West Yorkshire
Only five of Yorkshire's eight cities, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Hull and York, have a larger population than the town.
The Kirklees district is one of five in
Beyond the Kirklees district, Halifax is 8 miles by road north-north-east of Huddersfield, Bradford is 11 miles north, Wakefield is 12 miles east-north-east, Barnsley , in South Yorkshire, is 14 miles south-east and Leeds is 15 miles north-east.
The Victoria Jubilee Tower at Castle Hill overlooks Huddersfield, which has fine architecture, much of it dating from the town's Victorian expansion and including a grade one listed railway station. Near to the town is Britain's highest free-standing structure and listed building, the TV mast at Emley Moor, which is taller than The Shard in London.
Among the town's other claims to fame is that it was the birthplace of rugby league, formed in 1895 at the George Hotel in Huddersfield as the Northern Rugby Football Union.
While Huddersfield has a long history of settlement, in which it outgrew its district of Almondbury as a market place, it saw massive expansion in the Victorian era as a centre of excellence in the textile industry. It also has long traditions in other industries, including engineering, chemicals and a diverse range of other businesses, more recently including media businesses and retail warehousing.
Town features
Huddersfield has a well-defined town centre encircled by a ring road and including a wide range of independent shops, major national retailers, supermarkets and pound stores, together with charity shops. Kingsgate shopping centre offers major retailers and there are also Packhorse and Piazza shopping centres. King Street and New Street are also a big focus for shoppers while Victorian arcades provide an attractive location for niche shops. Warehouse-type stores can be found at a number of out-of-town retail parks just outside the town centre. The town's indoor Queensgate market hall recently closed pending redevlopment of a new cultural quarter around its Piazza. Many of its traders have relocated to shops around the town. The roofed open-air and outdoor Huddersfield Open Market at Brook Street remains active.
Huddersfield has a town centre post office in New Street and sub-offices in its districts.
The town has banks and building societies.
Huddersfield has many pharmacies in the town centre and its districts.
The town's pubs cater for a huge variety of tastes from lively bars popular with students to quieter places to relax. Many pubs offer a choice of real ales. Outside the town centre there are district and village locals and country pubs, many offering a good menu for diners.
Huddersfield's food and drink festival has been a popular event attracting thousands of visitors each year, but shows only a small outdoor sample of what is available across the town all year round. In terms of wide choice, quality and ease of access, Huddersfield must feel it has the potential to be the culinary capital of Yorkshire. Just about every cuisine is catered for somewhere in the town and if that's not enough there are scores of village pubs and country inns in the surrounding villages, each with their own menu.
A huge range of takeaways in the town centre and its many districts and villages offer an immense selection of British and international dishes.
Cafes and coffee houses can be found throughout the area.
Huddersfield public library is temporarily relocated at the Customer Services Centre buliding at the Civic Centre in Market Street.
For museums, theatre and concert halls see below.
The town has hotel and guest house accommodation.
There are dozens of schools and colleges around the Huddersfield area. The University of Huddersfield campus is at the edge of the town centre at Queensgate. For more on the university see below.
Places of worship: Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, United Reformed, Islamic, Sikh, Hindu, Bhuddist, Other.
The River Colne flows below and around the southern and eastern edges of Huddersfield town centre. The River Holme joins the Colne just outside the centre and the Colne flows into the River Calder around 3 miles north-east of the town.
The Huddersfield Broad Canal links the Aspley Basin near the town centre to the Calder and Hebble Navigation about 3 miles north-east of the town. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs for 20 miles from the Aspley Basin along the upper Colne Valley to Marsden, continuing through the Standedge Tunnel to Diggle and on to Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester. Entertainment
Lawrence Batley Theatre
The modern theatre was purpose-built within the shell of what was once the Huddersfield Methodist Mission and features a huge variety of performances including musicians, musicals, opera, drama, dance, children's entertainment, film, magic, pantomime and, of course, the theatre's famous Comedy Cellar.
More information at the
Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield Town Hall
The magnificent concert hall at Huddersfield Town Hall seats 1,200 people, providing a grand venue for musical performances from local brass bands and choirs to international stars, tribute acts, opera and orchestra. The Town Hall also attracts visiting comedians.
Concert hall events at the
Kirklees Town Halls St Paul's Hall
St Paul's Hall is a smaller concert hall, close to the town centre, with seating for 400. The hall was converted from a church in 1980. It is a venue for regular concerts by musicians of the University and by Huddersfield Music Society.
Sport
Huddersfield Town
The Terriers / Town play at the Accu Stadium (previously the John Smith's Stadium), near Leeds Road. In 2025-26 they are spending a second season in League One after previous spells in the Premier League and Championship. Huddersfield Town official website.
Huddersfield Town 
Huddersfield Giants
The Giants play rugby league at the Accu Stadium (previously the John Smith's Stadium), near Leeds Road. Huddersfield is the birthplace of rugby league. The Giants were runners-up in the 2022 Rugby League Challenge Cup final. Huddersfield Giants official website.
Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield RUFC
Huddersfield RUFC play rugby union at Lockwood Park, Brewery Drive, Lockwood. Huddersfield RUFC official website.
Huddersfield RUFC 
Huddersfield Cricket League
The league includes dozens of cricket clubs from the villages and districts of the Huddersfield area. Huddersfield Cricket League official website.
Huddersfield Cricket League University
University of Huddersfield
Queensgate
University of Huddersfield website.
University of Huddersfield Museums
Tolson Museum
Ravensknowle Park, Moldgreen
Set in the former Ravensknowle Hall in Ravensknowle Park, Moldgreen, about a mile west of Huddersfield town centre, the museum has fascinating collections revealing the development of Huddersfield from prehistoric times, its earliest settlements, the Roman era, its textile industry and Luddite rebellion, through Victorian times to the modern day. The museum also has exhibits from an age of vehicle-making in Huddersfield and a natural history collection including an interesting display of birds. The park outside features the clock tower of Huddersfield's former cloth hall. More information at this Kirklees Council - Tolson Museum web page.
Kirklees Council - Tolson Museum National Coal Mining Museum for England
The National Coal Mining Museum for England is mid-way between Wakefield and Huddersfield , about 6 miles from each, on the main
More details at the
National Coal Mining Museum Colne Valley Museum
Cliffe Ash, Golcar
The Colne Valley Museum tells the story of the early textile industry and life in the Colne Valley from a row of traditional weavers' cottages, featuring a loom chamber, spinning and cropping rooms. The museum also has a period living room and wash kitchen of around 1850 and a clog-makers' workshop. The museum, run by volunteers, often has demonstrations of the crafts. The museum also has an exhibition room, children's corner, arranges school and group visits and has occasional themed events. The museum is generally open to the public on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday afternoons. Details can be found on its website. More information at the Colne Valley Museum website.
Colne Valley Museum Places to Visit
Castle Hill
Castle Hill is a dominant feature overlooking Huddersfield, a scheduled ancient monument and rare example in the north of England of a late Bronze Age or early Iron Age hill fort. It was first used for settlement about 4,000 years ago and first enclosed in around the 7th century BC, but was apparently abandoned by the end of the 5th century BC. After many centures of being unoccupied, earthworks were remodelled to create a motte and bailey castle in the early 12th century AD, when licence to fortify was granted by King Stephen, grandson of William the Conqueror. Traces of timber buildings, some stonework and medieval pottery and metal were found during excavations together with a well. It appears the castle was abandoned quite early in its life but a small settlement remained until the 15th century. The hill was reoccupied by a 19th century hotel and pub, but this was totally dismantled in, contravening a planning application for its remodelling and new building works were removed. The tower at the top of the hill is the Victoria Tower, opened in 1899 after public fund-raising started two years earlier in the diamond jubilee year of Queen Victoria. The hill has nature trails on paths encircling the castle earthworks and offers spectacular views across the surrounding area. The hilltop has been used for the lighting of beacons, one fire being lit at the time of the Spanish Armada. Little early stonework remains except for the well which can be found not far from the Victoria Tower. The tower itself is open to the public during summer weekends and holidays to climb its internal staircase to the viewing platform at the top. Opening details can be found at the Kirklees Council website.
More information at this
Kirklees Council - Castle Hill Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre
The Standedge Visitor Centre at Tunnel End, Marsden, tells the history of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the building of Britain's longest canal tunnel, the three-and-a-quarter mile long Standedge Tunnel. The tunnel is also the deepest below ground and is the highest stretch of canal in the country. An exhibition centre shows the work which went into the opening of the tunnel in 1811 and how goods were propelled through the tunnel by leggers laying on the boat roof and walking on the tunnel sides or roof. There is also a children's play area and the opportunity to travel deep into the tunnel on a guided narrow boat or to relax at the Watersedge cafe beside the tunnel. The centre hosts a variety of events throughout the year. Marsden is about 7 miles west-south-west of Huddersfield and is easily reached by train to Marsden station, bus or car. The visitor centre is about half-a-mile along the canal towpath from the station. The visitor centre is managed by the Canal & River Trust
More information at the
Canal and River Trust - Standedge Tunnel Holmfirth
Whistlestop Valley formerly Kirklees Light Railway
Whistelstop Valley is a rebranding of the Kirklees Light Railway, a 15-inch-gauge light railway on the trackbed of the former Clayton West branch line from the Huddersfield-Penistone-Sheffield line. The branch had survived the Beeching axe of the 1960s but eventually closed to coal traffic in 1979 and passengers from the large commuter villages of Skelmanthorpe and
More information at the
Whistlestop Valley 
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is the UK's leading open-air sculpture gallery, situated at More information at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park website.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park Find on map: 
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park 
Peak District National Park
The vast area of the Peak District National Park starts at Holme and just above Meltham and Marsden, just over 5 miles to the south-west of Huddersfield. The National Park stretches from Yorkshire into Derbyshire and beyond. Buses run from Huddersfield via Holmfirth to Holme in the National Park, there are buses to Meltham and buses and trains to Marsden. For more details see our 
Travel
Huddersfield station St George's Square
The station is the second biggest rail hub in West Yorkshire after Leeds with more than 200 trains a day.
Station managed by: TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS. Operator/s: TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS, NORTHERN.
NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station infoExternal link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).
Huddersfield bus station Upperhead Row
Metro - Huddersfield Bus Station
Metro - Huddersfield Bus Station Link to Metro - external web page with details of services and buses at this bus station.
Road travel
Routes from the town radiate from the
Parking in car parks and on-street in the town centre is pay and display. There are several car parks within the town centre, the largest being at the Kingsgate shopping centre and the Upperhead Row car park above the bus station. Some streets in the town centre are restricted as bus lanes between times displayed on road signs which vary from street to street.
Emergency services
West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 
Local government
Metropolitan district council
Kirklees Council covers a large metropolitan district based in Huddersfield but also covering well over 100 towns and villages.
They include those in the former county borough of Huddersfield , the former boroughs of Dewsbury , Batley and Spenborough (based in Cleckheaton ), the former urban districts of Heckmondwike and Colne Valley (based in Slaithwaite and also including Marsden ) and the five large civil parishes created from former urban districts in Holme Valley (around Holmfirth ),
Kirklees Council is made up of 69 councillors with three councillors per ward in 23 wards. Councillors are elected for four-year terms with one-third involved in elections in three out of four years. Councillors elect a Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Kirklees each year.
Link to Kirklees Council website.
Kirklees Council Political composition after May 2024 election:
69 members
See our Yorkshire.guide Gazetteer for more about the 
Kirklees metropolitan district and places within it.County strategic authority
West Yorkshire Combined AuthorityCovers some combined services of the five metropolitan district councils of
Bradford , 
Calderdale , 
Leeds , Kirklees and 
Wakefield — which were at one time provided by a West Yorkshire metropolitan county council, with the addition of the non-contiguous unitary authority area of the City of 
York council as well as the unelected Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. Since 2021 it has operated with an elected mayor as chairman and decision-maker for some responsibilities. These include transport, housing and planning and finance powers. The responsibilities also include those of Police and Crime Commissioner, a role substantially delegated to an appointee deputy mayor. Elected mayor:
West Yorkshire Combined Authority Police and Crime Commissioner
The Police and Crime Commissioner for West YorkshireThis role has become one of the many responsibilities of the West Yorkshire elected mayor since May 2021.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority Fire Authority
West Yorkshire Fire AuthorityThe fire authority is made up of elected members of each of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield.
West Yorkshire Fire Authority Pre-election parliamentary constituencies
HuddersfieldElected MP:
A General Election on Thursday 4 July 2024 will determine the new MP (see below).
Colne Valley
Elected MP:
A General Election on Thursday 4 July 2024 will determine the new MP (see below).
New parliamentary constituencies
HuddersfieldElected MP:
Colne Valley
Elected MP:
Spen Valley
Elected MP:
National government region
Yorkshire and the HumberCeremonial county
West YorkshireHistoric
Huddersfield is within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire1868-1889 Municipal Borough of Huddersfield
1889-1974 Huddersfield County Borough
1974 - Principal town of Kirklees Metropolitan Borough
Other websites
Plenty of detailed information about Huddersfield and its surrounding towns and villages can be found at our associated website 
Huddersfield.guide .