West Yorkshire Leasing

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. West Yorkshire 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 West Yorkshire the 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. Today in those areas, including the boroughs of Calderdale and Kirklees, engineering, paper and packing, and light manufacturing are among the most important activities.

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.

After London and Birmingham, the third-largest city in the United Kingdom is Leeds. It is a city located in the northern county.

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 West Yorkshire 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.

Talking of Bradford, the city has soft water perfect for washing the delicate material that is wool. Therefore, it has been known as the "wool capital of the world" and played a key part in the industrial revolution.

Several films and television series have been filmed in West Yorkshire's historic areas, particularly around the town of Huddersfield. For example, portions of the BBC television series Happy Valley were filmed in Huddersfield; in addition to exteriors, some of the studio filming was done at North Light Film Studios at Brookes Mill, Huddersfield. As well, interiors for the BBC's Jamaica Inn, for the BBC's Remember Me and for ITV series Black Work, were also filmed at the studios.