Did You Know?

It is an inland and in relative terms upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in moors of the Pennines and has a population of 2.2 million. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972.

Tyke or Yorkie is now a colloquialism used to identify the West Yorkshire dialect, as well as the term some Yorkshiremen affectionately use to describe themselves, especially in the West Riding.

The county is known for its beautiful countryside, including the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Peak District National Park

In the 18th and 19th centuries abundant waterpower and, later, steam power based on locally mined coal stimulated the growth of industry in traditional textile towns in the hilly western area, including Huddersfield, Halifax, and Bradford, are no longer major textile producers, and mining in that part of the county has ceased.

When the French carried out their first guillotine execution in 1792 they were only 506 years behind West Yorkshire. The Halifax Gibbet, a very similar device, is said to have despatched one John of Dalton in 1286. Even if that event is open to dispute, it is certain that by 1541 felons in the town died on the contraption, a replica of which can be seen - appropriately - on Gibbet Street there.

Leeds has since attracted investment from financial institutions, to become 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.

The county town of West Yorkshire, like that of the West Riding, is the city of Wakefield. The metropolitan county authority was abolished in 1986 but since 2014 the five metropolitan districts have come together to organise some services through the Combined Authority.

The Rhubarb Triangle is wholly in the area and still produces 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.

Pontefract is known for its castle, a once-fearsome fortress which bore witness to some of England’s most momentous historical events, earning itself the name “Key To The North”! But few know of its ties to liquorice. It is not known who brought liquorice to Pontefract, but the area’s soft loam was perfect for its roots. By 1614 the liquorice extract was being made into small stamped medicinal lozenges – an early form of the famous Pontefract Cakes! In 1760, sugar was added to the recipe, beginning the region’s longstanding relationship with confectionery.