Huddersfield
A clock tower in the village of
Lindley (a suburb to the west of the town) 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.
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Victoria Tower at 'Castle Hill' |
The picture on the
New Zealand wine "Castle Hill" is of Victoria Tower atop
Castle Hill overlooking Huddersfield.
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
Bus stationsRoad
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 (about 2½ miles away) and Huddersfield is served by three junctions at 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.
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.
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Huddersfield Railway Station in St. Georges Square |
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 (in Huddersfield & Halifax) 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, which are both navigable with
narrowboats, 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.
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 play in claret and gold coloured hooped shirts with white shorts.
Football
Huddersfield Town F.C. is the town's senior
association football team, and was founded in 1908. In the
1920s it became the first club to win the
League Championship three times in a row, an achievement matched only by
Arsenal,
Liverpool and
Manchester United. The club left its ground on
Leeds Road in
1994 and currently shares the
Galpharm Stadium with the Huddersfield Giants rugby league team and plays in shirts with blue-and-white vertical stripes. Its most famous ex-players are
Scottish international
Denis Law (later of Manchester United) and
Ray Wilson, a
World Cup winner with
England in
1966.
Bill Shankly and
Herbert Chapman are former Huddersfield Town managers.
Huddersfield Choral Society, founded in 1836, claims tobe 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
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.
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Simon Armitage, poet and author
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Lawrence Batley, British entrepreneur
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David Borrow, Member of Parliament for South Ribble
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David Brown, British businessman
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Roy Castle, presenter, dancer and entertainer
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James Hanson, British and international businessman
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Harold Percival Himsworth, scientist
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George Hirst, English test cricketer
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Nina Hossain, broadcaster
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Derek Ibbotson, Olympic athlete
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Gorden Kaye, actor
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Anita Lonsborough Olympic swimmer and commentator
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Zöe Lucker, actress, known for playing
Tanya Turner in the
ITV1 Drama
Footballers' Wives*
Wilf Lunn, inventor
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James Mason, actor
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Wilfred Rhodes, English test cricketer
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Harold Wilson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1964-70 and 1974-1976
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Ainley Top,
Almondbury,
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,
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Magdale,
Marsden,
Marsh,
Meltham,
Milnsbridge,
Moldgreen*
Netheroyd Hill,
Netherton,
Nettleton Hill,
New Mill,
Newsome*
Oakes,
Outlane*
Paddock,
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*
Haddersfield, Jamaica locally referred to as Huddersfield.
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Location map of Haddersfield*
Wikitravel article on Huddersfield*
Examiner Website* An aerial view of the town centre, viewed from South to North, can be seen on:-
|http://www.huddersfieldtv.co.uk/aerial/aerial-huddersfield-2005-we.jpg
