Yorkshire History

The population of Yorkshire rose rapidly in the 19th century. The textile, steel, and coal industries boomed. Towns like Leeds, Bradford, Keighley, Sheffield, and Hull mushroomed. In the mid 19th century York became a centre of the railway industry.

Conditions in the new industrial towns were often appalling. They were dirty, unsanitary, and overcrowded. In 1832 and 1848 there were outbreaks of cholera in the towns. However, things improved in the late 19th century. Sewers were dug and piped water supplies were created. Public parks and public libraries opened. Standards of housing also improved considerably.

However many parts of Yorkshire remained rural. Even so, they were changed by the coming of the railways. A network of them was built in the 1840s and they helped to break down the isolation of the more remote areas. Furthermore, the first seaside towns arose in the 19th century. Scarborough was one such resort.

The early 20th century was a difficult one for Yorkshire. The 1920s and 1930s were a time of mass unemployment. The old staple industries such as coal and textiles declined and they shed workers.

On the other hand, local authorities started demolishing the worst slums and the first council houses were built. Many more council houses were built in Yorkshire after 1945. For those who had jobs, living standards rose significantly in the 1920s and 1930s. One sign of this was the building of many cinemas.

Full employment returned dring the Second World War but Yorkshire was a target for German bombing. Hull was the most severely bombed town. After the Second World War, the traditional industries continued their relentless decline. Coal, steel, and textiles all shrank. The fishing industry in Hull went into a nosedive.

However, service industries such as education, retail, and tourism grew. At the end of the 20th century, many Yorkshire towns reinvented themselves and refurbished their centres. Many new museums were opened.

There was another change in Yorkshire in the late 20th century. From the 1950s large numbers of West Indian and Asian immigrants came to Yorkshire. Today many towns and cities in Yorkshire are multicultural.

In 1974 the political map of Yorkshire changed. It was divided into four local government areas, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Humberside. In 1996 The East Riding of Yorkshire replaced North Humberside.

https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-yorkshire/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Riding_of_Yorkshire