53°43′12″N 2°00′14″W / 53.720°N 2.004°W / 53.720; -2.004
62-648: The Upper Calder Valley lies in West Yorkshire , in northern England , and covers the towns of Todmorden , Hebden Bridge , Mytholmroyd , Luddendenfoot , and Sowerby Bridge , as well as a number of smaller settlements such as Portsmouth , Cornholme , Walsden , and Eastwood . The valley is the upper valley of the River Calder . Major tributaries of the Upper Calder include the Walsden Water, which flows through
124-536: 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
186-493: A considerable amount of water pollution, particularly through the processes involved in the production of synthetic dyes and in scouring the wool clean. The enormous growth of the population over the last hundred years (currently over 800,000 people live within the river's catchment) has caused other problems in relation to sewage . Another major source of pollution until recently came from a disused tar distillery in Mirfield . In
248-412: 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
310-643: 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
372-602: A variable speed Archimedean screw. The weir at Kirkthorpe was adapted in 2017 to be a hydroelectric generating station, with a capacity of 500 kWh. The valley's historic towns and cities have attracted film and television productions. Several films and television series have been filmed in the area, particularly around the town of Huddersfield . For example, portions of the BBC television series Happy Valley (2014) were filmed in Huddersfield; in addition to exteriors, some of
434-445: Is 320 feet (98 m) long, was built in sandstone between 1342 and 1356, and replaced an earlier wooden structure on the site of an ancient ford. The chantry chapel on the bridge was licensed in 1356. At Wakefield, a variety of former mill buildings are currently being redeveloped to create a Waterfront project which will combine residential housing, offices, galleries and public spaces. The Hepworth Wakefield opened in 2011. In
496-505: 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
558-558: 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
620-547: 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
682-809: 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
SECTION 10
#1732847693565744-449: 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
806-512: Is buried in Heptonstall , near Hebden Bridge) and the writer Emily Brontë . The valley has also been a popular setting for film and TV, such as the series Happy Valley . Jennings, B. (1992). Pennine Valley: History of Upper Calderdale . Dalesman Publishing Co Ltd. ISBN 9781870071932 . This West Yorkshire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . West Yorkshire West Yorkshire
868-615: Is common in Northern Britain, being found in various places across Lancashire and Yorkshire, as well as Calderstones , Liverpool , East Calder and West Calder near Edinburgh and Calderwood near Glasgow , and as the name of the Scottish Clan Calder . The late survival of Celtic speaking peoples in the vicinity of the river Calder is perhaps evidenced in the names of villages such as Walsden , in upper Calderdale, which probably derives from *Walhaz Dene, meaning "Valley of
930-570: 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
992-741: Is heavily reservoired, with 39 reservoirs licensed to provide water. The river is joined by Hebden Water at Hebden Bridge, and by the River Ryburn at Sowerby Bridge; it is linked to the town of Rochdale , Greater Manchester across the Pennines via the Rochdale Canal . For much of its length, the Calder is canalised and becomes the Calder and Hebble Navigation . It is also part of the Aire and Calder Navigation , and to
1054-682: Is part of the connected inland waterway network of England and Wales. The word ultimately derives from the Brythonic language , with most scholars agreeing that the name is a compound of two elements related to the Modern Welsh words caled (hard) and dwr (water). However, it is still a subject of debate if the hard element refers to the river's bed, or figuratively to the strength of its currents. As such two separate meanings are commonly derived with 'hard (or violent) water', or river of stones being commonly given translations. The name 'Calder'
1116-514: 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
1178-727: 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 . River Calder, West Yorkshire The River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire , in Northern England . The Calder rises on Heald Moor in Lancashire close to the source of another river with the same name , and then flows east into West Yorkshire through green countryside, former woollen-mill villages and towns before joining
1240-703: 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,
1302-631: 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)
SECTION 20
#17328476935651364-535: The River Aire near Castleford . The river's valley is generally known as the Calder Valley . The name Calderdale usually refers to the large urban and rural borough (centred on Halifax ) through which the upper river flows. The lower reaches flow through the boroughs of Kirklees (based on Huddersfield) and Wakefield . However, the river does not flow through the centres of Halifax and Huddersfield, which are on
1426-587: 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
1488-563: 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
1550-576: 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
1612-669: The "Welsh" ('Welsh' being what the Anglo-Saxons called the native Celts who would have spoken Old Welsh ). The river rises approximately 1,300 feet (400 m) above sea level at Heald Moor, north-west of Todmorden , and drains an area of 369 square miles (957 km ). It flows for a distance of around 45 miles (72 km) through Cornholme , Todmorden , Eastwood , Hebden Bridge , Mytholmroyd , Luddendenfoot , Sowerby Bridge , Copley , Elland , Brighouse , Mirfield , Dewsbury , Horbury Bridge and on to Wakefield. The catchment lies on Carboniferous rocks of Millstone Grit , and
1674-853: The 1760s, and is partially filmed in Heptonstall . Until the 19th century, the Calder was home to large numbers of salmon but pollution from the textile and chemical industries along its banks led to the death of the salmon population by the mid 19th century. The last salmon on record was caught at Wakefield in 1850, however there is evidence that they are returning, with sightings on the lower river at Castleford in 2008 and alleged catchings much further upstream. Around Huddersfield , Mirfield and Wakefield are popular areas for coarse fishing, roach , perch , chub , dace , minnows , gudgeon , pike , bream and trout . The areas upstream of Dewsbury are quickly becoming cleaner and more suited to game and specialised river cyprinids like barbel , as well as general coarse fish that are also doing well. Alongside
1736-426: 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
1798-468: The Calder's main tributaries, Hebble Brook and the River Colne respectively. The only large town centres through which the Calder flows are Brighouse , Mirfield , Dewsbury and the city of Wakefield . The river itself is only navigable in short sections, but these sections are connected by artificial "cuts" (e.g. Horbury Cut) to form the Calder and Hebble Navigation , a popular leisure waterway which
1860-598: The Hebble at Halifax , and the Colne at Huddersfield . The mills in the Upper Calder Valley specialised in cotton weaving, with some cotton spinning, while those in the lower part of the valley specialised in wool and shoddy. Some of these structures still exist as listed buildings, although the large scale production of yarn and textile has now ceased. The river formed an important transportation system for raw materials and
1922-457: The Upper Calder are situated linearly along the valley, which cuts through the eastern slopes of the Pennines from Portsmouth in the west to Sowerby Bridge, a market town on the outskirts of Halifax, in the east. The rugged and steep-sided Upper Calder Valley inspired such literary artists as the poets Ted Hughes (who was born in Mytholmroyd and wrote about Scout Rock ), Sylvia Plath (who
Upper Calder Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-462: 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
2046-513: 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
2108-453: 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
2170-497: 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
2232-694: The east of Castleford , it merges into the River Aire , going on to join the Humber Estuary and the North Sea . The river was central to establishment of the textile industries in the local area, and flows through the area known as the Yorkshire Heavy Woollen District . Many major mills were constructed along its banks, particularly at Dewsbury and Wakefield , but also in the smaller communities of Brighouse , Hebden Bridge , Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden , as well as along its tributaries:
2294-677: 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
2356-460: 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
2418-568: 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
2480-478: The large village of Walsden to join the Calder at Todmorden; the Hebden Water , which flows through Hebden Dale to join the Calder at Hebden Bridge; Cragg Brook, which flows through Cragg Vale to join the Calder at Mytholmroyd, and the largest, the River Ryburn, which joins the Calder at Sowerby Bridge. The Upper Calder Valley falls entirely within the much larger metropolitan district of Calderdale . The towns of
2542-558: The late 1830s and early 1840s, the River Calder was diverted at Kirkthorpe to aid the building of the railway between Wakefield Kirkgate and Normanton . This also straightened out one of the larger curves in the river and was a cheaper option than building bridges to span the river. In 2015 a 100 kW hydro installation and fish pass was completed at Whalley Weir on the River Calder in Whalley. The micro hydroelectric generating plant uses
Upper Calder Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-553: The middle 1950s the river was so polluted by dyeworks in the middle reaches between Todmorden and Sowerby Bridge, that it ran different opaque colours from day to day. On Easter Monday, after a long weekend holiday shutdown, the water cleared and the river bottom could actually be seen, looking like a grey wool blanket. Tighter controls during the 1950s led to an improvement in water quality, and presently organisations such as Calder Future are working collaboratively with local industries and Yorkshire Water to promote more responsible use of
2666-924: 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;
2728-535: 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
2790-463: 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
2852-438: 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
2914-431: 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
2976-449: The products of the mills, particularly prior to the development of other infrastructures such as road and railway links to the area. At many places, the river is not navigable because of weirs or the shallow depth, and passage for boats was made by the creation of cuts where boats are able to enter the Calder and Hebble Navigation . Work began to make the Calder navigable above Wakefield in 1758. Wakefield's medieval nine-arched bridge
3038-417: The river and to re-establish lost wildlife along its banks. The river has a history of flooding, mainly due to the high sides of its banks in its earlier stages, which cause rapid runoff of water following heavy rain. Much of the lower part of the river has been urbanised , therefore trapping flowing water within the engineered river channels. Fast flows of water cause the deposition of sediment collected from
3100-487: The river are four Sites of Special Scientific Interest . Recent improvements in reducing the amount of pollution have led to the return of native wildlife, such as the otter and kingfisher to stretches of the river. Kingfishers are easily spotted (all year round, due to its orange underbelly) all the way up and down the river's course and are quite numerous around the Mirfield area. The river has been heavily polluted by
3162-459: The river banks, raising the river height further. A variety of flood defences are in operation along the Calder Valley to prevent the recurrence of floods which devastated communities in the early part of this century. At Wakefield, for example, the lake at Pugneys Country Park is used as an overflow for the river in order to protect the town. The recently regenerated Wakefield Waterfront area
SECTION 50
#17328476935653224-904: 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
3286-474: 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. Many of the exteriors of the BBC series Jericho (2016) were filmed at the nearby Rockingstone Quarry and some interior work was done at North Light Film Studios. The TV series The Gallows Pole takes place in Calder Valley in
3348-503: 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
3410-434: The textile industry, and, more recently, chemical works along its banks. Close to its source at Heald Foot, the water is polluted by the remains of past opencast mining activities and a landfill site. This has also led to a significant amount of soil erosion , with major mudslides into the river and its tributaries in 1947, 1982, 1991 and 2001. As the river reached Huddersfield, the traditional textile industries created
3472-660: 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
3534-399: 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
3596-416: 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
3658-563: 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
3720-576: 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
3782-642: 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
SECTION 60
#17328476935653844-483: 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,
#564435