Leeds Facts Interesting and Unusual

Posted by tejvan in Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (0 Comments)

leeds

  • Leeds Population -  715404, (2001 census population of Leeds)
  • Leeds Metropolitan borough 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million,

Leeds

History Leeds

  • Origin of Leeds was when the Kingdom of Elmet was covered by the forest of “Loidis”, the origin of the name Leeds.
  • In Middle ages, an important centre for making white broadcloth being traded at the Leeds White Cloth Hall.
  • During the industrial revolution, Leeds had many wool and flax factories. But, also remained an important centre for agriculture.
  • The Leeds Corn Exchange was built in 1864, it has since been converted into an indoor market.
  • In post-war Britain, many traditional manufacturing industries declined. To a large extent, Leeds reinvented itself as a service sector town, with banking, insurance and finance main business.

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Your York and it’s Rivers

Posted by brian in Our Yorkshire | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (0 Comments)

York

Boating on the Ouse on a bright winters day is not for the faint hearted. These hardy souls were traveling up-stream in the face of a cold westerly wind. At least the high water and flood dangers had passed for a few days (or hopeful months even years said the landlord at the Kings Arms).

The Kings Arms known for the regular flooding has mementoes from its Scandinavian visitors who visit York annually to take part in the Viking Festival (in February) and compete in the long-ships race on the Ouse in front of the pub.

The larger pleasure craft is photographed outside the York City Rowing Club HQ.

Book Cover
The York Book by Michael S. Bennett will leave you thinking there is so much you didn’t know about York ‘from Aaron of York to the Zouche Chapel in the Minster. There’s nothing else quite like it as it includes famous people, ghost stories, architects, artists and historical events..’ amazon

York is located at the confluence of the rivers Foss and Ouse. The smaller Foss joins the Ouse near Skeldergate Bridge. Then the Ouse eventually reaches the Humber Estuary, providing an easy passage from the sea. The Romans and Vikings both made use of the navigable river to York.

There are several good walks incorporating the river banks in and around York.
See the floods in pictures by Simon Caldwell

Yorkshire Facts – Interesting and Unusual

Posted by tejvan in Our Yorkshire | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (7 Comments)

drystonewall

One of the many dry stone walls dotted around the Yorkshire Dales

  • Yorkshire has sometimes been nicknamed God’s Own County. in general recognition for having the largest number of great people and great things in Britain. Some even go so far as to say Yorkshire is – God’s Own Country. This is either a slip of the tongue or recognition of Yorkshire’s wider struggle for complete independence
  • Yorkshire Day is  held on 1 August every year to celebrate Yorkshire’s unique culture and dialect.
  • After the death of Richard II, there was a civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of Yorkshire over the next successor to the English crown. The wars of the Roses led to bitter fighting until Henry Tudor (Lancaster) beat Richard (York) at the Battle of Bosworth.
  • The unofficial anthem of Yorkshire is the popular folk song is On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at (“On Ilkley Moor without a hat”),

boltonabbey
Bolton Abbey – from Autumn photos of Yorkshire

Yorkshire People

  • The area around Haworth is known as Bronte Country in recognition for the three Brontë sisters’ contribution to English literature. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is perhaps best known.
  • Famous modern Yorkshire writers include Alan Bennett, Barbara Cartland, Arthur Ransome and J.B.Priestly. Ted Hughes, W. H. Auden are two notable poets.
  • Great Yorkshire artists include David Hockney and Henry Moore.
  • Great Yorkshire sportsmen include: Sir Leonard Hutton, Geoffrey Boycott, Brian Clough and Fred Trueman.
  • Captain Cook hailed from Marton, near Middlesborough. He rose to become captain of Royal Navy and chartered many new lands and seas from Hawaii to New Zealand.
  • Beryl Burton from Morley, West Yorks was one of the greatest female cyclists of all times. Seven times world champion, she once broke the men’s record for the 12 hour time trial, completing 277 miles (Beryl Burton)
  • Jessica Ennis, the Heptathlete from Sheffield is a star of the British Olympic team
  • Guy Fawkes famously caught with gunpowder under the House of Commons was born in York.
  • William Wilberforce, an active campaigner against slavery was born in Hull.
  • Great gardeners of Yorkshire include, Alan Titchmarsh and George Russell the famous Lupin grower.
  • Hannah Hauxwell is a well known Yorkshire celebrity after living on her own in a simple traditional barn in North Yorkshire

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Cycle York

Posted by tejvan in Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (0 Comments)

York is a UK cycling city with one of the highest levels of cycling in the county. A recent cycle festival at Rowntree Park, York attracted many people to enjoy the pleasures and fun of cycling.

cycleyork
York and BMX skills

cycleyork
Beautiful city of York

cycleyork

See more: photos of York Cycling

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Shops in Leeds – The Cheap and The Dear

Posted by tejvan in Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (0 Comments)

In a recent visit to Leeds, I was disappointed to see a growth in the number of bargain basement, everything for a pound shops, which always appear on the verge of closing down. Perhaps more sad, was the lack of real bookshops, with only really Waterstones being a major bookshop left in the city centre

leeds

Mr Price!

At the other extreme, we have Harvey Nichols and haute couture of the Victorian Arcade. I don’t think you would find many things in there for under a £1!
leeds

Nice Bike and Harvey Nichols.

Yorkshire You are Welcome to It!

Posted by brian in Our Yorkshire | Villages, Towns and Cities | Welcome To - series | Wit and Humour | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (0 Comments)

Yorkshire Flag

Taciturn, dour, gruff even but Yorkshire folk have infinite pride in their county. For that reason you are welcome to visit or live in the area but do not expect full acceptance to take less than a generation or three.

North, East or West there is a Riding for you – obviously we don’t take as quickly to southerners, so we have no South Riding.

To show just how welcoming you may find Yorkshire there is a section on this website that visitors could find useful. It lists things to do and see in various towns, cities and villages.
The lists are often curtailed, limited or restricted (with Yorkshire modesty) to a top ten when there are lots more attractions to these Yorkshire Places.

Welcome to Otley LS21
Welcome to Hovingham YO62
Welcome to Harrogate HG1
Welcome to Saltaire BD18
Welcome to Thirsk YO7
Welcome to Keighley BD 21
Welcome to Wetherby LS29
Welcome to Settle BD24

Wave of Flags
As the flags on this photograph reveal we also welcome European and International visitors of all nationalities even from the rest of Great Britain.

More humourous slogans

Good Things About Leeds

Posted by brian in Our Yorkshire | Wit and Humour | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual - (1 Comments)

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The Good Things

  • The road to Hull but beware the M62 also goes to that other place.
  • Road to Bradford via Pudsey or any other road out of the city for that matter.
  • The ring road so you do not have to go into the city centre – not that the Burghers of Leeds want any cars near their city judging by the atrocious parking and one way system.  They might as well put up no entry signs!
  • Leeds bus station a very convenient 1.2 miles from Leeds railway station. That’s the way the silly Burghers encourage the use of public transport.
  • Only slightly better are the roads to Harry Ramsdens, Bryans and Murgatroyds gold plated fish and chip shops in Guiseley, Headingley and Yeadon.

Win a weekend in Leeds, if you dare and still want to win after all this,  ‘Leeds love it live it’ closing date 30 June 2010

On a positive note ……….

Top York Churches

Posted by brian in Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Yorkshire Trips and Places - (1 Comments)

St Cuthberts

York St Cuthbert St Helen on the Walls and All Saints Peasholme is some name for a Church Administrative unit. Now working with St Michael le Belfrey, St Cuthbert’s is currently applying for planning permission to improve the external appearance of the surrounding grounds. Who said this Administrative unit was not in use today. Reputedly the oldest parish church in York it was reconstructed by Saxons using roman masonry.

Viking Dig

St Saviour’s Church, St Saviourgate which like many other churches in York has been re-purposed and is now put to a community and educational use. If you use a snickelway down the side of Fibbers in Stonebow you get an unusual view of St Saviour’s church demonstrating how in medieval times the church was built on a  hill.

St Michael le Belfry

St Michael’s le Belfrey was rebuilt between 1525 and 1537, during King Henry VIII’s break with Rome. John Forman, the Minster’s master mason was responsible for the Tudor gothic style with renaissance influence. It was, and still is, the largest parish church in the city, originally serving a wealthy community of merchants and craftsmen. Furnishings are nineteenth century, pews and reredos with 14th century glass in East window. Guy Fawkes was baptised at this church. It is within a few yards of The Minster.

Olaves Gate

This Marygate church, St Olave’s, was badly damaged during the Civil War. The font dates from 1673 and there is some medieval glass in the center of the east window

To make up a tour of churches visit All Saints North Street for exceptional  glass, Holy Trinity Goodramgate, St Mary Castlegate for pre-conquest masoary, Holy Trinity Micklegate, St Helen St Helen’s Square, and St Martin-Le-Grand Coney Street which was badly bombed during the second world war.

See also Gods own County top ten West Riding Churches and top North Riding Churches

Day Trip to York

Posted by brian in Our Yorkshire | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Yorkshire Trips and Places - (0 Comments)

What is the capital of Yorkshire?

‘Y’     at least  according to the old playground joke. Obviously a trip to York will dispel any thoughts of York being a joke and I wondered how to report on our great County town. If you Google York you get 808 million hits so that gives you some idea of the vast range of reasons for celebrating York. On that basis I have selected just one or two that took my fancy on last weekends visit.

‘York Minster is one of the great cathedrals of the world. We invite you to enjoy its vast spaces, filled with music and revealing the human imagination at work on glass, stone, and other fabrics.’ And thinking about fabrics you can buy a handmade Archbishop of York Christmas tree decoration, produced using traditional cloth techniques from the Minster shop or the web site by clicking the photograph below.

An ‘Ouse Cruise’ when the river is not flooding may appeal to some but a drop of booze by Lendal Bridge was my eye-opener on a Saturday morning. The Maltings’ great atmosphere (enhanced by the woman who spilt a bottle of vinegar) was provided my a mix of locals, visiting sports enthusiasts and day trippers like us. Formerly Yorkshire pub of the year it deserved the Camra accolades it has received and to top it all is the chip butty.

Then it was on to the Wall for a walk around the city or at least to the next stop. Depending which direction you take from The Maltings it is either 2.5 miles around the wall or 0.1 mile to the next watering hole. There are 4 very old bars in York – Micklegate Bar, Monk Bar, Bootham Bar and Walmgate Bar. After all my drinking it is a good job the railway station is so convenient for the journey back home.

Hull Hell of a City

Posted by brian in Our Yorkshire | Yorkshire Arts & Music | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Yorkshire Trips and Places - (0 Comments)

The Maritime Weekender at Hull Marina this weekend drew me to a City I normally only pass through on the way to the Ferry. Despite cool blustery weather the Sea Shanty singing along the Marina wall was in full flow despite the hands in pockets approach of one of the singers from Hissyfit. Bitter End had all the audience participating, Shellback Chorus had at least 15 singer and Kimbers Men sang in powerful bass.  As a music event in several pubs and outdoor stages it was fast moving, entertaining and well supported. Beyond the music there was other daytime entertainment and retail therapy set against Hulls seafaring history.

Walking from the railway station to the marina involved negotiating a street food market thronged with folk buying Yorkshire grub with the odd bit of exotic cuisine. This must have been specially designed to tempt me but I waited for Fish and Chips at The Green Bricks pub one of the singing venues on Humber Street. Moving on to The Minerva for more music and sustenance you got a good view of The Deep one of the ‘Visitor Attractions’ I didn’t have time to visit. This is home to 40 sharks and over 3000 fish in an area called a ‘submarium’.

Hull Museums & Exhibitions

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