Rastrick

Robin Hood's Grave

Bradley · 1.9 miles

The monument traditionally associated with the burial of the folk hero Robin Hood stands within the privately owned woodland of Kirklees Park Estate, West Yorkshire, close to the ruined remains of Kirklees Priory and about 650 metres from the surviving gatehouse where the outlaw is thought to have lodged at the time of his death. The stone lies near the village of Bradley and is listed as a historic memorial by Historic England. The low stone wall and fence that surround the gravestone date from the nineteenth century, when local labourers were reputed to remove fragments as a cure for toothache. The inscription, rendered in a form of Middle English that scholars such as Maurice Keen describe as clearly spurious, claims the interment of “Robert, Earl of Huntingdon” on 24 December 1247 – a date that does not exist in the medieval calendar. References to a grave marker at this site appear in documents from the sixteenth century, including John Leland’s Collectanea and Richard Grafton’s 1569 chronicle, while later observers such as Ralph Thoresby and Richard Gough recorded the stone as heavily weathered and partially illegible. A 2015 investigation by the television programme *Expedition Unknown* employed ground-penetrating radar but found no evidence of a burial disturbance. Visitors should note that the monument is set in private woodland with no visitor facilities, admission charges or official opening hours provided. Access is therefore at the visitor’s own risk, and there are no amenities such as car parks, toilets or information displays on site.

Calderdale Industrial Museum

Woolshops · 3.1 miles

Calderdale Industrial Museum is a museum in the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, dedicated to the industrial heritage of the area. The museum contains a number of working machines built between 1850 – 1930 all of which were either built or used in Halifax.

The Piece Hall

Woolshops · 3.1 miles

The former cloth hall stands in Halifax, West Yorkshire, close to the settlement of Woolshops, and is protected as a Grade I listed building. Erected in the late eighteenth century to bring together handloom weavers and merchants, the structure surrounds a central open courtyard with three hundred and fifteen individual rooms that once displayed woollen pieces for sale. Its quadrangular form of freestone, two upper storeys and a rusticated basement is punctuated by interior colonnades that lead to the arched chambers, a layout intended to provide both security and privacy for transactions. Although the architect has never been definitively identified, the building’s scale and craftsmanship reflect the prosperity of Halifax at the time of its opening on 1 January 1779. After a period of decline, the hall was taken over by Halifax Corporation in 1868 and adapted for wholesale market use, with some rooms combined and new entrances created for vehicle access. The twentieth-century saw the removal of nineteenth-century sheds, the addition of a museum and art gallery, and a re-opening to the public in July 1976. Following the closure of the museum in 1998, a major restoration funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Calderdale Council began in 2014, culminating in a reopening in August 2017. Today the Piece Hall operates under the stewardship of the Piece Hall Trust, hosts cultural events, and offers limited wheelchair access for visitors.

Harold Park

Low Moor · 3.7 miles

Harold Park is a small urban park in Low Moor, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The park is open all day all year round. To the immediate north of Harold Park is Horsfall Stadium home to Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C. and Albion Sports A.F.C. Park Dam is a short walking distance to the south.

People's Park

Bell Hall · 3.7 miles

A gift to the citizens of Halifax in 1857, People’s Park provides a historic green space in the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire, close to the settlement of Bell Hall. The land was presented by local carpet manufacturer Sir Francis Crossley, who intended the area to give working men a convenient place for a stroll after a hard day’s labour. The original layout is attributed to the celebrated garden designer Joseph Paxton, and the park today holds a Grade II* entry on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England. Following a period of neglect in the late twentieth century, a major restoration programme began in 1995, reviving both the landscape and the built structures within the park. Central to the restoration is the Crossley Pavilion, itself recorded as a Grade II* listed building, which reflects the Victorian ambition to combine art and nature for public enjoyment. The park’s design and its listed status make it a point of interest for visitors who appreciate historic urban green spaces. Access is via the surrounding streets of Halifax, and as a public park it remains freely open to all, with the open-air setting offering opportunities for walking and informal recreation.

Greenhead Park

Gledholt · 3.7 miles

Located about half a mile west of Huddersfield’s town centre, Greenhead Park sits close to the village of Gledholt in West Yorkshire. The urban green space is recognised as an English Heritage grade II listed property and lies within a designated Conservation Area, underscoring its historic and architectural significance. The park’s origins trace back to 1870 when Alderman Thomas Denham secured a private lease on fifteen acres for public enjoyment. In 1881 the Huddersfield Corporation purchased an additional thirty acres from the Ramsden Estate, and the park officially opened on 27 September 1884. A major restoration funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund began in 2009; over two years the work restored existing buildings, reinstated one of the original lakes, replaced boundary railings and gates, and added a new play area, completing in autumn 2012. Today visitors can use tennis courts, a skate park, a play area, the last remaining paddling pool in Kirklees, and the facilities of the Huddersfield Pétanque Club. Regular activities include a Caribbean Carnival each summer, a weekly parkrun at 09:00 on Saturdays, Nordic-walking sessions on Fridays, and a wildlife club. The park remains open to the public and is accessed via the surrounding streets of Huddersfield, with its proximity to the town centre making it readily reachable on foot or by local transport.