borough no longer exists and so there was no authority to do so. The 'Freedom' given by Kirklees to the 3rd battalion of the Yorkshire Volunteers did not permit any transfer to heirs or successors and effectively that freedom also ceased when the battalion was amalgamated into the East and West Riding Regiment. The East and West Riding Regiment ceased to exist on 6 June 2006, having been merged into the Yorkshire Regiment as its 4th Battalion. Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council, as successors to the Huddersfield Borough Council, amended the original 'Freedom' and transferred the 'Freedom' to the Yorkshire Regiment, at a Freedom parade on 25 October 2008.
A number of national and internationally famous people originate from Huddersfield. They cover a range of politicians, sports personalities, athletes, entertainers, business people, scientists and writers of various styles. Some people have also become known through their association with Huddersfield, though were not born there. These include the actor Patrick Stewart, who was born in Mirfield and the inventor Wilf Lunn, who was born in Brighouse.
The most widely notable of those born in Huddersfield include (in alphabetical order by surname):- Simon Armitage who is both a poet and an author. Lawrence Batley a British business entrepreneur. Andy Booth a footballer for the local football club:- Huddersfield Town . David Borrow a Member of Parliament for South Ribble. Sir David Brown OBE a businessman. Roy Castle OBE who was a dancer and entertainer and later a TV presenter. Lord James Hanson was another British and international businessman mainly known for his association with the transport industry. Sir Harold Percival Himsworth was a scientist. George Herbert Hirst was an English test cricketer. Nina Hossain is a television broadcaster. Derek Ibbotson was an Olympic middle distance athlete in the track events. A tower block of social housing accommodation, close to the town's ring road, was named after him Gorden Kaye is mostly known for his comedy acting. Anita Lonsbrough was an Olympic swimmer and commentator. Like Derek Ibbotson a tower block of social housing accommodation was named after her. DJ Q who presents a show on BBC Radio 1Xtra. Zöe Lucker is an actress, known for playing Tanya Turner in the ITV1 Drama Footballers' Wives. Another Huddersfield born celebrity was the great actor of British and American films, James Mason. Wilfred Rhodes is another English test cricketer. Chris Balderstone played first class cricket and professional football, on one occasion both on the same day. John Whitaker MBE has a local stables and is an Olympic equestrian. Whilst probably the most famous of all is Harold Wilson KG OBE who was twice the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1964 to 1970 and again from 1974 to 1976.
Other well-known personalities can also be located in the Category:People from Huddersfield.
- ^ Kirklees Council Website Castle Hill
- ^ Huddersfield One - Tolson Museum Booklets
- ^ Sale, Kirkpatrick. Rebels Against the Future. pp. 120. ISBN 0-201-62678-0.
- ^ "The Luddites". Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRluddites.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "About Us". Greenexpressrailtours.co.uk. http://www.greenexpressrailtours.co.uk/id1.html. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10166937&c_id=10001043 "Huddersfield MB/CB West Riding through time | Administrative history of Local Government District: hierarchies, boundaries"]. Visionofbritain.org.uk. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10166937&c_id=10001043. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Department for Constitutional Affairs - Constitutional Policy - City Status". Dca.gov.uk. http://www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/city/cityhome.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
- ^ "One dead in pie factory explosion". BBC News. 10 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7993407.stm.
- ^ "Meeting over pie factory future". BBC News. 14 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7997976.stm.
- ^ http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:UKXX0070&q=Huddersfield%2c+GBR
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Almondbury" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/almondbury.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Ashbrow" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/Ashbrow.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Crosland Moor & Netherton" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/CroslandMoor.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Dalton" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/Dalton.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Golcar" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/Golcar.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Greenhead" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/Greenhead.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Lindley" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/Lindley.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "Ward Profiles, Newsome" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/ward-profiles/wards2004/Newsome.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Shackleton, Andy (May 2007). "2001 Census Profile, Former Huddersfield County Borough" (PDF). Kirklees Metropolitan Council. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/statistics/census2001by-town/HudderCB.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/visitors/wheretogo/huddersfield.shtml
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Radcliffe, Enid (Ed.) (2002). The Buildings of England: Yorkshire: The West Riding. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09662-3.
- ^ "Risky Buildings". Riskybuildings.org.uk. http://www.riskybuildings.org.uk/docs/20queensgate/index.html. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ Huddersfield One - Huddersfield History since 1940
- ^ Huddersfield Examiner report of bus take overs in May 2008
- ^ "Training Location". Kirkleesgirlshockeyclub.co.uk. http://www.kirkleesgirlshockeyclub.co.uk/kghc-training-location.html. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ Motorcycle News (11 September 2008)
- ^ "About Us". Huddersfield Choral Society. http://huddersfieldchoral.com/page--about-huddersfield-choral.html. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
- ^ "Marsden Jazz Festival Home Page". Marsdenjazzfestival.com. http://www.marsdenjazzfestival.com. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Welcome to The Mrs Sunderland Music Festival". Mrs-sunderlandmusic.org.uk. http://www.mrs-sunderlandmusic.org.uk/. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ http://www.honleymvc.co.uk
- ^ Huddersfield Carnival Website
- ^ Huddersfield Examiner - Asda opens Aspley store
- ^ Medicine and society in Wakefield and Huddersfield, 1780-1870 at Google Books
- ^ [1] Source information supplied by Sally Greenwood at the Mayor's Office (mayors.office@kirklees.gov.uk)
- ^ 'During the periods 1822–1832 the 33rd Regiment of Foot, recruited from West Yorkshire was stationed in Jamaica. At the end of the tour 142 men chose to remain in Jamaica, having married and raised families, some of which may have originated from Huddersfield, thereby originating the name. Over 560 officers and men died and were buried in Jamaica during this period, from endemic diseases. On 18 June 1853 the regiment formally became known as "The 33rd (or The Duke of Wellington's) Regiment". The regiment's second battalion was again posted to Jamaica (Newcastle Camp) from 18 March 1891 to 10 April 1893. Brereton, JM; Savory, ACS (1993). The History of the Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding) 1702 – 1992. Halifax : The Duke of Wellington's Regiment. ISBN 0-9521552-0-6.
E.A. Hilary Haigh ed. (1992) Huddersfield: A Most Handsome Town - Aspects of the History and Culture of a West Yorkshire Town. Kirklees MC, Huddersfield, pp. 704.
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