Essential Hotels > England > West Yorkshire > Huddersfield

Huddersfield is a bustling town in West Yorkshire with a rich history, splendid architecture and a lively, friendly atmosphere. It is a particularly large University town, with the University of Huddersfield adding an eclectic edge to a population already renowned for its diversity and welcoming nature. The town is set part-way between Manchester to the south-west and Leeds to the north-east, while Bradford is marginally the nearest city, directly to the north. There are also a couple of waterways nearby, with the River Colne and the River Holne joining together near Huddersfield.

This part of Yorkshire developed as small pastoral communities from as early as the Iron Age, yet the Huddersfield of today was largely shaped during the 18th and 19th centuries, when the town, like many others in Yorkshire and Lancashire, enjoyed rapid growth due to the success of the textile industry. Much of this development is attributable to the Ramsden family, who oversaw the growth of the town and the building of some remarkable examples of Victorian architecture, much of which survives today. Huddersfield boasts some 1,660 listed buildings, including splendid shopping arcades, the town hall and the railway station, which was once described as ‘a stately home with trains running through it’. Further, John Betjeman described the station as ‘the most splendid station facade in England’. Huddersfield Corporation purchased almost the entire town centre from the Ramsden Estate in 1920, leading to Huddersfield’s affectionate moniker of ‘the town that bought itself’.

Today, Huddersfield is best known as a creative town, with a growing reputation for arts and culture, including award-winning festivals and events such as the world famous Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in November and the Food and Drink Festival in August.

Retail therapy can be enjoyed at high street stores, markets and arcades, while the town offers a lively nightlife, with a variety of bars, pubs and clubs, performances of dance, drama and comedy throughout the year as well as live music nights. Huddersfield also offers an excellent range of sporting activities, including football and rugby league at the innovative Galpharm Stadium (Huddersfield is of course acknowledged as the birthplace of rugby league), and with the whole of Yorkshire within easy reach, this is a great place from which to explore this fascinating region.