How much do you know about the English county of Yorkshire? This fascinating destination has a lot of surprises to offer, alongside the beautiful countryside for which it is known. Here are 15 unbelievable facts about Yorkshire that will blow your mind!
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15 Things You Didn’t Know About Yorkshire
There are many fascinating things to know about Yorkshire. Here are 15 of the most mind-blowing facts about the county.
Fascinating Facts About Yorkshire
It is a pretty well-known fact that Yorkshire is the biggest county in the UK. It measures an impressive 2.9 million acres!
And while we’re talking about scale, the Yorkshire Dales is made up of 40 individual dales.
Also, the Humber Bridge is the longest single-span suspension bridge in the UK and the second-longest in Europe. It is even one of the top longest in the world!
Yorkshire is also a county of firsts. Pateley Bridge is home to the world’s oldest sweet shop. It opened in 1827!
Sheffield FC is also the oldest football club in the world and was founded on 24th October 1857.
The Bingley Arms in Leeds claims to be the oldest pub in Britain, which dates back to the days of the Vikings over 1,000 years ago.
As well as the oldest, we also have Britain’s highest pub. The Tan Hill Inn sits at 1,732 feet above sea level.
As well as pubs, Yorkshire is also known for sporting prowess. If Yorkshire was a country, it would have come 12th in the 2012 Olympic games. Yorkshire athletes won 7 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze medals.
Yorkshire has also produced some famous literary names, most notably, the Brontë sisters. The area around Haworth, their home village, is known as Brontë Country in recognition of their contribution to English literature.
We’ve also got some impressive architecture. York Minster is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. It took a staggering 252 years to build and contains 128 spectacular stained glass windows.
And another record, the Great East Window of York Minster covers more than 2,000 square feet, making it the largest of its kind in the world.
Facts About Yorkshire & Tourism
Yorkshire is also a hugely popular tourist destination. Here are some fascinating facts about tourism in Yorkshire.
Mother Shipton’s Cave and Petrifying Well is the oldest registered visitor attraction in Britain. Located in the town of Knaresborough, it first opened to visitors in 1630.
The town of Scarborough became England’s first seaside resort in 1626 after the discovery of the local acidic spa waters.
In 2009, 216 million tourists flocked to the county. This is about the same number of visitors to Disney theme parks worldwide.
In 1982, the spa town of Harrogate hosted the popular annual Eurovision song contest.
15 Facts About Yorkshire
So these are 15 of the most fascinating facts about Yorkshire. Which one surprised you the most? If you want to know more about Yorkshire attractions, check out all our Yorkshire travel guides.
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Hello, I’m Hannah! I’m a writer and photographer who loves experiencing the wonders of Yorkshire. My guides will help you escape from your daily routine by showing you that you don’t have to go far to find an adventure.
Some great facts! I haven’t been to Yorkshire yet but I should be based in Manchester soon for work so will definitely be checking out more of Yorkshire and hopefully taking a visit to that old sweet shop
Oh that’s exciting to hear that you’ll be based in Manchester! You’ll definitely be able to enjoy plenty of Yorkshire day-trips! I hope you have fun exploring!
This is such an interesting read! I haven’t visited much of Yorkshire yet but all places I have I’ve loved, especially Leeds! Also the Mother Shipton’s Cave looks really interesting!
Leeds is a great city! I’ve been able to call it home for 6 years and I love it here! Mother Shipton’s Cave is fascinating! I’ve visited several times and it still amazes me every time I visit!
Before reading your blog I haven’t even heard about Yorkshire but now I can’t wait to visit! Seems like such an interesting and beautiful place to explore.
It’s definitely worth visiting when you’re in the UK! It’s such a diverse county with amazing cities, pretty towns and beautiful countryside. You’ll be spoilt for choice when deciding what to visit!
What interesting facts! I lived in London for a full year and I’m so mad at myself for not exploring England more. Yorkshire sounds amazing!!
London is one of those cities that has so much to offer, it is easy to just lose yourself in it and forget about everywhere else! I love London, but always recommend people see what else the country has to offer, there are loads of other fascinating places to explore! I hope you have an opportunity to come back and see some more of England!
Yorkshire looks wonderful. Honestly, I haven’t really heard of it before, but now I think I will have to check it out!
It is a beautiful area! The landscape is incredible and there is so much history in the towns and cities. I hope you get an opportunity to visit!
Yorkshire is fabulous, but it always good to learn more about it! We have visited the pub you mentioned (the Tan Hill Inn) and had a fantastic roast dinner there. Thank you for the great memory!
Ooh I’d love to try a roast dinner from the Tan Hill Inn! We’re planning a visit as soon as we can after lockdown! I’m glad you enjoyed your visit!
I read your Yorkshire posts regularly and I didn’t know any of these. So I learned something. I loved reading about York Minster. So gorgeous!!! What surprised me the most was Harrogate hosting Eurovision. That’s awesome!
Haha I only learned some of these when I was researching the post! The Eurovision one surprised me too! What a fun fact! York Minster is such a beautiful place. I can’t wait until we’re able to go back and see it again after lockdown!
I’ve been planning to visit Yorkshire for quite some time now. It will definitely be part of my next road trip (hopefully this year). Thanks for sharing!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed you’re able to visit! It is such a beautiful region full of surprises! Hopefully it isn’t too long now until you are able to explore it!
Thanks for sharing this, Hannah! Honestly, I knew nothing about Yorkshire (other than the name) before reading this, so it was quite interesting. I think my favorite thing you mentioned/shared was about the “York Minster.” I think Gothic architecture like that is so breathtaking! The symmetry is so captivating. Xx
Thanks for reading Hannah! Yorkshire is such a beautiful area filled with so much history! York Minster is absolutely beautiful. I hope you get an opportunity to admire it in person one day!
These are so interesting. I am wowed – and glad -that it has more visitors than all the Disney parks! Go Yorkshire!
Haha it is mind-blowing, isn’t it! I’m glad too! It’s a beautiful place that everyone should visit. I’m with you…Go Yorkshire!
These are super interesting facts that I had no idea about. I always wanted to visit Yorkshire and this has made me want to go even more, thankyou!
I’m so glad you love the facts Rachael! I had loads of fun researching them. Some of them surprised me! I hope you get an opportunity to visit soon!
That’s an impressive list. Another aspect I wonder about concerns the number of discernible accents in Yorkshire. The first person I met from Yorkshire hailed from Middlesborough and her accent was fascinating. I imagine travelling the breadth of Yorkshire, as you do, you must encounter many interesting terms and nuances in accents.
Ah yes! There are so many unique Yorkshire accents! I’m from Hull originally which is known for a very unique accent, but I think living in West Yorkshire for several years has softened it a bit! It’s funny, even just a short distance away I encounter other Yorkshire folk who I struggle to understand, and people sometimes find it hard to understand me when I’m talking! There are definitely many wonderful and varied accents throughout Yorkshire, it would certainly be interesting to discover how many variations people have recorded!
Back in the late 1970s, I lived in Lancashire near the Lancashire/Yorkshire border and spent much time in Yorkshire. I enjoyed reading this post as it brought back many happy memories.
Thanks Joanna! I’m so pleased to hear it made you reminisce! There are so many fun facts about Yorkshire!
Your blog is so informative!
Thanks Sharon, I’m glad you are enjoying reading the blog and you find it useful! Thanks for reading!