Yorkshire, West-Riding, in W. and SW. of county; area, 1,768,380 acres, population 2,175,314. The surface rises towards the W. and NW., reaching in Whernside Mountain an altitude of 2414 ft. The principal rivers are the Ribble, Nidd, Calder, Don, Aire, and Wharfe. The West-Riding is the seat of Yorkshire industrial enterprise. The great Yorkshire coalfield, on which all the staple mfrs. of the Riding are situated, is a space 45 miles by 20 miles, between the Aire and the Don. Some of the leading branches of national industry have long had their seat in the West-Riding – woollens at Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Dewsbury, and Huddersfield; linens at Leeds and Barnsley; and hardware, cutlery, and plated goods at Sheffield. There are mineral waters at Harrogate, Knaresborough, and Ilkley Wells. On the N. and E. sides corn and other crops are largely grown; and in the NW., round Settle and Skipton, it is all grass and dairy land. The West-Riding comprises 9 wapentakes; 724 parishes, and parts of 6 others; the parliamentary and municipal boroughs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Pontefract, Sheffield, and Wakefield; and the municipal boroughs of Barnsley, Batley, Doncaster, Morley, Ripon, and Rotherham. It is mostly in the dioceses of York, Ripon, and Manchester.
– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)
Note: parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire, including Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley, became South Yorkshire in 1974.
Abbey House Museum
Abbey Walk, Abbey Rd, Kirkstall, Leeds
Leeds LS5 3EH
0113 230 5492
www.leeds.gov.uk/abbeyhouse
Based in the heart of the Kirkstall community, Abbey House was once the gatehouse for Kirkstall Abbey. Displays in the museum enable you to steep yourself in the romantic history of the abbey.
Collections: The museum holds large and important social history collections. This includes an archive relating to the Suffragette campaigns of Mrs Leonora Cohen (b.1873) who was one of the first women in Leeds to start campaigning for votes for women. Leeds Museums have been collecting toys, dolls and games since at least the 1920s and now hold one of the major collections in the country.
Bagshaw Museum
Wilton Park
Batley WF17 0AS
01924 326155
www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
Where can you meet a mummy from Ancient Egypt, hear a Shirley Bassey hit, and come face to face with a Ganges crocodile? Bagshaw Museum brings together fasinating objects from all over the world, in the magnificient Victorian gothic setting of ‘Woodlands’ a former mill owners house set in Wilton Park.
Bankfield Museum
Boothtown Road
Halifax HX3 6HG
01422 352334
With its internationally important collection of textiles, weird and wonderful objects from around the world, and a varied programme of exhibitions and events, there is much to see and enjoy. The historic house of the Akroyd family is also home to the Duke of Wellington’s Regimental Museum and the Marble Gallery, a new selling space for contemporary craft.
Bolling Hall Museum
Bowling Hall Road
Bradford BD4 7LP
01274 723057
www.bradfordmuseums.org/venues/bollinghall
Bolling Hall offers visitors a fascinating journey through the lives and times of the Bradford families for whom it provided a home over five hundred years. Bolling Hall was for many years the seat of two important land-owning families, the Bollings and the Tempests. With parts of the building dating from the medieval, Bolling Hall is a rambling mixture of styles with every nook and cranny packed with history. Rooms are furnished and decorated to give an accurate taste of life at different periods of the house’s history.
Bracken Hall Countryside Museum
Glen Road, Baildon
Shipley BD17 5EA
01274 584140
www.bradfordmuseums.org/brackenhall
Bracken Hall Countryside Centre and museum is situated on the edge of Shipley Glen, a popular beauty spot. The centre has displays relating to the natural history, geology, archaeology and local history of the area.
Bradford 1 Gallery
Centenary Square
Bradford BD1 1SD
01274 437800
Bradford 1 Gallery is the new city centre space for exhibitions of contemporary and historic art and craft. It will host shows from national and regional touring venues as well as drawing upon the major collections of the museums and galleries service.
Bradford Cathedral
1 Stott Hill
Bradford BD1 4EH
01274 777720
www.bradfordcathedral.co.uk
There has been worship on this site in Bradford for over a thousand years. This beautiful building has been a place of peace, prayer, hope and worship for many over the centuries.
Bradford Family History Society
5 Leaventhorpe Avenue, Fairweather Green
Bradford BD8 0ED
Family history information for the Bradford area.
Bradford Industrial Museum
Moorside Road, Eccleshill
Bradford BD2 3HP
01274 435900
Original Victorian worsted spinning mill complex built in 1875, now used to recreate life in Bradford at the turn of the 19th century.
Bradford Local Studies
Central Library, Prince�s Way
Bradford BD1 1NN
01274 433686
The Local Studies service offers family and local history resources for the Bradford Metropolitan District and the West Yorkshire region. We have a wide range of material including books and maps, plus free access to several genealogy and historical newspaper websites.
Bronte Parsonage Museum
Church Street, Haworth
Keighley BD22 8DR
01535 642323
The Bronte parsonage and museum focuses on the life and work of the celebrated family of writers. It has an unrivaled collection of objects and archival material relating the lives and work of Emily, Charlotte and Anne.
Calderdale Family History Society
15 Far View, Illingworth
Halifax HX2 0NU
www.cfhsweb.co.uk
The society was formed in 1985 and now has a great many active members. Many live beyond the Calderdale area, both in the UK and further afield in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and other countries.
Calderdale Museums & Art Service
The Piece Hall
Halifax HX1 1RE
01422 358087
www.calderdale.gov.uk/leisure/museums-galleries
Calderdale Council operates a variety of museums & galleries throughout the region. The museum service cares for over 80,000 objects relating to the heritage of the area.
Castleford Forum Museum
Carlton Street
Castleford WF10 1BB
01977 722084
Castleford Forum Museum, located in the new Castleford Forum Library and Museum building in the centre of town, is testament to the rich and extraordinary history of the area. The displays include fascinating and unique objects that tell stories of Castleford and its people.
Cliffe Castle Museum
Spring Gardens Lane
Keighley BD20 6LH
01535 618231
Cliffe Castle Museum was originally the spectacular mansion of the local Victorian millionaire and textile manufacturer, Henry Isaac Butterfield. It stands in attractive hillside grounds with greenhouses, aviaries and a children’s play area. The house is now a large museum with a wide variety of displays.
Colne Valley Museum
Cliffe Ash, Golcar
Huddersfield HD7 4PY
01484 659762
Colne Valley Museum is housed in a row of weavers cottage of the mid 19C. The museum depicts the cottage textile industry and the social history of the area.
Dewsbury Museum
Crow Nest Park, Heckmondwike Road
Dewsbury WF13 2SG
01924 325100
www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
Revisit your childhood and enjoy the popular toy gallery and recreated 1940s classroom. Explore the fascinating Discovering Dewsbury local history gallery.
Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Museum
Bankfield Museum, Ackroyd Park
Halifax HX3 6HG
01422 354823 / 01422 352334
Representing over 300 years of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, since its raising in 1702, this museum tells the stories of the soldiers who served using their own words. The ‘Iron Duke’, Arthur Wellesley, was the Colonel of the 33rd which became, after his death, the only Regiment to be named after a person not of the Royal Blood. Displays include items relating to the Duke himself and to the rich and varied history of the regiment, including the campaigns of 33rd and 76th foot.
East Riddlesden Hall – National Trust
Bradford Road
Keighley BD20 5EL
01535 607075
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/east-riddlesden-hall
This National Trust owned property boasts an attractive 17th-century manor house, delightful gardens, tearoom and shop. There is a fine collection of Yorkshire oak furniture and pewter, together stunning examples of textiles and 17th-century embroidery.
Fulneck Moravian Museum
55-57 Fulneck
Pudsey LS28 8NT
0113 256 4862
www.fulneck.org.uk/?page_id=16
Two 17th century cottages, Victorian parlour and kitchen, weaving chamber, Moravian embroidery, folk exhibits, an 1822 hand-pulled fire engine and ethnographical exhibits.
Gibson Mill
Hardcastle Crags, Hollin Hall, Crimsworth Dean
Hebden Bridge HX7 7AP
01422 844518
Gibson Mill is a 19th-century cotton mill that sits at the heart of Hardcastle Crags. The mill has been brought back into use as a facility for visitors and for the local community.
Harewood House
Harewood House Trust, Harewood
Leeds LS17 9LG
0113 2181010
One of England’s greatest country houses, created by architect John Carr and designer Robert Adam, furnished by master cabinet-maker Thomas Chippendale and set in a landscape created by ‘Capability’ Brown. The House, renowned for its stunning architecture and exquisite Adam interiors, contains a rich collection of Chippendale furniture, fine porcelain and outstanding art collections from Italian Renaissance masterpieces and Turner watercolours to contemporary works. Lord Harewood’s mother, HRH Princess Mary, Princess Royal, lived at Harewood for 35 years and much of her Royal memorabilia is still displayed.
Heptonstall Grammar School Museum
Church Yard Bottom
Heptonstall HX7 7LY
01422 843 738
Heptonstall museum lies in the centre of the ancient village of Heptonstall, in the Old Grammar School building. Some of the original features of the school remain including the black oak desks. The displays focus on the changing importance of this charming village from prehistoric times to the present day and cover the compelling story of the infamous Cragg Vale Coiners and Heptonstall’s part in the English Civil War.
Home Farm
Temple Newsam Estate
Leeds LS15 0AD
0113 264 5535
www.leeds.gov.uk/templenewsam
Displays set in the original Georgian and Victorian farm buildings bring to life the stories of the past. Home Farm is now the largest working Rare Breeds Farm in Europe with over 400 animals, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry.
Horsforth Village Museum
5 The Green, Horsforth
Leeds LS18 5JB
0113 281 9877
Horsforth was once described as the largest village in England and has somehow managed to retain some of its village like identity, character and sense of community. The museum aims to reflect this heritage in its interesting exhibits which are drawn from all aspects of life in and around Horsforth and have a great nostalgia and educational value.
Huddersfield & District Family History Society
33a Green’s End, Meltham
Holmfirth HD9 5NW
For family history research in the Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Mirfield areas.
Huddersfield Local Studies Library
Princess Alexandra Walk
Huddersfield HD1 2SU
01484 221965
Local history is the story of your community. Whether you are wanting to trace the history of a local firm, undertaking a project for homework or wanting to begin researching your family tree, the Local Studies Library may be able to help.
Ilkley Toy Museum
Whitton Croft Road
Ilkley LS29 9HR
01943 603855
www.ilkleytoymuseum.co.uk
The museum contains one of the finest private collections of toys in the North of England. The many exhibits feature dolls, dolls houses, teddy bears, tin plate toys, lead figures and a working model fairground.
Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel
Ingrow Railway Centre, South Street, Ingrow
Keighley BD21 5AX
01535 680425
Over 60 television programmes and films have featured carriages from our award-winning museum. Sound and video presentations bring our collection to life.
Keighley & District Family History Society
2 The Hallows, Shann Park
Keighley BD20 6HY
01535 672144
Keighley and District Family History Society was created in 1986 by a small group of individuals interested in researching family history.
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway – KWVR
The Railway Station
Haworth BD22 8NJ
www.kwvr.co.uk/guide/kwvr/kwvr.html
Britain’s last remaining complete heritage branch line runs from Keighley to Oxenhope, along a rich seam of West Yorkshire’s rail and cultural heritage. Travel via Ingrow, with its award-winning Museum of Rail Travel, and Damems, the country’s smallest complete station (Ormston in BBC TV’s Born & Bred series) to Oakworth, Haworth and Oxenhope.
Keighley Bus Museum Trust
Keighley Bus Museum Trust (not open to the public)
Keighley BD20 6LH
01282 413179
www.kbmt.org.uk
The Trust’s ultimate aim is to have a permanent home for the collection of around 30 vintage buses, lorries and military vehicles in or near the centre of Keighley. The collection is currently housed in central Keighley; unfortunately the building is not suitable to be opened as a real museum on a permanent basis. Our Riverside Depot is open to visitors throughout the year – contact us via email in advance of your visit.
Kirkstall Abbey
Abbey Walk, Kirkstall Road
Leeds LS5 3EH
0113 230 5492
www.leeds.gov.uk/kirkstallabbey
One of the best preserved abbeys in Britain, Kirkstall Abbey is a spectacular and picturesque ruin. Founded in the 12th centruy by Cistertain monks, it was closed down in 1539 by Henry VIII. This fascinating archeological site has been sought after as the subject matter for famous paintings by JMW Turner and Thomas Girton.
Leeds City Museum
Millennium Square
Leeds LS2 8BH
0113 224 3732
Experience a world of discovery… explore four floors of interactive and exciting galleries. Come face-to-face with the Leeds tiger, step into Ancient Worlds to meet Nesyamun, the Leeds mummy and dig for fossils in the Life on Earth gallery.
Leeds Civic Trust
17-19 Wharf Street
Leeds LS2 7EQ
0113 243 9594
Leeds has a distinct and attractive built heritage, from its beginnings as a trading centre for cloth through its development as an industrial city to its current status as a regional capital. Its medieval origins, its Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, its streets and arcades, all contribute to that distinctive character. Leeds Civic Trust celebrates that heritage through its Blue Plaques scheme, its walks and events, its co-ordination of Heritage Open Days, and its list of Heritage at Risk.
Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills
Canal Rd, Armley
Leeds LS12 2QF
0113 263 7861
www.leeds.gov.uk/armleymills
Formerly the largest woollen mill in the world, Armley Mills is now a museum which explores Leeds’ rich industrial past. Displays cover the local textiles and clothing industries, printing, cinematography, photography and engineering.
Leeds Museum Discovery Centre
Carlisle Road
Leeds LS10 1LB
0113 214 1548
www.leeds.gov.uk/discoverycentre
Home to a million wonders.. Leeds Museum Discovery Centre is the city’s purpose built museum storage and conservation facility. As only 5% of Leeds Museums and Galleries collections can be displayed at only one time, the Discovery Centre houses objects not on permanent display at other sites across the city. From elephant skulls to a medieval log boat, discover many more treasures with regular behind the scenes tours and family activities.
Lotherton Hall
Lotherton Lane, Aberford
Leeds LS25 3EB
0113 264 5535
www.leeds.gov.uk/lothertonhall
Lotherton Hall is a beautiful country house surrounded by historic gardens. Formerly the home of the Gascoigne family, it evokes a world of high Edwardian living.
Manor House Art Gallery & Museum
Castle Yard
Ilkley LS29 9DT
01943 600066
www.bradfordmuseums.org/venues/manorhouse
Situated within the beautiful surroundings of the Wharfe Valley, one of Ilkley’s oldest buildings, the Manor House, has been converted into an attractive museum and art gallery. On the ground floor visitors are given a glimpse into Ilkley’s past while the first floor galleries provide the venue for a regularly changing programme of temporary exhibitions. While being a major exhibit in itself, the Manor House also stands on the remains of the Roman fort of Olicana.
Marks in Time Exhibition: Marks & Spencer Company Archive
Michael Marks Building, University of Leeds, off Clarendon Road
Leeds LS2 9LZ
020 87182800
www.marksintime.marksandspencer.com
Did you know M&S was born in Leeds? Discover our story and unlock the fascinating journey that has made M&S one of Britain’s best loved retailers. Explore our Marks In Time Exhibition and uncover some fascinating facts from over 130 years of M&S history. From the clothes we wear to the food we eat the Marks In Time Exhibition showcases the M&S Company Archive collection, tracking the development of the business from 1884 to the present day.
Middleton Railway
Middleton Railway Trust Ltd, The Station, Moor Road, Hunslet
Leeds LS10 2JQ
0845 680 1758
Having been established by an Act of Parliament in 1758, the Middleton Railway, Leeds, can claim to be the oldest working railway in the world. It also played host to the first commercially successful, revenue earning, steam locomotives which entered service there in 1812.
Collections: Includes standard gauge industrial railway locomotives and some narrow gauge. The core collection is of Leeds-built locomotives, although other cities and indeed countries are represented.
Morley & District Family History Group
1 New Lane, East Ardsley
Wakefield WF3 2DP
www.morleyfhg.co.uk
We are a small and friendly group whose aims are to promote and encourage mutual help between like-minded people who are interested in their ancestors, who they were, what they did and what their lives may have been like.
Museum of the History of Science, Technology & Medicine, University of Leeds, The
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
0113 343 3460
www.leeds.ac.uk/collections
The University of Leeds has rare and signficant collections relating to its scientific and technological past. Areas represented include physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and geology.
Nostell Priory & Parkland – National Trust
Doncaster Road, Nostell
nr Wakefield WF4 1QE
01924 863892
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nostell-priory
Nostell Priory is an 18th century architectural masterpiece set in a landscape park. The house was built by the architect James Paine on the site of a medieval priory for Sir Rowland Winn, 4th Baronet.
Collections: The Priory houses one of the best documented collections of Chippendale furniture and furnishings which were designed especially for the house by the great cabinet maker. Other treasures include an outstanding art collection with works by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Hogarth and Angelica Kauffmann, the remarkable 18th-century doll’s house with its original fittings and the John Harrison longcase clock with its rare movement made of wood.
Oakwell Hall Country Park
Oakwell Hall and Country Park, Nutter Lane, Birstall
Batley WF17 9LG
01924 326240
www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
This beautiful Elizabethan manor house has delighted visitors for centuries. Visiting in the 19th century, Charlotte Brontë featured it as ‘Fieldhead’ – the home of the heroine in ‘shirley’.
Otley Museum
Wellcroft House, Otley Cycle Club, Crow Lane
Otley LS21 1TZ
01943 468181
A comprehensive collection of documents and photographs tells the story of this Wharfedale community from prehistoric times to the 20th century. A fascinating insight into Otley’s heritage for the visitor and a key resource for both the amateur and professional researcher.
Peace Museum UK
10 Piece Hall Yard
Bradford BD1 1PJ
01274 780241
The Peace Museum UK occupies three small galleries in one of Bradford’s many fine Victorian buildings. A member of the International Network of Museums for Peace, it is unique in that it is the only accredited museum of its kind in the UK.
Collections: The Peace Museum has a collection of some 6,000 items. They chart the history of peacemakers and peace-making, locally, nationally and globally.
Pontefract & District Family History Society
Eadon House, Main Street, Hensall
Goole DN14 0QZ
An active group of family historians who live in Pontefract and the surrounding area.
Pontefract Castle & Visitors Centre
Pontefract Castle, Castle Chain
Pontefract WF8 1QH
01977 723 440
www.wakefield.gov.uk/castles
Remains of medieval Royal Castle, which was one of the most important fortresses in Britain. The Visitors Centre has an education room which includes displays on the castle’s history and a shop with gifts and refreshments.
Pontefract Museum
Salter Row
Pontefract WF8 1BA
01977 722 741
Pontefract Museum is in a flamboyant Art Nouveau building with a wonderful tiled entrance hall and many original 1904 furnishings. Situated in the centre of town, the museum has new displays on the archaeology and history of Pontefract.
Red House Museum
Red House, Oxford Road, Gomersal
Nr Cleckheaton BD19 4JP
01274 335100
www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
This delightful, red-brick house, built in 1660, was home to the Taylor family who were cloth merchants and manufacturers. Mary Taylor, daughter of the house in the 19th century, was a close friend of Charlotte Bronte, who visited often, featuring the house as ‘Briarmains’ in ‘shirley’.
Royal Armouries
Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive
Leeds LS10 1LT
08700 344 344
Home to Britain’s national collection of arms and armour, the Royal Armouries Museum houses a world-renowned collection of over 75,000 objects. Check out the weapons and armour of warriors through the ages from early medieval knights to the modern-day soldier.
Collections: The collection consists of some 70,000 examples of arms, armour and artillery dating from antiquity to the present day. It includes royal armours of the Tudor and Stuart kings; arms and armour of the English Civil Wars; British and foreign military weapons from the Board of Ordnance and MOD Pattern Room collections; hunting and sporting weapons, as well as an exceptional collection of oriental arms and armour.
Sandal Castle & Visitors Centre
Manygates Lane, Sandal
Wakefield WF2 7DS
01924 249 779
www.wakefield.gov.uk/castles
Remains of 13th century stone castle and the fine motte and bailey. The Visitors Centre has an education room which includes displays on the castle’s history and a shop with gifts and refreshments.
Second World War Experience Centre
1a Rudgate Court, Walton
Wetherby LS23 7BF
01937 541 274
The Second World War Experience Centre collects, documents, preserves, exhibits and encourages access to the surviving material evidence and associated information of the men and women who participated in the war in whatever capacity, whether military, civilian or conscientious objector.
Shibden Hall
Lister’s Road
Halifax HX3 6XG
01422 352246
For over 300 hundred years Shibden Hall was the home of the Lister family, but the house itself is even older, first built in about 1420. Many generations of people and their families have lived and worked here, and all have left their mark on its history.
Special Collections of the JB Priestley Library, University of Bradford
Bradford BD7 1DP
01274 235256
www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections
Special Collections at the University of Bradford: over 100 collections of rare books and archives, almost a kilometre in shelf length, relating to University or Yorkshire history, or University areas of excellence from archaeology to Yugoslavia.
Collections: Over 100 collections of archives and rare books, with particular strengths in modern history, peace, nonviolence, social change, politics, literature, religion, Quaker history, archaeology, Yorkshire and Bradford, textiles.
Special Collections, Leeds University Library
Leeds University Library, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane
Leeds LS2 9JT
0113 343 5663
www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll
Free to all visitors, the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds holds exceptional collections on a vast variety of subjects. We welcome you to research the area of your interest in the Fay and Geoffrey Elliott Reading Room, whether for formal academic study or personal interest.
Standedge Tunnel
Waters Road
Marsden, Huddersfield HD7 6NQ
01484 844298
canalrivertrust.org.uk/standedge-tunnel
Standedge Tunnel is the highest, longest and deepest canal tunnel in the UK, stretching for 5,029 metres (3.25 miles) through hard millstone grit. An engineering marvel worked on by Thomas Telford, the tunnel runs from Marsden in Yorkshire through to Diggle in Lancashire.
Stephen Beaumont Museum
Fieldhead Hospital, Ouchthorpe Lane
Wakefield WF1 3SP
01924 328654
This unusual museum of mental health depicts the story of the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum built in 1818. The exhibition includes restraining equipment, a padded cell, photographs dating from 1862 plus medical and surgical equipment and documents. There is also a scale model of the original 1818 building built by a former curator of the museum based on the original plans and drawings.
Temple Newsam House
Temple Newsam Rd, Off Selby Rd
Leeds LS15 0AE
0113 264 5535
This magnificent Tudor-Jacobean house, was the birthplace of Lord Darnley, infamous husband of Mary Queen of Scots, and for 300 years the home of the Ingram family until it was bought by Leeds from Lord Halifax in 1922. Temple Newsam is home to outstanding collections of fine and decorative arts.
Thackray Museum
Near St James’s Hospital, Beckett Street
Leeds LS9 7LN
0113 244 4343
Experience the sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian Leeds street and see brave developments in surgery and healthcare.
Collections: The museum collection has over 35,000 objects which, in particular, include a vast range of surgical instruments dating from the late 19th century to the present day. The collection also includes a unique collection of English pharmacy ceramics.
Thoresby Society Library & Archive Collection, The
Claremont, Clarendon Road
Leeds LS2 9SZ
0113 2457910
www.thoresby.org.uk/library.htm
The Thoresby Society is named after Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725), the first historian of the town. Since its foundation in 1889 the society has published books about Leeds, including the transcripts of the parish registers.
Thwaite Mills Watermill
Thwaite Mills, Thwaite Lane, Stourton
Leeds LS10 1RP
0113 2141914
www.leeds.gov.uk/thwaitemills
Thwaite Mills is one of the only fully restored working water-powered mills in Yorkshire. With over 300 years of industrial history, a tour of this early 19th century watermill presents a fascinating insight into life and times of the putty mill and its owners, the Horn family.
Tolson Museum
Ravensknowle Park, Wakefield Rd
Huddersfield HD5 8DJ
01484 223830
www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
The history book of a typical Yorkshire town, Tolson Museum draws a vivid and intriguing picture of Huddersfield and its people, from the prehistoric to the present. Each layer of Huddersfield’s past is revealed in its exciting displays.
ULITA – an Archive of International Textiles
University of Leeds International Textiles Archive, St Wilfred’s Chapel, Maurice Keyworth Building, Moorland Road, The University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
0113 3433919
www.leeds.ac.uk/ulita
ULITA – an Archive of International Textiles was founded in 1892, and includes textiles and other design material, particularly featuring European and Asian textiles. The collection was established as a research and teaching resource, but has always been available to a wider public.
University of Huddersfield Archives & Special Collections
Queensgate
Huddersfield HD1 3DH
01484 473168
The Archives and Special Collections Service provides a rich source of research material for many disciplines. Detailed lists of the collections are found at www.hud.ac.uk/archives/.
Victoria Tower
Castle Hill, Almondbury
Huddersfield HD5
The scheduled monument of Castle Hill comprises the remains of a late-Bronze Age or early Iron Age univallate hillfort with a single raised bank, a later Iron Age multivallate hillfort, a 12th-century motte and bailey castle and the site of a deserted medieval village. The grade II listed Victoria Tower on the summit of Castle Hill is by far the most conspicuous landmark in Huddersfield.
Wakefield & District Family History Society
101 Thornes Road
Wakefield WF2 8QD
01924 373014
www.wdfhs.co.uk
The objective of the society is to advance public education in family history and genealogy for the benefit of anyone living in the area of the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council or with interests or family in that area.
Wakefield Cathedral
Northgate
Wakefield WF1 1HG
01924 373923
Wakefield Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, is one of three co-equal Anglican cathedrals for the Diocese of Leeds and a seat of the Bishop of Leeds. Originally the parish church, it has Anglo Saxon origins and after enlargement and rebuilding has the tallest spire in Yorkshire.
Wakefield Museum
Wakefield Museum, Wakefield One, Burton Street
Wakefield WF1 2EB
01924 305356
www.wakefield.gov.uk/museums
Wakefield Museum is a stimulating and vibrant part of the new and prestigious Wakefield One building in the heart of Wakefield. Discover the extraordinary, the oldest, the first, and the one and only in the Welcome to Wakefield display. See our local cultural treasures and learn surprising facts about the city. Explore the history of Wakefield in the Main Gallery and hear stories of wealth and power, hardship and hope, love and war, and passion and belief through the eyes of the people involved in shaping the city.
West Yorkshire Archive Service
Bradford:WYAS, Bradford Central Library, Prince�s Way
Bradford BD1 1NN
01274 435099
Calderdale:WYAS, Central Library, Northgate House, Northgate
Halifax HX1 1UN
01422 392636
Kirklees:
WYAS, Central Library, Princess Alexandra Walk
Huddersfield HD1 2SU
01484 221966
Leeds:
WYAS, Nepshaw Lane South, Morley
Leeds LS27 7JQ
0113 393 9788
Wakefield:WYAS, Registry of Deeds, Newstead Road
Wakefield WF1 2DE
01924 305980
The West Yorkshire Archive Service exists to preserve the county’s heritage of historical documents and to help members of the public make use of them. Collecting and preserves historical records of all kinds dating from the 12th century to the present day.
Yorkshire Archaeological Society
Claremont, 23 Clarendon Road
Leeds LS2 9NZ
0113 245 7910
www.yas.org.uk/
Yorkshire Archaeological Society exists to promote the study of Yorkshire’s historical past. It was founded in 1863 by a group of eminent citizens to study and preserve antiquities in the Huddersfield area.
Yorkshire Group of Family History Societies
101 Thornes Road
Wakefield WF2 8QD
01924 373014
The Yorkshire Group of Family History Societies is an umbrella organisation for the many societies that cover various areas within the pre-1974 three Ridings of Yorkshire.