The Yorkshire Dalesman reveals 27 incredible things Yorkshire has given the world

It takes nothing to convince us of Yorkshire’s stamp upon the world – after all, we all know how brilliant it is. Yet this list is sure to reveal some Yorkshire innovations previously unknown to you, leaving you even prouder of our glorious county.

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

How could we begin with anything other than the greatest export of Yorkshire? The first recipe was recorded in 1737 and we have been indulging in these fluffy delights ever since!

CINEMA

In 1888, Frenchman Louis Le Prince came to Leeds and filmed the world’s first motion pictures at Oakwood Grange and Leeds Bridge. Groundbreaking cinema recorded right on our doorstep, it’s no surprise Yorkshire is home to the National Media Musuem in Bradford.

CLUEDO

A games night staple, Cluedo was created by expert board game makers Waddingtons, in Leeds. A special Leeds version of the game was even released in 1993 to celebrate the company’s centenary.

LIQUORICE ALLSORTS

All sorts of fun, all sorts of flavour, Liquorice Allsorts are brought to us by confectionary giant Bassett’s who were founded in Sheffield in 1842.

THE WORLD’S OLDEST FOOTBALL CLUB

Founded in 1857, Sheffield FC is recognised as the world’s oldest football club. Early football clubs used their own rules,  so Sheffield FC’s rules were the first official set used in games. These even went on to influence the rules of The Football Association.

MARKS & SPENCER

This multinational retailer started life as a penny bazaar on Kirkgate Market in Leeds. It stems from a collaboration between Michael Marks from Belrus, who had migrated to Leeds, and Thomas Spencer from Skipton, North Yorkshire.

RHUBARB

‘The Rhubarb Triangle’ is a giant patch of Yorkshire land that has made West Yorkshire famous for its signifcant export of rhubarb. Once, it produced 90 per cent of the world’s forced rhubarb, and today it is home to some of the largest rhubarb producers in the UK.

PUDSEY BEAR

Children in Need’s mascot, Pudsey Bear, was created and named by Joanna Lane in 1985, after her hometown of Pudsey, West Yorkshire.

EMMERDALE

Set in a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales, Emmerdale has long been a fan favourite, but no more so than in Yorkshire. Scenes have been filmed in Leeds since its inception, as well as in Arncliffe, Littondale, Esholt and now on the Harewood estate in West Yorkshire.

TALLEST MAN IN BRITAIN

William Bradley, aka the Yorkshire Giant, is the tallest recorded British man that ever lived, at 7 foot 9 inches tall. He was born in Market Weighton in East Yorkshire where a memorial statue now stands and an annual Giant Bradley Day is celebrated.

HENDERSON’S RELISH

Henry Henderson blended the first batch of his famed relish in Sheffield, 1885, and this tasty condiment remains as popular now as it was all those years ago.

THE UK’S FIRST BOTTLE BANK

In 1977, the UK’s first bottle bank opened in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Since then, billions of jars and bottles have been recycled as part of the scheme.

THE SOOTY SHOW

Though produced for the BBC and later for ITV, The Sooty Show was the brainchild of Harry Corbett OBE who hailed from Bradford and created the glove puppet character in 1952.

STAINLESS STEEL

Used every day around the world, stainless steel was discovered by Harry Brearley of Sheffield, or rather the Steel City, in 1913. 

JELLY TOTS

These delicious Rowntree’s treats were accidentally invented in Horsforth by Brian Boffey. He was attempting to create powdered jelly and his failed attempts led to one of our favourite Rowntree’s products!

SPARKLING WATER

Chemist Joseph Priestley, from Birstall, discovered carbonated water in 1767 when he suspended a bowl of water over a beer vat at a brewery in Leeds. These vats naturally give off carbon dioxide as the sugars are converted into low alcohol. 

DRACULA

Whitby’s dramatic abbey ruins, windswept promontory and crashing waves inspired Victorian author Bram Stoker to create the quintessential Gothic vampire, Dracula in his novel of the same name.

THE WORLD’S FIRST STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

In 1812, Matthew Murray built the first commercially viable steam locomotive – the twin-cylinder Salamanca – in Holbeck, Leeds.

TERRY’S CHOCOLATE ORANGE

York is home to many famous confectionary products, including Terry’s Chocolate Orange, KitKat and the Yorkie bar. 

HEARTBEAT

Produced by Yorkshire Television before it was merged by ITV, Heartbeat was a hit period drama set within the North Riding of Yorkshire during the 1960s. It ran for eighteen series in total and remains popular in memory even now.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND’S WHITE RABBIT

Lewis Carroll found inspiration for his popular children’s novel Alice in Wonderland in St Mary’s Church, Beverley. Above the entrance to the sacristy there is a stone rabbit, without which the White Rabbit of Carroll’s book potentially would not have existed.

UK’S FIRST SCULPTURE PARK

Based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire Sculpture Park was founded in 1977 as the first sculpture park in the UK. It is also the largest of its kind in Europe.

CAT’S EYE REFLECTIVE ROAD STUD

Percy Shaw of Halifax patented the reflective road stud, or cat’s eye, in 1934. There are lots of stories about what inspired the creation, one of which being that he had the idea after driving down a steep road in West Yorkshire where his headlights reflected in the eyes of a cat.

WENSLEYDALE CHEESE

Wallace and Gromit’s favourite, Wensleydale cheese is one of several delicious cheeses originating from Yorkshire which we can all agree goes delightfully well with a slice of Christmas cake!

HARRY RAMSDEN’S

In 1928, Harry Ramsden opened his fish and chip shop in a humble wooden hut near the tram stop at White Cross in Guiseley, West Yorkshire. Three years later, he opened his first restaurant premises in the same location, and the rest is history.

FLIGHT

In 1853, Sir George Cayley of Scarborough constructed the first glider reliably reported to carry a human aloft, and was the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of flight. Even the famous Wright brothers acknowledged his importance to the development of aviation.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Considered one of the greatest novels ever written in English, Emily Brontë along with sisters Charlotte and Anne supplied the world with their classic fiction from Haworth, West Yorkshire. Yorkshire’s moors were the setting of Emily’s Wuthering Heights.