Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a manufacturing, woollen and textile town in West Yorkshire, 11 miles from Bradford.
It gained the hallmarks of Victorian wealth that characterise so many towns in the region.
The great Cloth Hall was built by the Ramsden family in 1766. The same family brought the railway to Huddersfield, as well as the Ramsden Canal.
Huddersfield Station was designed in the classical manner by J. P. Pritchett of York and completed in 1850. It is generally considered to be one of the finest railway buildings in the land.
The Town Hall was built in 1878, along with markets and arades.
Brook Street was built as a wholesale market in 1887, and has now been restored as a general market.
Huddersfield Corporation purchased the Ramsden estate, including most of the town centre, from Sir J. F. Ramsden, the 6th baronet, in 1920, leading to it being referred to as "the town that bought itself".
The Huddersfield Choral Society has an excellent reputation, and the library holds many outstanding works of art.
Among those born in Huddersfield are actor James Mason; and Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
A meeting at the George Hotel in 1895 led to a group of Rugby Union clubs breaking away to form the Rugby League.
Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby is available to lead Guided Walks around Huddersfield for groups.