About Yorkshire

History

Yorkshire vision changed the world. Captain Cook learned his skills at Whitby and sailed round the world in a flat-bottomed Yorkshire collier boat. William Wilberforce set out from Hull to abolish slavery. The South Pennines was the birthplace of Industrial Revolution and the might of our industry made Britain a world power.

From power base to pleasure ground, Yorkshire has been important to British monarchs from the earliest times. Legend has it that King Arthur sleeps in a crypt below the impressive keep of Richmond Castle. Meanwhile at Whitby Abbey, the foundress St Hild was related to a royal line, placing her name and the abbey at the centre of an influential Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

Yorkshire played a strategic role for a succession of medieval kings starting at Clifford's Tower, with William the Conqueror's campaign to subdue the Northerners after his 1066 victory. Just generations later, Yorkshire castles like Helmsley were being used to defend the country from other northerners – the Scots – although no castle could withstand the fury of the Scots’ reprisal after the Battle of Bannockburn when they sacked both Rievaulx and Byland Abbeys. Later the area was pivotal during the War of the Roses and the Civil War which tore the country apart.

Yorkshire has also been a place of respite. Scarborough Castle, for instance, welcomed perhaps the first seaside tourist when King John came to stay, and Pickering Castle was a favourite hunting base and horse-breeding centre for many kings. Richard III grew up at Middleham Castle; it was always his favourite castle and throughout his reign, his powerbase resided firmly in the north. King for only two years, he was the last English King to die on the battlefield - at Bosworth in 1485. With its breathtaking landscapes, modern-day Yorkshire is also a respite for wildlife. Mount Grace Priory, once the secluded home of the Carthusian monks with their austere rule of hermitude, is now a haven for the famous ‘Priory Stoats’.

Finally, Yorkshire was always a place of great industry. Aldborough was once the principal Roman town of the Brigantes, one of the most powerful tribes in Britain. In the Middle Ages, monasteries were industrial centres in their own right, and today the soaring ruins of Yorkshire’s abbeys are an eloquent reminder of their former greatness. Rievaulx Abbey, home to the greatest spiritual writer of the Middle Ages, St Aelred, was once one of the most powerful abbeys in Britain and acted as a centre for the colonisation of the north of England and Scotland. Byland Abbey, one of the three most important abbeys in the north, inspired the development of early Gothic architecture in the north. Kirkham Priory once rivalled the size and wealth of Rievaulx, its Cistercian neighbour.

In later times, both Brodsworth Hall and Mount Grace Priory became celebrations of the Industrial Revolution – Brodsworth’s faded grandeur reveals the luxury of the Victorian country home as it revels in the inventions and advantages of the Industrial Age. Meanwhile, the wealthy northern industrialist, Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell rebuilt the Mount Grace Priory guesthouse in fashionable Arts and Crafts style.

Towns and Cities

Leeds
Leeds is a buzzing city with art galleries, clubs, parks and shops including the first Harvey Nichols outside London. It makes a great base from which to explore the region.

York
York, Roman stronghold and Viking capital, is one of Europe's greatest mediaeval cities and a must see for any visitor to the region. "York makes the efforts of Disneyland and Tussauds seem pale and unconvincing" (Simon Jenkins, The Times).

Countryside

Ruined abbeys and castles, great houses and gardens are framed by high moors, wooded hills and lush farming country. Three National Parks: the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District and the North York Moors protect more than 1000 square miles of matchless walking country. The Cleveland Way National Trail meanders through 110 miles of the spectacular Moors and Coastal landscape and through thousands of years of history, linking no less than seven English Heritage castles and abbeys on its journey.

Nothing beats the timeless appeal of the seaside. Golden beaches, majestic cliffs and Great British resorts. Scarborough, Bridlington and Cleethorpes bustle with life; Whitby is a historic port and Filey and Hornsea are traditional favourites.

The snug villages, country pubs and people, locations for All Creatures Great and Small, Last of the Summer Wine and Heartbeat familiar to millions worldwide, all make Yorkshire a place of contrasts and breathtaking beauty.

Museums and Galleries

Yorkshire is a culturally vibrant region: The West Yorkshire Playhouse. The Royal Armouries. The National Railway Museum. The Jorvik Viking Centre. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. Café society, contemporary arts, UK film location capital. The Millennium Galleries: ultimate arts showcase. Multimillion new MAGNA and The Deep.

Yorkshire's grandeur has inspired great artists: The Brontes of Haworth. The late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. Sculptor Henry Moore. Artists David Hockney and JWW Turner. Composer Delius, superb choirs and the world’s best brass bands.