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West Yorkshire along with South Yorkshire is the Heavy Industrial Heartland of this great county. Once the giant industries of Steel, Coal and Wool were to be seen all over Yorkshire, now those giants may sleep but West Yorkshire still has many things to see and enjoy. There are the major towns and cities of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Halifax; there is Holmfirth (Home to Last of the Summer Wine), Slaithwaite (Where the Heart Is) and Howarth (The Bronte Sisters). The West Riding alone is bigger than England's second county Lincolnshire. And the county town of the West Riding is Wakefield. After the Romans left West Yorkshire in 410 AD, Elmet in the West Riding was the last Romano-British state east of the Pennines to hold out against invaders.

Many battles have been fought (won & lost) in West Yorkshire over the years, Pontefract Castle held by the Duke of Lancaster, Sandal Castle held by the Duke of York; the battle of Wakefield is where these two great forces came together on the battlefield. On December 30 1460 the Duke of York sent a foraging party from Sandal to find food in Wakefield. By coincidence this was also the date when the Lancastrian army had decided to attack. A unit of Lancastrians under the command of Lord Clifford came upon the foraging party at Portobello and cut them off from their base. The Duke of York, perhaps mistaking the size of the Lancastrian force, led his men out of the castle to attempt a rescue. The York's troops were surrounded and cut to pieces. Lord Clifford, of Skipton, or 'Bloody Clifford' as he is often known, cut the head off the corpse of the Duke of York and it was later placed on a spike over the gate at Micklegate Bar at York. Clifford was also responsible for the death of Edmund, Duke of Rutland, York's son; the lad was caught fleeing away.

National Coal Mining Museum-Wakefield.

The National Coal Mining Museum for England is located at Caphouse Colliery Wakefield, on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, where mining has been carried out for centuries. A plan dated 1791 and showing workings from 1789 to 1795 includes a shaft on the Caphouse site. It is probably the oldest coalmine shaft still in everyday use in Britain today.

Before 1827 the colliery was owned by the Milnes family but then passed into the ownership of the Lister Kaye family until 1917. After 1917 the colliery was run by a company, which included the ex-manager Percy Greaves, a colliery owner in his own right. Around 1941 Arthur Sykes of Lockwood and Elliott bought the colliery and remained as owner until Nationalisation in 1947. By 1985 the coal at Caphouse was exhausted and its conversion to a Museum began.

Wakefield Cathedral.

Wakefield Cathedral is one of the 20 new cathedrals created in England between 1836 and 1927 and one of the 12 'parish church cathedrals'.  All Saints still serves as a parish church and because of this the head of the Cathedral Chapter, who is also an incumbent, is called the provost and not the dean.  The medieval parish church of All Saints was built on the site of a Saxon church in the 14th century.  In the 19th century the church was improved and restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott and J.T. Micklewaite before being elevated to the status of a cathedral in 1888. Further work was carried out between 1897 and 1905 and the building was consecrated in 1905. 

The spire of All Saints, at 247 ft, is the tallest in Yorkshire. Inside the cathedral there is a 17th century font, splendid 18th century stalls in the chancel and roof bosses.  There is some high quality Victorian glass by Kempe and the rood above the screen was designed by Sir Ninian Comper, another feature is the memorial to Bishop Walsham Howe, who was the first Bishop of Wakefield.

Saltaire. (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Saltaire is a UNESCO world heritage site and a unique and beautiful Victorian village, built between 1851 and 1876 and conceived by wool baron Sir Titus Salt. Saltaire is situated 4.5 miles from Bradford, the village was built to house his textile mill and workforce on the banks of the River Aire, far from the stench and vice of the industrial city.

Hills, spectacular bluebell woods and moorland surround the village, Saltaire is built from honey coloured stone in a Neo-Italian style and laid out in a grid pattern occupying 25 acres (of a 50 acre site). The streets take their names from the Salt family (including Caroline, his wife) and from Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort and also from the architects.

Bingley Five Rise Locks.

River navigation couldn't solve all the transport problems of industrial Yorkshire so artificial waterways, or canals were cut into the landscape. With the Pennines being so high locks had to be introduced to raise or lower the water level of the canal. Bingley Five Rise lock, which alters the height of the water by just over 59 ft, is the most impressive in Britain.

The lock is part of the Leeds-Liverpool canal that took 46 years to complete from the time work started in 1770. James Brindley one of the greatest of the canal builders who also designed the Five Rise lock laid out the line of the canal, which is over 108 miles long, along the Aire valley.

East Riddlesden Hall. Tel: +44 (0)1535 607075

A character 17th century manor house remodelled by James Murgatroyd, a cloth merchant from Halifax. The house and buildings have distinctive architectural details and are set in mature grounds with beech trees, a pond and a turf maze.

The house has a wonderful ambience and is furnished with textiles, Yorkshire oak furniture and pewter. There is also a handling collection for you to discover. The Starkie Wing façade provides a dramatic backdrop to the garden planted with lavender, flowers and a fragrant herb border, which is based on Culpeper's Herbal. Wild flowers, bulbs, perennials and apple trees, provide a changing carpet of colour throughout the year in the orchard garden. A magnificent 17th century oak framed barn also stands in the grounds. For events throughout the year. Ring for details.

Nostell Priory.

The priory is dedicated to St Oswald and was founded in the 12th century.  The friars continued there until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in the 16th century.The property was acquired in 1654 by Rowland Winn, a London City alderman who had properties in Lincolnshire.  

The present building was constructed to the north of the old priory and was created over a period of 50 years from 1735 and involved two architects. Sir Rowland Winn the 4th Baronet, commissioned James Paine to design his house.   Although Paine went on to become one the foremost architects of the mid-18th century, at the time he began work on Nostell Priory he was only 19 years old.Paine and Sir Rowland spent eight years designing and building the central block and worked on plans for a larger Palladian house, however they did not finish their work. In 1765 Sir Rowland died and his son (also Sir Rowland) employed Robert Adam to complete the house in the neo-classical style.  Adam designed extensions for either side of the house but only the north wing was added.  As a result the house has an asymmetrical appearance.