Huddersfield



Huddersfield is in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire in England. This article covers the town of Huddersfield, and the district around it including the Colne and Holme valleys. Historically a textile town, the area is now re-inventing itself as a residential and tourist centre.

Understand
John Betjeman described Huddersfield Railway Station as having 'The finest façade of any such building in the country'. Make up your own mind when you visit as there is no better way to arrive than by train from Manchester or Leeds. Huddersfield has the third largest number of listed buildings in the country after Westminster and Bristol.

In the 1920s Huddersfield Town F.C. became the first football club to win the English League Championship three times in a row, a feat only matched by Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Huddersfield can be considered a university town as the University of Huddersfield, formerly Huddersfield Polytechnic, is one of the town's largest employers and much of the local economy now depends upon it.

Famous connections include former Prime Minister Harold Wilson and actors James Mason and Gordon Kaye.

By plane

 * Leeds/Bradford International Airport is the nearest airport, by road. It can be reached by taking a train to Leeds and then a bus to the airport departing from the train station.
 * Manchester Airport is the easiest and quickest to access.  It is the UK's busiest airport, outside London, with many European and inter-continental flights. There is a rail station within the airport complex, with services running through Huddersfield to Newcastle, at least half hourly throughout the day (see by train below).
 * London Heathrow Airport or London Gatwick Airport . From there, frequent flights operate to Manchester, or you could travel from London to Huddersfield by train (see by train below).

By train


From London, you can travel from London King's Cross and change at either Wakefield Westgate or Leeds. Or you can use London Euston, and change at Manchester Piccadilly. Alternatively, there are less frequent services operated by Grand Central Rail from London King's Cross where you can change in Wakefield, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Bradford Interchange.

Train times for these and other journeys can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 08457 484950 from anywhere in the UK.

By bus

 * National Express serves Huddersfield with express coach service from around the country. They serve the main Huddersfield bus station in the town centre.
 * Megabus Plus serves Huddersfield with London daily. It is quicker to get off the bus at East Midlands Parkway, as it shows in the timetable.
 * First West Yorkshire serves the West Yorkshire area.

Arriva Bus 229 runs from Leeds every 15 min, taking 90 min via Heckmondwike, Birstall Retail Park and Wortley.

Arriva Bus 232 runs hourly from Wakefield, taking 70 min via Lupset, Horbury, Netherton, Grange Moor and Lepton.

First Bus 503 runs every 15 min from Halifax, taking 45 min via Elland.

Get around
For the main shopping streets and everything inside the ring-road, it is best to explore on foot. Many of the shopping areas are pedestrianised anyway, and there is not much car parking space inside the ring-road.

Many bus routes run from the central bus station to the surrounding towns and villages. This is on the north side of the town centre off Westgate. Most buses operate on repeating hourly timetables up until 11PM. Taxi services are mainly available from outside the train station.

Do

 * What's on? Listen to Pulse of West Yorkshire on 102.5FM or Pulse Classic Gold on 1530AM.
 * Football: Huddersfield Town were relegated in 2024 and now play soccer in League One, the third tier. They play at the 24,000-capacity John Smith's Stadium, about a mile northeast of town centre and shared with Giants rugby league team.
 * Football: Huddersfield Town were relegated in 2024 and now play soccer in League One, the third tier. They play at the 24,000-capacity John Smith's Stadium, about a mile northeast of town centre and shared with Giants rugby league team.

Learn

 * University of Huddersfield. A former polytechnic which applied for and achieved university status in the early 1990s. Its main Queensgate campus is just outside the ring road. Follow the signs from main arrival points.

Buy

 * Huddersfield Open Market -offers a range of high quality goods from the continent - mainly France - and tours the area stopping in different towns each weekend.
 * Huddersfield Open Market -offers a range of high quality goods from the continent - mainly France - and tours the area stopping in different towns each weekend.

Eat
The Huddersfield area has many restaurants of different types and costs. The following small selection are restaurants which have been visited and recommended by Wikivoyagers:
 * Fenay Bridge, Penistone Road. This place can be excellent but sometimes awful. They have a 2-for-1 deal on all year which is a big serving. But sometimes the food can take a while and isn't up to scratch, but other times its top notch. Give this place a try you might like it. It is on Penistone Road going towards Kirkburton you can't miss is!

Drink
There are plenty of pubs in Huddersfield, many of which get packed with people on Friday and Saturday nights.


 * Coffeevolution, Church Street — great coffee can be found in this unpretentious, fiercely independent coffee shop which is licensed and open late at weekends. Light but pricey meals available.
 * Revolution, Cross Church Street - Vodka bar from very popular chain which attracts a large, diverse crowd most nights. Outdoor area & DJs at weekends.
 * Verve, Church Street — a slightly older crowd than Vox, with pre-club cheesey dance pumped out over the weekend. By day, it's a cafe selling reasonable paninis, coffee and smoothies.
 * Warehouse — Large pub. Charges entry on F Sa. Part of the scream chain. Young crowd.
 * Zephyr, King Street — Small, trendy. Good range of foreign beers.
 * Northern Tea House, 36 Kings Street — A small tea shop offering afternoon tea with gluten free and vegan options.
 * The Sair Inn — Take a 183, 184 or 185 bus about 4 miles out of the town centre, alighting at the bottom of Hoyle-Ing in Linthwaite on Manchester Road, after the "Royal Oak" pub. There's a sign advertising "The Sair Inn". After a five minute climb up the hill you'll find this gem of a hostelry, selling its own beers brewed on the premises that can be enjoyed in a uniquely authentic, old pub atmosphere. Popular among locals, students and real ale tourists, you may become a regular.
 * Have a drink in The Founders Bar of the George Hotel where the finer points of the game of Rugby League were hammered out. The bar is considered the birthplace of the game.
 * The Bridge at Longroyd Bridge. A few hundred yards out of the centre of Huddersfield. A great live music venue. Live bands Friday night and Sunday afternoon. A great DJ on Thursday and Saturday nights.
 * The Rat and Ratchet at the junction from Lockwood onto the ring road has a large selection of cask ales on tap and the staff are usually quite knowledgeable. Nice atmosphere.
 * The Parish, by the Parish church — Huddersfields finest alternative/metal bar and live music venue. Excellent food and drink and a great atmosphere. Well worth a visit.
 * Tokyo, Queen Street — 'The club to finish off the night' Tokyo opened in 2005 after a £2-million re-investment of a 19th-century, Grade II listed former courthouse.
 * The Rat and Ratchet at the junction from Lockwood onto the ring road has a large selection of cask ales on tap and the staff are usually quite knowledgeable. Nice atmosphere.
 * The Parish, by the Parish church — Huddersfields finest alternative/metal bar and live music venue. Excellent food and drink and a great atmosphere. Well worth a visit.
 * Tokyo, Queen Street — 'The club to finish off the night' Tokyo opened in 2005 after a £2-million re-investment of a 19th-century, Grade II listed former courthouse.
 * Tokyo, Queen Street — 'The club to finish off the night' Tokyo opened in 2005 after a £2-million re-investment of a 19th-century, Grade II listed former courthouse.

Stay safe
Huddersfield town centre is generally considered safe as it professes "24-hour total CCTV coverage inside the ring road". Walking by yourself, especially if you are female, through Fartown, Bradley, Thornton Lodge and Birkby during late at night can be quite dangerous so if you do wander out stay in groups or get a taxi home.

Connect
As of Dec 2022, Huddersfield and its approach roads have 5G from all UK carriers, though the signal from Vodafone is patchy. Wifi is widely available in public places.

Go next

 * Huddersfield has good connections to the Yorkshire Dales and Peak District.
 * York and Harrogate offer rewarding day excursions.
 * For shopaholics Meadowhall near Sheffield, the White Rose Centre near Leeds (bus numbers 202 and 203 from Huddersfield) and the Trafford Centre near Manchester are all easily accessible.