Welcome
To the e-travelguide to Hotels, guest houses
and attractions in West Yorkshire
Make the most of your
time in West Yorkshire, use the information provided
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West Yorkshire is one of four counties that make up modern Yorkshire, the others being North and South Yorkshire and the East Riding. Since 1998, the proliferation of unitary authorities has complicated matters somewhat, and the modern West Yorkshire is not entirely equivalent to the traditional West Riding of Yorkshire, which at one time covered parts of what are now Lancashire and Greater Manchester. In addition to the counties already mentioned, West Yorkshire also shares a rather short boundary with Derbyshire. The county’s main city is Leeds, which is the cultural, commercial and entertainment capital of the region, as well as being one of the UK’s most popular destinations for a city break. However, Leeds’ history is one of toil and graft; the dramatic industrialisation of the textile mills in the late 18 th and early 19 th Centuries saw the small settlement on the River Aire grow into an industrial powerhouse. Leeds’ close neighbour Bradford also became an important textile town, as did Halifax; another important industry in West Yorkshire included coal mining which, particularly in the south of the county, was a major employer until its demise in the latter years of the 20 th Century. Today, the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield celebrates the region’s glorious coal mining heritage.
Yet West Yorkshire has many other facets, in particular literature and film. The wild, dramatic moorland surrounding Haworth inspired the famous works of Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte; the Bronte family moved to the town in 1820, having previously lived in the village of Thornton, just a few miles away. The three sisters became some of England’s most celebrated writers, and the region is often referred to as ‘Bronte Country’ today. The city of Bradford, not far away, is where visitors can find the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television; the museum is a celebration of Britain’s filmmaking heritage, and is one of the region’s most popular visitor attractions.
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