Kirklees
Explore hidden histories, historic photos, and things you never knew about Kirklees from the collections and archives of Historic England.
Discover your local listed buildings and places
Introducing some of Kirklees' most historic sites, included in the National Heritage List for England. Some of these captions have been summarised by AI. Click through for the official List entry.
Dewsbury Cemetery
Dewsbury
A public cemetery opened in 1860, laid out to a design by William Barratt with buildings by Jeremiah Marriott and Son, and extended in the late-C19.
Castle Hill: slight univallate hillfort, small multivalla…
Huddersfield
Castle Hill at Almondbury features well-preserved Bronze Age to medieval sites, including a unique hillfort and motte-and-bailey castle, offering insights into prehistoric and Norman eras.
Railway tunnel portals MVL3/88 and MVL3/89, west end of H…
Huddersfield
A pair of tunnel portals; the north portal built in 1845-1849 for the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway line to the design of the engineer Alfred Stanistreet Jee, with the south portal added...
Former Co-Operative Society Building (Pioneer House)
Dewsbury
Former Co-operative Society building, built in 1878-1880 by Holtom & Connon, and extended in 1896 and 1914 by Holtom & Fox. Italian Renaissance style.
Castle Hall Hill motte and bailey castle
Mirfield
Castle Hall Hill is a well-preserved Norman motte and bailey castle, strategically built to dominate its locality, important for studying Norman Britain and the feudal system.
The George Hotel including stone-flagged area and surroun…
Huddersfield
A railway hotel of 1849-1850 with extensions of around 1850 and 1938, by William Wallen for the Ramsden Estate, with later alterations. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Underhill
Holme Valley
Earth sheltered house, designed in 1969 and constructed in 1973-5, by Arthur Quarmby as his family home.
Railway viaduct MVN2/196, Wheatley's Bridge
Mirfield
Railway skew bridge, 1836-1839 with widening of 1884, by George Stephenson and Thomas Gooch for the Manchester and Leeds Railway. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Railway overbridge MVL3/103, Colliery Lane (Wheatleys)
Huddersfield
Railway overbridge built 1845-1849, designed by A S Jee for the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway, with an additional span of 1881-1884 for the London and North Western Railway.
Dewsbury Town Hall, including former Magistrates’ Court
Dewsbury
Dewsbury Town Hall, 1886 to 1889, by Henry Holtom and George Arthur Fox of Dewsbury in the 'Mixed Renaissance' style. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Estate Buildings
Huddersfield
Offices, shops and warehouses, incorporating the Ramsden Estate Offices, 1869-1874, minor later alterations. To designs of W H Crossland; free Gothic style.
Byram Arcade
Huddersfield
Commercial premises, 1880-1881, incorporating the earlier Byram Buildings of 1871-1873 by WH Crossland, which remains a shopping arcade. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Former Dewsbury Union Offices
Dewsbury
Former headquarter office for Dewsbury Union, 1890s, later in use as a registry office, in Renaissance Revival style. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Cambodunum Roman fort and vicus, Slack
Kirklees
Roman fort established about AD80, with some stone rebuilding around AD100, the garrison reduced in the early AD120s and finally abandoned AD140-60, but with the associated vicus persisting...
Iron mining shaft mounds and medieval earthworks south of…
Denby Dale
An area of iron mining pre-dating the Industrial Revolution represented by at least 60 shaft mounds surviving as substantial earthworks, these overlying medieval earthwork remains thought to...
Waverley Chambers, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Commercial building formerly used as a hotel with ground-floor retail units and later used as offices, 1882, by W H Crossland with sculptural work by C E Fucigna.
Railway tunnel portals MVL3/86 and MVL3/87, west end of G…
Huddersfield
A pair of tunnel portals; the north portal built in 1845-1849 for the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway line to the design of the engineer Alfred Stanistreet Jee, with the south portal added...
Beaumont Park
Kirklees
Beaumont Park, established in 1882 in Huddersfield, was designed by R S Rugdale. Initiated by H F Beaumont's donation, it was later supported by Richard Bancott's funding.
Railway tunnel portals MVL3/40, east end of Standedge Tunnel
Kirklees
Three railway tunnel portals at the east end of Standedge Tunnel; the centre portal built in 1845-1849 by the contractor Thomas Nicholson and engineer Alfred Stanistreet Jee for the...
Kirkgate Buildings
Huddersfield
Commercial building with ground-floor retail units and offices to the upper floors, c1883, by W H Crossland with sculptural work by C E Fucigna.
Crow Nest Park
Dewsbury
Crow Nest Park, established in the early 1890s, incorporates historical elements from an earlier country house. It opened in 1893 with features like a lake, bandstand, and formal gardens.
Newsome Mills
Huddersfield
Mill building of hammer dressed stone, late C19, with associated ancillary buildings. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Railway underbridge MDL1/24, Jack Lane
Batley
Underbridge for the Leeds, Dewsbury & Manchester Railway line, mid-1840s, by Thomas Grainger. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Railway underbridge MDL1/16, George Street
Dewsbury
Cast-iron beam bridge, built 1845-1847 as a railway underbridge for a lane, designed by Thomas Grainger for the Leeds, Dewsbury and Manchester Railway.
Thornhill Hall moat and sites of formal gardens and bowli…
Dewsbury
Thornhill Hall site features medieval moated remains, traces of an earlier field, and 17th-century gardens and bowling green. It was a significant site for the Savile family.
Former Church of St Andrew
Huddersfield
Former parish church of 1870 by W.H. Crossland. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Holmfirth Technical Institute
Holme Valley
Technical school of 1892 to 1894, by Joseph Smith of Holmfirth and Sheffield. Jacobean Gothic style. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Greenhead Park
Huddersfield
Greenhead Park, established in 1883, was developed under Mr. Dugdales' direction and opened to the public in 1884.
17 to 37 John William Street
Huddersfield
Retail, offices and warehouses, mid-C19, now retail and residential. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Chimney at SE 14942 16846
Huddersfield
Architecturally ornamented textile mill chimney of circa 1872. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Britannia Buildings
Huddersfield
Former warehouse, showroom and offices about 1858 to designs by local architect William Cocking, altered in the 1920s by Clifford Hickson for the Huddersfield Building Society, now in...
Mirfield war memorial
Mirfield
First World War memorial, 1921, by Hicks and Charlewood, with the names of those killed during the Second World War added later.
Railway overbridge MVL3/107, Colne Bridge (B1168 Bridge R…
Huddersfield
Railway overbridge, 1845-49, designed by A S Jee for the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway; widened by the London and North Western Railway 1881-84.
Huddersfield Boer War Memorial
Huddersfield
War memorial erected 1905 by Huddersfield Borough Council to commemorate the men of the town who died in the Second Boer War (1899-1902)Statue modelled by Benjamin Creswick after a design by...
11-15 John William Street
Huddersfield
Retail, offices and warehouses, mid-C19. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Church of St Mark
Huddersfield
Parish church of 1877-82 by W. Cocking, with tower added in 1914. Read the official list entry to find out more.
1 to 9 (odd) John William Street
Huddersfield
Retail and offices, 1852, by William Wallen, later occupied by Rushworth's, the town's foremost department store, now commercial and hospitality.
15 Station Street, including gates to the south
Huddersfield
Former warehouse, mid-C19, now offices. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Kirklees through time
This timeline shows the first period of use for buildings and places on the National Heritage List for England, just one of the details recorded for every list entry. Click around to see how Kirklees changes over time.
Prehistoric Before AD 43
Prehistory covers a million years of human occupation before the Roman invasion and the introduction of writing. Primarily hunter-gatherers of several human species including Neanderthals, the peoples moved across Europe, hunting animals, exchanging ideas and developing complex culture and belief systems including burial rites and astronomical understanding, as at Stonehenge for example.
Roman AD 43 to AD 410
Britain was invaded by four legions of the Roman army in AD 43, who relatively rapidly conquered England from landing points in Kent. Parts of Wales and Scotland soon followed.
Roman culture brought urbanism, monumental buildings, wide-ranging religious beliefs, writing, and strong social hierarchy. The Roman administrative system was withdrawn in AD 410.
Early medieval AD 410 to AD 1066
This period, often associated in England with Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, saw a reduction in urban living from the Roman period and increased migration from northern Europe.
Traces of this period can be found in cemeteries, particularly in artefacts and in some of the very early churches, as this period also saw the growth of Christianity in Britain.
Medieval AD 1066 to AD 1540
This period, sometimes known as the Middle Ages, began with the Norman invasion in AD 1066. It saw a significant rise in military and defensive buildings such as castles and earthworks, as well as religious houses dominating a largely agricultural landscape.
The monarchy and Church dominated the period, which also saw the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the English reformation.
Post medieval AD 1540 to AD 1901
The Post-Medieval period brought seismic changes to life in England, with religious reformation leading to the democratization of worship and the destruction of hundreds of religious houses.
In parallel, there was a huge expansion of scientific study and enlightenment that permanently altered the nation's social structure and landscape. Industrialization and mass production lead to wider global trade, emigration, and immigration.
20th century AD 1901 to AD 2000
The 20th century saw an incredible expansion of England's transport networks, with suburban growth shadowing rapid infrastructural expansion. The establishment of state schools, hospitals, and modern technical colleges, with new architectural styles, radically changed the appearance of towns and cities.
Two catastrophic world wars and the 1918 pandemic also brought unprecedented change, altering England's built environment and social structures forever.
Prehistoric Before AD 43
Prehistory covers a million years of human occupation before the Roman invasion and the introduction of writing. Primarily hunter-gatherers of several human species including Neanderthals, the peoples moved across Europe, hunting animals, exchanging ideas and developing complex culture and belief systems including burial rites and astronomical understanding, as at Stonehenge for example.
Roman AD 43 to AD 410
Britain was invaded by four legions of the Roman army in AD 43, who relatively rapidly conquered England from landing points in Kent. Parts of Wales and Scotland soon followed.
Roman culture brought urbanism, monumental buildings, wide-ranging religious beliefs, writing, and strong social hierarchy. The Roman administrative system was withdrawn in AD 410.
Early medieval AD 410 to AD 1066
This period, often associated in England with Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, saw a reduction in urban living from the Roman period and increased migration from northern Europe.
Traces of this period can be found in cemeteries, particularly in artefacts and in some of the very early churches, as this period also saw the growth of Christianity in Britain.
Medieval AD 1066 to AD 1540
This period, sometimes known as the Middle Ages, began with the Norman invasion in AD 1066. It saw a significant rise in military and defensive buildings such as castles and earthworks, as well as religious houses dominating a largely agricultural landscape.
The monarchy and Church dominated the period, which also saw the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the English reformation.
Post medieval AD 1540 to AD 1901
The Post-Medieval period brought seismic changes to life in England, with religious reformation leading to the democratization of worship and the destruction of hundreds of religious houses.
In parallel, there was a huge expansion of scientific study and enlightenment that permanently altered the nation's social structure and landscape. Industrialization and mass production lead to wider global trade, emigration, and immigration.
20th century AD 1901 to AD 2000
The 20th century saw an incredible expansion of England's transport networks, with suburban growth shadowing rapid infrastructural expansion. The establishment of state schools, hospitals, and modern technical colleges, with new architectural styles, radically changed the appearance of towns and cities.
Two catastrophic world wars and the 1918 pandemic also brought unprecedented change, altering England's built environment and social structures forever.
Aerial photos of Kirklees
Aerial photography helps reveal secrets of England's changing landscapes that are impossible to see from the ground.
Linthwaite
Titanic Mills, Linthwaite, 1926
Linthwaite
Titanic Mills and environs, Linthwaite, 1946
Emley
Emley Woodhouse, Emley, 1948
Emley
Emley Woodhouse, Emley, 1948
Huddersfield
Westgate and environs, Huddersfield, 1926
Huddersfield
The town centre, Huddersfield, 1934
Huddersfield
Cliffe and Co Ltd Longroyd Bridge Iron Works and environs, Huddersfield, 1948
Huddersfield
Springdale Woollen Mills and works off St Thomas' Road, Huddersfield, 1953
Huddersfield
The Town Hall and environs, Huddersfield, 1926
Huddersfield
The Town Hall, Ramsden Street and the town centre, Huddersfield, 1934
Kirklees in the Historic England Archive
The Historic England Archive cares for over 15 million images, dating from the 1850s to the present day. Discover stunning images of Kirklees' past.
Eric de Mare
Golcar, Huddersfield, Kirklees
Date created: 1956
Exterior view of a weaver's cottage with an upper storey workshop.
John Gay Collection: Counties
Huddersfield, Kirklees
Date created: 1965
A view through the window of a train looking over to playing fields, the Learoyd Works and factory chimneys, probably in Huddersfield.
John Laing Collection
Holme Moss, Kirklees
Date created: circa 1951
View of the base of the BBC transmitter mast at Holme Moss
London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company
Birstal Smithies, Batley And Liversedge, Kirklees
Date created: 16 Aug 1898
The grounds of The Rydings, with part of the south-west front of the house visible through a gap in the trees
Nigel Temple Collection of Postcards of Parks and Gardens
Slaithwaite, Slaithwaite And Marsden, Kirklees
Date created: 1900 - 1904
GENERAL VIEW
Walter Scott
Hartshead, Batley And Liversedge, Kirklees
Date created: 1920 - 1950
An exterior of the Sunday school in Hartshead
John Gay Collection: Counties
Huddersfield, Kirklees
Date created: 1965
A view through the window of a train on the line north of Huddersfield station, looking towards the Glendinning Brothers factory at Tanfield Mills...
John Laing Collection
Holme Moss, Kirklees
Date created: 01 Apr 1955
The main entrance of Holme Moss transmitting station
London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company
Birstal Smithies, Batley And Liversedge, Kirklees
Date created: 16 Aug 1898
A view showing part of the south-west front of The Rydings, with a horse standing in the foreground
Nigel Temple Collection of Postcards of Parks and Gardens
Crow Nest Park, Dewsbury, Kirklees
Date created: 1900 - 1909
GENERAL VIEW OF BANDSTAND
John Laing Collection
Holme Moss, Kirklees
Date created: 1950
A group portrait of the Laing site team who worked on the construction of Holme Moss transmitting station
Nigel Temple Collection of Postcards of Parks and Gardens
Dewsbury, Kirklees
Date created: 1900 - 1908
PEOPLE BY THE LAKE
Stories about heritage in your local area
Historic England publishes news, blogs, research, videos, and podcasts celebrating England's rich heritage. Discover the stories we have about Kirklees.
The History of Ukrainians in England
Mentions Edgerton Hill,
Ukrainians have influenced several sites across England. Here is a small selection.
9 Reasons to Look Up in Yorkshire
Mentions Huddersfield Railway Station
You may think you know a place well, but if you take the opportunity to look up, you may be surprised at what you discover.
10 of England’s Best Post-War Buildings
Mentions Farnley Hey
With their unusual shapes and lines, discover some of England’s most prominent post-war buildings
England’s Record Breaking Heritage
Mentions Arqiva Tower
The Guinness World Records celebrates 60 years of extraordinary achievements this week, from globetrotting explorers to sports heroes smashing records.
17 Remarkable Historic Places Listed in 2024
Mentions Former Maternity Ward (Block 2), Princess Royal Community Hospital, Huddersfield, Electricity Junction Box on Fitzwilliam Street
Celebrating 17 historic gems that were examined, protected and added to the National Heritage List for England in 2024.
Victorian Development by the Ramsden Estate in the Huddersfield High Street Heritage Action Zone
Mentions The George Hotel, 3-7 Station Street, Kirklees
Investigating the George Hotel and Ramsden Estate Office in Huddersfield to inform their conservation and reuse.
12 Historic Buildings in Dewsbury Listed
Mentions Dewsbury Town Hall,, 18 Bond Street, Dewsbury, 20 Bond Street, Dewsbury
12 historic buildings in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, have been listed and 1 upgraded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of...
Historic England Supports Plan to Revamp Huddersfield Hotel
Mentions The George Hotel, Kirklees
Historic England has praised a proposal to refurbish and extend The George Hotel in Huddersfield.
Historic England Celebrates Ukrainian Heritage With New Listings in the North Ahead of Eurovision
Mentions Edgerton Hill,
Celebrating how the people of Ukraine have helped shape our nation over many generations.
Heritage Could Help Add £2.7 Billion to Northern Economy
Mentions Huddersfield Railway Station
Heritage working together with the arts, culture, nature and environment sectors could help tackle the cost-of-living crisis and regenerate the North.
Heritage at Risk 2018
Mentions Milnsbridge House
Historic England unveils latest chapter in the fight to save important heritage in 20th year of the national Register.
New Listings Announced to Celebrate 70 Years of Protecting England's Historic Buildings
Mentions Underhill
New listings mark 70th anniversary of the listed building system
Kirklees' social history through photos
Over 10,000 images from the Historic England Archive have been specially selected and re-captioned for teachers, students, and anyone who wants to learn more about their local area.
Woodsome Hall, Kirkburton, West Yorkshire
Period: Tudor (1485 - 1602)
Extremely fine hall house, with additions, now a golf club house.
Woodsome Hall, Kirkburton, West Yorkshire
Town Hall, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
Period: Victorian (1837 - 1901)
A Town Hall built in an 'English Free Style' of architecture in 1890-2 by Mawson & Hudson of Bradford.
Town Hall, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
Stoneleigh, Bryan Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Period: Victorian (1837 - 1901)
Interior of the library
Stoneleigh, Bryan Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Stoneleigh, Bryan Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Period: Victorian (1837 - 1901)
Interior of a bedroom, looking towards the fireplace
Stoneleigh, Bryan Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Statue of Joseph Priestley, Birstall, West Yorkshire
Period: Edwardian (1902 - 1913)
Statue of Joseph Priestley inscribed: JOSEPH PRIESTLEY DISCOVERER OF OXYGEN BORN AT FIELDHEAD BIRSTALL 1733 ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION 1912.
Statue of Joseph Priestley, Birstall, West Yorkshire
Rag Merchants' Warehouses, 20-22 Station Road, Batley, West Yorkshire
Period: 1980s (1980 - 1989)
Many people consider recycling to be a modern concept, but a great variety of goods and materials have always been reused.
Rag Merchants' Warehouses, 20-22 Station Road, Batley, West Yorkshire
Providence Place United Reformed Church, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
Period: Victorian (1837 - 1901)
United Reformed Church once the Congregational Church, it was built in 1857-9 by Lockwood and Mawson of Bradford.
Providence Place United Reformed Church, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
Police Box, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Period: 1920s (1920 - 1929)
This wooden Police Box had two sections, one on the left for a police officer and on the right is a small door to public telephone cupboard.
Police Box, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Discover more
Ready for more local heritage? Take a look at these other places nearby
