City Guides
Huddersfield
History
The location in which modern-day Huddersfield is found has been occupied since at least the Roman period; and in the Domesday Book, the village is listed and named “Oderesfelt”.
In the late nineteenth-century, Huddersfield was incorporated into the municipal borough of West Riding. In 1974, the borough was abolished and Huddersfield joined with its surrounding areas to become the principle town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees.
Huddersfield is today a West Yorkshire city with a population of just under 150,000.
Huddersfield is highly regarded for its historical buildings and sites, and boasts the third highest number of listed buildings in the UK. St Peter’s Church, in the centre of town, is early nineteenth-century and well cared for; the train station is another architecturally impressive structure; and the central library is housed in an elegant 1930s building.
Kirklees’ Museums and Historic Houses are the responsibility of Kirklees Council, and this responsibility is certainly taken seriously! There are many historical buildings, including a number of ex-residential properties, which are maintained by the authorities and open to the public. Most of the museums and buildings have interactive features and displays to encourage children to participate, and there are usually visitors’ centres with free information for the perusal of visitors.
Oakwell Hall is a sixteenth-century manor house, used for much of its history as a family home. The Hall is now restored to its seventeenth-century glory, with a mixture of original and reproduced fixtures and furnishings. The building is set within a hundred acres of Country Park, with nature trails, picnic areas and an adventure playground for young visitors. There is also a café and gift shop.
Inside the Hall is a large, impressive art gallery and ornately decorated rooms. Watercolour workshops and photography classes are hosted in the Hall’s function rooms for time to time. The ‘Discover Oakwell’ exhibition is an interactive exhibit, teaching young visitors about the Country Park in which the Hall resides.
Please note, some of the museum is not accessible for wheelchair users or those with pushchairs. Plans are underway to rectify this problem, but for the time being the management offers their apologies for the situation. Call 01924 326240 for more information.
The Red House Museum is a mid-seventeenth-century family home, with much of its original fixtures and furnishings retained, and open to the public. Visitors are invited to take a tour around the parlour, the stone-flagged kitchen and the recreated nineteenth-century gardens.
Mary Taylor, the homeowner’s daughter, was a close friend of Charlotte Brontë’s, and the author was a frequent visitor to the house. This part of the building’s history is explored in an exhibition entitled ‘The Secret’s Out’, which is based in the barn. Other exhibitions include an exploration of the twentieth-century through oral history recordings, touch-screen terminals and collections of memorabilia.
The museum has its own gift shop, selling a range of books, toys and preserves. Please note, some of the museum is not accessible for wheelchair users or those with pushchairs. Plans are currently underway to rectify this problem. Call 01274 335100 for more information.
Longley Old Hall is in Longley, only a couple of miles out of town. The hall is a fourteenth-century, timber-framed building, which was used for most of its history as a family home. Guided tours are available, but must be pre-booked. This can be done by calling 01484 430852.
In the late nineteenth-century, Huddersfield was incorporated into the municipal borough of West Riding. In 1974, the borough was abolished and Huddersfield joined with its surrounding areas to become the principle town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees.
Huddersfield is today a West Yorkshire city with a population of just under 150,000.
Huddersfield is highly regarded for its historical buildings and sites, and boasts the third highest number of listed buildings in the UK. St Peter’s Church, in the centre of town, is early nineteenth-century and well cared for; the train station is another architecturally impressive structure; and the central library is housed in an elegant 1930s building.
Kirklees’ Museums and Historic Houses are the responsibility of Kirklees Council, and this responsibility is certainly taken seriously! There are many historical buildings, including a number of ex-residential properties, which are maintained by the authorities and open to the public. Most of the museums and buildings have interactive features and displays to encourage children to participate, and there are usually visitors’ centres with free information for the perusal of visitors.
Oakwell Hall is a sixteenth-century manor house, used for much of its history as a family home. The Hall is now restored to its seventeenth-century glory, with a mixture of original and reproduced fixtures and furnishings. The building is set within a hundred acres of Country Park, with nature trails, picnic areas and an adventure playground for young visitors. There is also a café and gift shop.
Inside the Hall is a large, impressive art gallery and ornately decorated rooms. Watercolour workshops and photography classes are hosted in the Hall’s function rooms for time to time. The ‘Discover Oakwell’ exhibition is an interactive exhibit, teaching young visitors about the Country Park in which the Hall resides.
Please note, some of the museum is not accessible for wheelchair users or those with pushchairs. Plans are underway to rectify this problem, but for the time being the management offers their apologies for the situation. Call 01924 326240 for more information.
The Red House Museum is a mid-seventeenth-century family home, with much of its original fixtures and furnishings retained, and open to the public. Visitors are invited to take a tour around the parlour, the stone-flagged kitchen and the recreated nineteenth-century gardens.
Mary Taylor, the homeowner’s daughter, was a close friend of Charlotte Brontë’s, and the author was a frequent visitor to the house. This part of the building’s history is explored in an exhibition entitled ‘The Secret’s Out’, which is based in the barn. Other exhibitions include an exploration of the twentieth-century through oral history recordings, touch-screen terminals and collections of memorabilia.
The museum has its own gift shop, selling a range of books, toys and preserves. Please note, some of the museum is not accessible for wheelchair users or those with pushchairs. Plans are currently underway to rectify this problem. Call 01274 335100 for more information.
Longley Old Hall is in Longley, only a couple of miles out of town. The hall is a fourteenth-century, timber-framed building, which was used for most of its history as a family home. Guided tours are available, but must be pre-booked. This can be done by calling 01484 430852.
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