106-668: First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire , England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup , and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and First Leeds. In April 1974, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive was formed, with the municipal fleets of Bradford , Calderdale , Halifax , Huddersfield and Leeds combined. Services were branded under
212-591: A toffee shop in King Cross Lane in 1890. Violet formulated the toffee's recipe. John became known as "The Toffee King". A factory was opened on Queens Road in 1898. A new factory at Albion Mill, at the current site near the railway station, opened in 1909. John died in 1920, and his son Harold not only continued the business but took it to the present size and range of confectionery it has today. Their famous brands, including Rolo , Toffee Crisp and Quality Street of chocolate and confectionery are not just popular in
318-479: A women's football team , Halifax FC Women . The Shay football ground has been the home of the town's football club since 1921. The ground was substantially redeveloped in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with money provided by the Football Foundation and funds raised or provided by the local community and Calderdale Council. Halifax Panthers is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in
424-536: A West Yorkshire derby even if the rivalry is not as great as other rivalries between teams in the area. The main rugby union club in the county is Yorkshire Carnegie . Elland Road is the largest stadium in the area, hosting Leeds United . The Headingley Stadium , a stadium complex also in Leeds , consists of a cricket and a rugby ground. The cricket ground is home of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club and
530-558: A fleet of double-deck Wright StreetDeck vehicles delivered in both Olympia for route 72 and the distinctive Olympia-Express livery the X6. In March 2022, ahead of the start of Bradford's Clean Air Zone later that year, First Bradford launched the City of Bradford branding, which was first applied to 28 new Wright StreetDeck Ultroliners delivered for service on the X6, 72 and X11, replacing older 2016 and 2017 StreetDecks and StreetDeck Micro Hybrids. This
636-520: A large proportion of A*to C grades at GCSE level. In 2005, the Crossley Heath School was the highest ranking co-educational school in the North of England . Calderdale College is a further education college located on Francis Street, just off King Cross Road, in the west of the town. The Maltings College opened in 2013 and offers a range of vocational sixth form courses. In December 2006 it
742-412: A population of 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest ceremonial county by population. Large parts of West Yorkshire are urban; many settlements are part of the West Yorkshire built-up area , which has a population of 1.78 million. The largest settlements are Leeds (516,298), Bradford (366,187), Huddersfield (162,949), and Wakefield (109,766). The west of the county is more rural. The county
848-643: A recognised financial centre, with many banks , building societies and insurance companies having offices in the city. Wakefield has also attracted many service-based industries, in particular call centres . Two of the big four supermarkets are from West Yorkshire. Morrisons is based in Bradford, while Asda is based in Leeds. West Yorkshire grew up around several industries. Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract and South and East Leeds were traditional coal mining areas. Bradford , Halifax and Huddersfield grew through
954-411: A redeveloped worsted spinning mill, was once the largest carpet factory in the world. It was built in the 1840s–'60s for Crossley's Carpets and owned by John Crossley. The corona chimney dominates over the mill complex and area, at a height of 297-foot (91 m), it is made from triangular cast iron plates and built in 1857. It was converted into a business park in the 1980s by Sir Ernest Hall . It
1060-643: A serial killer, the Halifax Slasher , was on the loose. Scotland Yard concluded there were no attacks after several locals admitted they had inflicted wounds on themselves. Halifax plc started as a building society , the Halifax Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society, in the town in 1853. Today the bank operates as a trading name of HBOS , part of the Lloyds Banking Group . Yorkshire Bank , based in Leeds and known as
1166-587: A walking and cycle route. In 2018 a campaign was launched to save and restore the 2,501 yards (2,287 m) Queensbury Tunnel and add it to the walking and cycling network. A branch from Holmfield, on the Halifax to Queensbury section of the lines to Keighley and Bradford, served the west side of Halifax. It terminated at St. Paul's . This short branch closed to passengers in January 1927 and to all traffic in June 1960. Halifax
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#17328772406021272-665: Is a field hockey club that competes in the North Hockey League and the Yorkshire & North East League . Motorcycle speedway racing has been staged at two venues in Halifax. In the pioneering days of 1928–1930 a track operated at Thrum Hall . A Halifax team took part in the English Dirt Track League of 1929. Speedway returned to Halifax at the Shay Stadium in 1949 and operated until 1951. The team operated as
1378-454: Is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, and Lancashire to the west. The city of Leeds is the largest settlement. The county, established in 1974, has an area of 2,029 km (783 sq mi) and
1484-558: Is also a popular nightlife destination domestically, which is not surprising given its accessibility and central location. All cities are well connected via rail and road, Leeds railway station is an important hub seeing 29.7 million passengers 2015–16, making it the fourth busiest station in the UK after London stations, Birmingham New Street and Glasgow Central . It is the busiest in Northern England. Signposted walks follow rivers and
1590-547: Is also big in West Yorkshire. The teams who are, or have been, in the Super League are Bradford Bulls , Castleford Tigers , Halifax Panthers , Huddersfield Giants , Leeds Rhinos , and Wakefield Trinity . Other rugby league clubs in West Yorkshire include Batley Bulldogs , Dewsbury Rams , Featherstone Rovers , Hunslet Hawks and Keighley Cougars . Any combination of these teams playing against each other would be called
1696-809: Is also popular, as is the Bradford Alhambra , St Georges Hall and the Media and Science Museum in Bradford. Leeds is the most popular shopping destination in West Yorkshire, probably Yorkshire and rivals Manchester having claim to Briggate, the Headrow, Trinity Leeds , Victoria Gate, the Victoria and Northern Quarters, the biggest indoor market in Europe and the White Rose Centre , as well as many 'first outside of London' labels such as Harvey Nichols and Victoria's Secret . Leeds
1802-740: Is also served by Sowerby Bridge station in the neighbouring town of Sowerby Bridge at the southwest edge of the town. It lies just to the south of the River Calder . Calderdale's local radio stations are BBC Radio Leeds on 95.3 FM, Hits Radio West Yorkshire on 102.5 FM, Heart Yorkshire on 106.2 FM, Capital Yorkshire on 105.1 FM and Phoenix Radio on 96.7 FM, which has its studios in Halifax. Sunrise Radio (Yorkshire) has been given permission by media regulator Ofcom to expand its FM coverage to Halifax. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire . Television signals are received from
1908-449: Is an elevated ridge with smoothly rolling scenery, dissected by dry valleys. Here, there is a large number of country houses and estates with parkland, estate woodlands, plantations and game coverts. The rivers Aire and Calder drain the area, flowing from west to east. Wakefield's Parish Church was raised to cathedral status in 1888 and after the elevation of Wakefield to diocese, Wakefield Council immediately sought city status and this
2014-570: Is governed by five metropolitan boroughs : City of Bradford , Calderdale , Kirklees , City of Leeds and City of Wakefield , which collaborate through West Yorkshire Combined Authority . The western part of West Yorkshire is in the South Pennines , and contains a small part of the Peak District National Park . It is characterised by steep valleys and is the source of the River Calder , which flows past Wakefield before meeting
2120-463: Is located in the south-eastern foothills of the moorland region called the South Pennines . Halifax is situated about 4 miles (6 km) from the M62 motorway , close to Bradford and Huddersfield . The A641 road links the town with Brighouse , Bradford and Huddersfield. The Hebble Brook joins the River Calder at Salterhebble . In 2004 Calderdale had a population of 192,405, of which 82,500 live in
2226-471: Is on the Calder Valley line , with services to Manchester Victoria , York , Selby via Bradford Interchange and Leeds ; Blackpool North ; via Brighouse to Huddersfield and Wakefield Westgate and to London King's Cross via Wakefield Kirkgate . The London service is operated by Grand Central , the others by Northern Trains . Rail passenger representation is organised by the local users' group,
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#17328772406022332-597: Is part of major changes to the FirstGroup's senior management, which will see the merger of First's ten regional bus operations across the United Kingdom into six business units. As of June 2022, excluding First York, the company operates from five depots in the region: Bradford , Bramley , Halifax , Huddersfield and Hunslet . The company also maintains an open-air outstation in Todmorden . First Leeds operate buses in
2438-422: Is the complete array of Jacobean box pews . The pair of Gothic organ cases by John Oldrid Scott now house the four-manual instrument by Harrison & Harrison . The belfry holds fourteen bells and an Angelus . St Mary's Roman Catholic Church , on the corner of Gibbet Street and Clarence Street, was built in 1839, rebuilt in 1864 and extended in 1924. The Serbian Orthodox Church , dedicated to St. John
2544-631: Is to be soon replaced by a small fleet of Wright StreetDeck Electroliner battery electric double-decker buses. First Bradford operate buses in Bradford and surrounding areas. Bradford's flagship services are the Leeds to Bradford 72 and express X6 services, which run via Bowling Back Lane depot. However, the 72 route was run by Bramley depot until late 2018 where operations transferred over to Back Bowling Lane depot in Bradford. In 2012, refurbished former ftr Wright StreetCar articulated buses operated route 72. These were withdrawn in July 2016 and replaced by
2650-534: The Domesday Book , and evidence of the early settlement is unclear. By the 12th century the township had become the religious centre of the vast parish of Halifax, which extended from Brighouse in the east to Heptonstall in the west. Halifax Minster , parts of which date from the 12th century is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The minster's first organist, in 1766, was William Herschel , who discovered
2756-532: The Grand Départ of the 2014 Tour de France , followed by a full opening later that month. A second site at Temple Green was opened in 2017, and a third site powered by self-sustainable solar panels was opened in Stourton in 2021. The network is operated by a fleet of hybrid electric Wright StreetDeck HEV and battery electric Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV double-deck vehicles branded in dedicated liveries. This
2862-534: The West Riding Penny Savings Bank , was established on 1 May 1859 by Colonel Edward Akroyd of Halifax. Halifax is twinned with Aachen in Germany. The A58 has a stretch called Aachen Way. The ancient parish of Halifax was divided into a large number of civil parishes in the 19th century. In Halifax, a body of improvement commissioners or town trustees was created between 1762 and 1823, and
2968-560: The Aire , which flows through Leeds, near Castleford . The landscape becomes flatter in the east, and the county boundary is on the edge of the Vale of York . Remnants of strong coal, wool and iron ore industries remain in the county, having attracted people over the centuries, and this can be seen in the buildings and architecture. Several railways and the M1 , M621 , M606 , A1(M) and M62 motorways traverse
3074-532: The Churches Conservation Trust . It is grade I listed and is open to visitors at limited times. Its lofty 236-foot (72 m) spire and white magnesian limestone exterior stand as a very personal statement in 13th-century French style of the mill owner Lieutenant Colonel Edward Akroyd , who paid solely for its construction as the centre-piece of a purpose-built model village "Akroydon". All Souls' boasts an unusually complete sequence of windows by
3180-583: The Emley Moor TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter. Courier , Calderdale's local weekly newspaper, has its offices in the town. The Halifax area is home to two selective and non fee-paying grammar schools, which are the Crossley Heath School in Savile Park and North Halifax Grammar School in Illingworth . Both schools achieve excellent GCSE and A level results with both schools achieving
3286-591: The First Halifax and First Huddersfield operations, running services in their respective towns as well as the Calder Valley region. Until recently, some buses in Halifax and Huddersfield were branded for the Holme Valley Connection , Calder Connect, Red Arrow and Zest networks respectively, with refurbished buses receiving free WiFi and an improvement in bus frequency. In 2018, the HD Connect network
First West Yorkshire - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-549: The GRT Group in April 1995 to form the FirstGroup . In September 1995, Yorkshire Rider was split into four separate divisions: Bradford Traveller, Calderline, Kingfisher Huddersfield and Leeds City Link. However in February 1998, all these were respectively renamed First Bradford, First Calderdale, First Huddersfield and First Leeds as part of the rollout of the FirstGroup brand. During
3498-677: The Gothic Revival (1911) St. Paul's at King Cross , by Arts and Crafts architect Sir Charles Nicholson . St. Paul's is notable not only for its fine acoustics and massive west tower but also for an unusual and highly colourful west window, specified by Nicholson, showing the apocalyptic vision of the Holy City descending upon the smoky mills and railway viaducts of Halifax as it was before World War I . The Church of St Jude in Savile Park, designed by local architect William Swinden Barber in 1888,
3604-696: The Halifax Dukes and the Bradford Dukes teams. Odsal Stadium used to host BriSCA stock cars. Leeds has a hill climb event at Harewood speed Hillclimb . Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale , in West Yorkshire , England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines . In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire , primarily in woollen manufacture with
3710-703: The Leeds Supertram was proposed but was later cancelled after the withdrawal of government funding. Public transport is run under the authority of West Yorkshire Metro . In October 2021, £830 million of funding was announced for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to develop mass transit for the region. Additionally, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority won its bids for the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme,
3816-624: The Marquess of Halifax (this creation of the earldom became extinct in 1700). George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax , (2nd order of the 3rd creation) became the President of the Board of Trade in 1748. In 1749 the city of Halifax , the capital of Nova Scotia , Canada, was named in his honour. The Halifax River in Central Florida , United States, was also named after him. Halifax is not mentioned in
3922-531: The Old English halh-gefeaxe , meaning "area of coarse grass in the nook of land". This explanation is generally preferred to derivations from the Old English halig (holy), in hālig feax or "holy hair", proposed by 16th-century antiquarians . The probably-incorrect interpretation gave rise to two legends. One concerned a maiden killed by a lustful priest whose advances she spurned; another held that
4028-631: The Pendle district of Lancashire. The civil parish of Saddleworth in Oldham was the only part of West Riding of Yorkshire to be moved into the county of Greater Manchester. The villages in the parish border the towns of Huddersfield and Holmfirth . There is a strong identity debate with Saddleworth residents who still maintain close connections with Yorkshire including the Saddleworth White Rose Society. The West Yorkshire Act 1980 (c. xiv)
4134-530: The West Yorkshire Combined Authority . The first Mayor of West Yorkshire , Tracy Brabin , was elected on 6 May 2021, following a devolution deal announced by the government in the March 2020 budget . The conurbation of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Wakefield makes up the West Yorkshire Built-up Area , which is the fourth-largest in the United Kingdom and the largest within
4240-563: The West Yorkshire Police (governed by the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner ) continue to operate on this basis. Although the county council was abolished, West Yorkshire continues to form a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a High Sheriff . West Yorkshire contains green belt interspersed throughout the county, surrounding the West Yorkshire Urban Area. It
4346-660: The West Yorkshire Road Car Company , a former National Bus Company subsidiary who operated services in Bradford, Leeds and Otley , from AJS Holdings. The 'West Yorkshire' trading name was retained by Yorkshire Rider for nearly a year following the takeover, after which it was removed in a restructuring of former WYRCC operations. On 15 April 1994, Yorkshire Rider was purchased by the Badgerline Group for £38 million (equivalent to £95,467,000 in 2023). Badgerline and its subsidiaries were later merged with
First West Yorkshire - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-576: The historic county boundaries of Yorkshire . In Parliament, 13 out of 22 of West Yorkshire's MPs are Labour and 9 are Conservative. At local level, the councils are generally divided, apart from the Wakefield district, which has long been one of the safest Labour councils in the country. Some services are provided across the county by West Yorkshire Joint Services and the West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are also county-wide. The county borders, going anticlockwise from
4558-586: The 184 service, previously run by First Greater Manchester from Oldham to Grotton and Huddersfield was transferred to First Huddersfield, now running from Huddersfield to Marsden Hard End and Oldham to replace the 183 bus service. This service is now run by Stagecoach Manchester due to Tranche 2 of the Bee Network bus franchising. Service changes at the start of 2024, meant renumbering bus routes in First Halifax, Calder Valley and Huddersfield, including
4664-582: The 503 which was renumbered to 501 with an additional express service launched, X1. As a result, First Halifax decided to route-brand some of their existing fleet vehicles with Elland Lines to represent the Halifax/Huddersfield corridor. Like with First Leeds and Bradford, HD Connect and the Olympia-Urban livery has been dropped in favour of the new 2024 standard livery, with the pre-existing fleet already starting to wear this new livery. As of July 2017,
4770-527: The BBC television series Happy Valley were filmed in Huddersfield; in addition to exteriors, some of the studio filming was done at North Light Film Studios at Brookes Mill, Huddersfield. As well, interiors for the BBC's Jamaica Inn , for the BBC's Remember Me and for ITV series Black Work , were also filmed at the studios. More recently, many of the exteriors of the BBC series Jericho were filmed at
4876-466: The Baptist did not achieve cathedral status when a new diocese was being considered for the West Riding : Wakefield parish church became the cathedral in 1888 and was extensively altered and enlarged. Minster status was only conferred on the parish church in a ceremony on 22 November 2009. There is a collection of rare Commonwealth white glass as well as a series of Victorian windows. Another feature
4982-534: The Baptist, in the Boothtown area, formerly the Mount Carmel Methodist chapel, was acquired in 1956 and after extensive refurbishment was opened in the 1965 by the town's Serbian community. In 2015 the church celebrated its Golden Jubilee. The mid- Victorian All Souls' Church by Sir George Gilbert Scott , standing part way up Haley Hill to the north of the main town centre, is redundant and vested in
5088-526: The First West Yorkshire fleet consisted of 882 buses, mainly consisting of buses manufactured by Wrightbus , Alexander Dennis and Yutong . In 2006, following the introduction of the service in York, which had been beset by problems, Leeds was chosen to be the second First operation to launch an FTR (stylised ftr ) service. 17 articulated Wright StreetCars were initially acquired for the service, which
5194-464: The Halifax urban area . The main ethnic group in Halifax is White (87%), followed by British Pakistani (10%). Over 90% of people aged 16–74 were employed, mostly full-time. 64% of residents had qualifications. Halifax is home to a large South Asian community mainly of British Pakistanis from the Kashmir region, which originally moved to the area for employment in the textile industry. The majority of
5300-466: The Halifax Nomads in 1948 racing three away fixtures. The Halifax Dukes, the name they took once the Shay was opened, operated in the National League Third Division in 1949 before moving up to the Second Division in 1950. Riders including Arthur Forrest, moved on to Bradford . The Dukes re-emerged in 1965 as founder members of the British League and operated there for many years before the team moved en bloc to Odsal Stadium, Bradford. Halifax Swimming Pool
5406-429: The Halifax and District Rail Action Group (HADRAG). The railway leading from Halifax due north towards Keighley (towards Skipton , Morecambe and Carlisle ) with a further branch to Bradford via Queensbury saw its last through services in May 1955, although parts of the route, which was extremely heavily engineered with long tunnels and high, spectacular viaducts , have now been repaired and revived by Sustrans as
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#17328772406025512-449: The Halifax skyline back in the Victorian age . There is also a smaller chimney that has been shortened, which is not much higher than the existing mills surrounding it. The town has relatively successful sports clubs. Its rugby league club, Halifax Panthers , plays in the Betfred Championship . The town's football team , FC Halifax Town currently compete in the National League , the fifth tier of English football. Halifax also has
5618-408: The Halifax urban area is 530/km . From New Year's Day 1779, manufacturers and mercers dealt internationally in such articles through its grandiose square, the Piece Hall . Halifax is known for Mackintosh's chocolate and toffee products, including Rolo and Quality Street . The Halifax bank was founded and has large offices in the town. Dean Clough , north of the town centre, was once one of
5724-417: The Leeds Electric branding. In partnership with Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority , First Leeds also operates a network of park and ride bus services in the city. As of June 2022, there are three sites at Elland Road , Temple Green and Stourton , numbered P&R1-3 respectively. The network first went into operation in June 2014 with the early opening of the Elland Road site for
5830-420: The MetroBus brand, with a cream and verona green livery adopted. To comply with the Transport Act 1985 , the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive formed an arms length company named Yorkshire Rider in September 1986. West Yorkshire PTE's 'Metrobus' services were transferred to Yorkshire Rider upon the deregulation of West Yorkshire bus services on 26 October 1986. On 21 October 1988, Yorkshire Rider
5936-426: The Regimental Drums and the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band on Sunday 31 March 2007. The troops were then inspected by the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire , Dame Ingrid Roscoe DCVO DStJ FSA and the Mayor of Halifax Cllr Colin Stout making a total of eight stands of colours within the Regimental Chapel. The regiment was presented with the "Freedom of Halifax" on 18 June 1945. Eureka! The National Children's Museum
6042-428: The Trinity MAT. This allowed for a more 16-18 friendly education to be sought by pupils from the Trinity schools. This school, as with the above school, boasts excellent A-level results, with a consistently >98% pass rate since opening in 2019, as well as almost 200% growth in student numbers in that time. The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) Regimental Association, previously based at Wellesley Park, on
6148-480: The UK, but around the world including the US. In 1969 John Mackintosh & Co Limited merged with the York -based Rowntree Limited to form Rowntree Mackintosh . This was, in turn, purchased by Nestlé in 1988. Riley's Toffee Rolls were launched in 1907, made by "Riley Brothers". Halifax was a busy industrial town, dealing in and producing wool, carpets, machine tools and beer. The Crossley family began carpet manufacture in modest premises at Dean Clough , on
6254-401: The area although some remnants of the pre industrial landscape and semi-natural vegetation still survive. However, many areas are affected by urban fringe pressures creating fragmented and downgraded landscapes and ever present are urban influences from major cities, smaller industrial towns and former mining villages. In the Magnesian Limestone belt to the east of the Leeds and Wakefield areas
6360-436: The banks of Hebble Brook . The family was philanthropic and Joseph and Sir Francis Crossley built and endowed almshouses for their workers, which exist to this day and are run by volunteer trustees. Halifax is also home to Suma Wholefoods , which was established in 1975 and is the largest workers' co-operative in the UK. Public bus and train transportation in Halifax is managed and subsidised by West Yorkshire Metro . It
6466-513: The city of Bradford is well known for its large concentration of British Pakistanis , the highest by percentage in the country. Leeds and Kirklees also have large British Pakistani populations. Kirklees also hosts a large population of British Indians . West Yorkshire is home to a large Eastern European population, particularly British Poles . Ethnic minorities totalled to over 21% of West Yorkshire's population in 2011. Leeds has since attracted investment from financial institutions, to become
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#17328772406026572-440: The city of Leeds and surrounding areas from both Bramley and Hunslet depots, the latter replacing the former Kirkstall Road site in 2008 and Cherry Row depot in 2009. First Leeds's services were rebranded to LeedsCity in early 2018, with First's standard fleet livery replaced with a predominantly green livery, of which was first applied to over 120 new Wright StreetDecks delivered between 2018 and 2022. Between 2019 and 2024, it
6678-415: The common occurrence of the surnames Hayley and Haley around Halifax. The derivation from halig has given rise to the demonym Haligonian, which is of recent origin and not in universal use. The Earldom of Halifax took the name of the town. Its first creation, in the Peerage of England in 1677, was for George Savile , who was created Baron Savile of Eland and Viscount Halifax in 1668 and later became
6784-473: The community lives in the west central Halifax region of the town, which was previously home to immigrant Irish communities who have since moved to the outer suburbs. The Illingworth and Mixenden areas, in contrast to west central Halifax, consists mostly of white, Protestant residents. In the 2001 census , 5% stated they were Muslim , 16.3% of no religion, and 63.8% of Christian background. 12.8% did not disclose their religion. The population density of
6890-467: The company's Kirkstall Road depot, first opened in 1897, was closed after 111 years of service. Staff and operations were subsequently moved to a new depot at Hunslet . Named Hunslet Park, the new depot was opened with a capacity of 200 buses with room for additional expansion. In 2009, the management of the three FirstGroup sub-divisions in West Yorkshire, as well as First York were centralised, creating First West Yorkshire. First's Todmorden outstation
6996-453: The county. West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 and its five districts effectively became unitary authorities . The metropolitan county, covering an area of 2,029 square kilometres (783 sq mi), continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference. Since 1 April 2014, West Yorkshire has been a combined authority area, with the local authorities pooling some functions over transport and regeneration as
7102-443: The development of woollen mills. Leeds' traditional industry was the manufacturing of cloth while heavier engineering industries facilitated growth in South Leeds. The Heavy Woollen District covered towns such as Dewsbury , Batley , Morley , Ossett , Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike . The woollen and cloth industries declined throughout the twentieth century. The Rhubarb Triangle is wholly in West Yorkshire and still produces
7208-565: The early 2000s, several were merged. First Quickstep were based at the same Kirkstall Road depot as First Leeds but as a separate entity running several services around the Leeds area until it was merged into First Leeds' operation, while First Calderdale and First Huddersfield merged in 2003 to form First Calderdale & Huddersfield. In July 2005, First Leeds purchased Morley -based Black Prince Buses . The family-run independent's last buses left service on 31 July, with First taking on most of Black Prince's services from 1 August. On 18 May 2008,
7314-573: The escarpment of the Pennines, which is scaled in meandering stages and tunnels by the recreational Leeds-Liverpool Canal and Rochdale Canal , navigable by barge, canoe or kayak. Other tourism features include abbeys, castles, countryside walks, landscapes, picturesque villages, architecture, stately homes, tea rooms , real ale breweries, farmer's markets, restaurants and hiking in villages including Hebden Bridge , Ilkley with its scenic riversides, cherry blossoms and suspension bridge and equally in Wharfedale, Otley . West Yorkshire lies in arguably
7420-680: The game, formed over a century ago, in 1873. They have been Champions of England on 4 occasions and have lifted the Challenge Cup 5 times. Amateur clubs Boothtown Terriers, Greetland All Rounders, Illingworth, King Cross Park, Ovenden, Siddal and Stainland Stags are based in or near the town. The Siddal club is a leading member of amateur rugby league's flagship National Conference League . Greetland All Rounders and Ovenden are former members. Halifax has several senior rugby union clubs. They include Halifax , Halifax Vandals (Warley), Heath (West Vale), Old Crossleyans, Old Rishworthians (Copley) and Old Brodleians (Hipperholme). Halifax Hockey Club
7526-399: The head of Saint John the Baptist was buried here after his execution. The legend is almost certainly medieval rather than ancient, although the town's coat of arms carries an image of the saint. Another explanation is a corruption of the Old English hay and ley , as a clearing or meadow. This etymology is based on Haley Hill, the nearby hamlet of Healey (another corruption), and
7632-460: The headquarters of Wakefield City Council. The county initially had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services. In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished. The functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs; joint-boards covering fire, police and public transport; and to other special joint arrangements. Organisations such as
7738-515: The junction of Gibbet Street and Spring Hall Road, in the former Wellesley Barracks is located within the Bankfield Museum on Boothtown Road. The former barracks , having served as the headquarters of the schools' music service in the last few decades of the 20th century, became a school in 2005. Former regimental colours of the 'Duke's' are laid up in the Halifax Minster. These include
7844-568: The land crops up in the such rhymes and folklore as On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at , date unknown, the early 19th century novels and poems of the Brontë family often in and around Haworth and long-running light comedy-drama Last of the Summer Wine in the 20th century. The carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys in
7950-529: The large Piece Hall square later built for trading wool in the town centre. The town was a thriving mill town during the Industrial Revolution with the Dean Clough Mill buildings a surviving landmark. In 2021, it had a population of 88,109. It is also the administrative centre of the wider Calderdale Metropolitan Borough. The town's name was recorded in about 1091 as Halyfax , most likely from
8056-431: The largest textile factories in the world at more than 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) long; today the building has been converted for office and retail use including a gym, theatre, Travelodge and radio station. As well as the significance of the bank Halifax plc which, since 2008, is part of the Lloyds Banking Group , the town has strong associations with confectionery. John Mackintosh and his wife, Violet, opened
8162-523: The leading artists of the 1850s, including William Wailes , John Hardman and Clayton and Bell . The large organ by Forster and Andrews , inserted in 1868, ten years after the building was completed, is currently unplayable and many of its surviving parts are in storage awaiting restoration. The tower houses a ring of eight bells. Other churches include the Georgian Holy Trinity Church (which has since now been converted to office use) and
8268-879: The most strategic part of Yorkshire: the M62 , M1 and the A1(M) pass through the county, as well as the internal urban motorways in Leeds and Bradford . West Yorkshire has two mainline railway stations, Leeds and Wakefield Westgate . Leeds railway station is the only Network Rail principal station in Yorkshire and North East England , and one of only three in the North of England along with Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street . Other important railway stations in West Yorkshire include Bradford Interchange , Bradford Forster Square , Huddersfield , Halifax , Dewsbury , Keighley and Shipley . West Yorkshire also has Yorkshire's largest airport, Leeds Bradford Airport . Unlike South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire has no light transit system;
8374-535: The nearby Rockingstone Quarry and some interior work was done at North Light Film Studios. Urban tourism varies. National interest features include sporting stadia, museums, theatre and galleries. Royal Armouries is in Leeds, as is the Leeds Playhouse (formerly the West Yorkshire Playhouse), Opera North and The Grand Theatre. The First Direct Arena in Leeds seats around 15,000 people. Sheffield Arena
8480-463: The northern Peak District extends into the south west of Kirklees. Large-scale industry, housing, public and commercial buildings of differing heights, transport routes and open countryside conjoin. The dense network of roads, canals and railways and urban development, confined by valleys creates dramatic interplay of views between settlements and the surrounding hillsides, as shaped the first urban-rural juxtapositions of David Hockney . Where most rural
8586-489: The outer fringes of the Pennines. In this landscape there is widespread evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous derelict or converted mine buildings and recently landscaped former spoil heaps. The scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, and farmed open country. Ribbon developments along transport routes including canal, road and rail are prominent features of
8692-567: The planet Uranus . The coat of arms of Halifax include the chequers from the original coat of arms of the Earls Warenne, who held the town during Norman times. Halifax was notorious for its gibbet , an early form of guillotine used to execute criminals by decapitation , that was last used in 1650. A replica has been erected on the original site in Gibbet Street. Its original blade is on display at Bankfield Museum . Punishment in Halifax
8798-431: The product and legal backing against other products made outside the area using the name. Other protected names include Stilton cheese , Champagne and Parma Ham. The last pit in West Yorkshire to close was Hay Royds Colliery at Denby Dale in 2012 after a flood. Several films and television series have been filmed in West Yorkshire's historic areas, particularly around the town of Halifax . For example, portions of
8904-904: The rugby ground is home to Leeds Rhinos. In Huddersfield , the John Smith's Stadium is home to Huddersfield Town and Huddersfield Giants. In Bradford , Valley Parade is the home of Bradford City, whereas the Odsal Stadium is the home of the Bradford Bulls. Other stadiums include Wheldon Road (Castleford), The Shay (Halifax), Belle Vue (Wakefield), Mount Pleasant (Batley), Crown Flatt (Dewsbury), Post Office Road (Featherstone), John Charles Centre for Sport (Hunslet) and Cougar Park (Keighley). There are two racecourses in West Yorkshire: Pontefract and Wetherby . West Yorkshire also used to host regular speedway meetings, having
9010-561: The stand used by the 33rd Regiment between 1761 and 1771, which is one of the oldest in existence in England, plus those carried by the regiment during the Battle of Waterloo and the Crimea. The 1981 stand of colours, was taken out of service in 2002. They were marched through the town from the town hall to the minster, which at that time was still a parish church, accompanied by two escorts of 40 troops,
9116-503: The successful ZEBRA funding will see the introduction of between 179 and 245 zero-emission electric buses with the necessary infrastructure whilst the BSIP plan will give the West Yorkshire Combined Authority £70 million out of a desired £168 million to implement the improvements outlined in the authority's BSIP. Major football clubs in West Yorkshire include Leeds United , Huddersfield Town , and Bradford City . Rugby league
9222-659: The town became a borough constituency under the Reform Act 1832 . Halifax was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1848 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , and, with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888 , became a county borough in 1889. Since 1974, Halifax has been the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire . Topographically, Halifax
9328-609: The vegetable in considerable quantities. Twelve farmers who farm within the Rhubarb Triangle applied to have the name "Yorkshire forced rhubarb" added to the list of foods and drinks that have their names legally protected by the European Commission's Protected Food Name scheme. The application was successful and the farmers in the Rhubarb Triangle were awarded Protected Designation of Origin status (PDO) in February 2010. Food protected status accesses European funding to promote
9434-399: The west and the Yorkshire coalfield further eastwards. In the extreme east of the metropolitan county there are younger deposits of Magnesian Limestone . Areas in the west such as Bradford and Calderdale are dominated by the scenery of the eastern slopes of the South Pennines , dropping from upland in the west down to the east, and dissected by many steep-sided valleys while a small part of
9540-416: The west: Lancashire , Greater Manchester , Derbyshire , South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire . The terrain of the county mostly consists of the Pennines and its foothills which dominate the west of the county and gradually descend into the Vale of York and Humberhead Levels in the east. Geologically, it lies almost entirely on rocks of carboniferous age which form the inner Southern Pennine fringes in
9646-618: Was also rolled out to pre-existing fleet vehicles. In 2020, nine Yutong E10s , the first zero-emissions buses in West Yorkshire, entered service. This was followed by StreetDeck and GB Kite Electroliner battery electric buses produced by Wrightbus , arriving from 2024. These did not come in LeedsCity Green livery and instead painted into the new 2024 standard livery with Leeds Electric skylines added. Pre-existing fleet vehicles that are not electric at both Bramley and Hunslet depots are also set to receive this new grey-fronted purple livery minus
9752-851: Was announced in January 2009 that Halifax was to have a direct rail link to London after a long campaign backed by many, including the local paper the Courier ; the service began to run on 23 May 2010. Most of the bus services operate from Halifax bus station . First West Yorkshire operate most services in the town, Yorkshire Tiger operate multiple south Calderdale services. Arriva Yorkshire operate services that link Halifax with Dewsbury and Wakefield . First operate bus services from Halifax to Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds. First also run services into other counties, Rochdale in Greater Manchester and Burnley in Lancashire . Halifax railway station
9858-405: Was announced that Calderdale College, in partnership with Leeds Beckett University , opened a new higher education institution in January 2007 called 'University Centre Calderdale'. In 2019, Trinity Sixth Form opened in Halifax town centre, which provides 'outstanding' further education for pupils aged between 16 and 18. The school formed as a result of the closure of sixth forms within schools in
9964-616: Was first drawn up in the 1950s. All the county's districts contain large portions of green belt. West Yorkshire has close ties with Lancashire in terms of history, local identity and infrastructure including with the War of the Roses and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway . Up until the 19th century, the town of Todmorden was in Lancashire but was moved into Yorkshire. In the 1974 boundary review. The towns of Earby and Barnoldswick were moved into
10070-465: Was followed by 11 new City of Bradford -branded Wright StreetLite Max Ultroliners entering service in the summer, whilst some pre-existing fleet vehicles based at Bradford Bowling Back Lane depot were painted in the 2-tone blue livery. Like with First Leeds, the City of Bradford livery is dropped in favour of the new 2024 standard livery. First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield is an amalgamation of
10176-514: Was formed as a metropolitan county in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 , and corresponds roughly to the core of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire and the county boroughs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, and Wakefield. West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use of West Riding County Hall at Wakefield , opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been
10282-532: Was granted in July 1888. However the Industrial Revolution , which changed West and South Yorkshire significantly, led to the growth of Leeds and Bradford, which became the area's two largest cities (Leeds being the largest in Yorkshire). Leeds was granted city status in 1893 and Bradford in 1897. The name of Leeds Town Hall reflects the fact that at its opening in 1858 Leeds was not yet a city, while Bradford renamed its Town Hall as City Hall in 1965. West Yorkshire
10388-511: Was inspired and opened by King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall in the summer of 1992 and is in part of the railway station. Another cultural aspect of the town is its nightlife, centred around Georges Square and Bull Green. It is also home to Britain's oldest nightclub The Acapulco that opened in the early 1960s. The nightclub auctioned off its infamous 20-odd-year old grubby carpet, in square pieces, and surprisingly raised thousands of pounds. Dean Clough Mill ,
10494-497: Was launched in Huddersfield, with buses for services 370, 371 and 372 receiving new blue-front branding, live service tracking and ticket machines with contactless payment . The HD Connect network has expanded on these services since. First Halifax initially opted for the HX Connect livery, with a darker blue front, but it was soon discontinued and replaced by the Olympia-Urban livery, otherwise known as 'hybrid-Olympia'. In April 2023,
10600-576: Was notoriously harsh, as remembered in the Beggar's Litany by poet John Taylor (1580–1654), a prayer whose text included "From Hull , from Halifax, from Hell , 'tis thus, From all these three, Good Lord deliver us.". The town's 19th-century wealth came from the cotton, wool and carpet industries and like most other Yorkshire towns, it had a large number of weaving mills many of which have been lost or converted to alternative use. In November 1938, in an incident of mass hysteria , many residents believed
10706-598: Was officially launched in August 2007 following the alteration of bus lanes, road layouts and the construction of raised kerbs at bus stops. The FTR StreetCars operated on the 4 service serving Pudsey , central Leeds and Seacroft until 2012, when they were redeployed and refurbished alongside ex-York StreetCars to operate on the Leeds-Bradford Hyperlink route 72; these were finally withdrawn in 2016 and replaced with StreetDecks. West Yorkshire West Yorkshire
10812-439: Was opened in 1966 and designed by the borough architects FH Hoyles and JL Berbiers. It contains two ceramic murals by Kenneth Barden on the theme of British pond life . By 2020 there was consideration that a new swimming pool should be installed within the existing North Bridge Leisure Centre, and that the current building should be listed as a significant twentieth century building. The 15th-century Minster dedicated to John
10918-405: Was partially demolished in 2015, converting the site into an open-air yard housing 24 vehicles. The operations of First West Yorkshire and First York are to be remerged into a First North and West Yorkshire business unit on 1 October 2022, with current Managing Director Paul Matthews temporarily overseeing operations of the new business unit until a new Managing Director can be recruited. This
11024-437: Was passed to amend existing local acts of Parliament in the West Yorkshire area, and to confer specific powers on West Yorkshire County Council , as well as the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council , Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council , Kirklees Council , Leeds City Council and Wakefield Council . West Yorkshire is ethnically diverse, hosting large populations of multiple ethnic minority groups. Most notably,
11130-407: Was privatised for £20 million (equivalent to £74,021,000 in 2023), with 51% of shares in the company being sold by West Yorkshire PTE to a team of eight managers in a management buyout and the remaining 49% sold to Yorkshire Rider's 3,500 employees in an Employee Share Ownership Plan , the largest ESOP arrangement in the United Kingdom at the time. In August 1989, Yorkshire Rider purchased
11236-564: Was redeveloped again to host the Northern Broadsides Theatre Company and the IOU theatre company as well as providing space for eight art galleries. The Artworks is a collection of artists studios, gallery space and an art school housed in an old mill complex just to the south of the town centre. The structure can be seen entering the town from the north and east and lower parts of Pellon. It would have been one of many that filled
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