1.
Leeds
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Leeds /liːdz/ is a city in West Yorkshire, England. Historically in Yorkshires West Riding, the history of Leeds can be traced to the 5th century when the name referred to an area of the Kingdom of Elmet. The name has applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small borough in the 13th century, through several incarnations. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a centre for the production. During the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a mill town, wool was the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing. From being a market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century. The city has the third largest jobs total by local authority area with 480,000 in employment and self-employment at the beginning of 2015. Leeds is also ranked as a world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Leeds is served by four universities, and has the fourth largest student population in the country and has the fourth largest urban economy. After London, Leeds is the largest legal and financial centre in the UK, with over 30 national and international banks located in the city. Leeds is also the UKs third largest manufacturing centre with around 1,800 firms and 39,000 employees, the largest sub-sectors are engineering, printing and publishing, food and drink, chemicals and medical technology. Outside of London, Leeds has the third busiest railway station, Public transport, rail and road communications networks in the region are focused on Leeds and there are a number of twinning arrangements with towns and cities in other countries. The name Leeds derives from the old Brythonic word Ladenses meaning people of the fast-flowing river and this name originally referred to the forested area covering most of the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century. An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin, the term Leodensian is also used, from the citys Latin name. Leeds developed as a town in the Middle Ages as part of the local agricultural economy. Before the Industrial Revolution it became a centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth. Leeds handled one sixth of Englands export trade in 1770, growth, initially in textiles, was accelerated by the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699 and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816
2.
Kendal
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Kendal /ˈkɛndəl/, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England. Historically in Westmorland, it is situated about 8 miles south-east of Windermere,19 miles north of Lancaster,23 miles north-east of Barrow-in-Furness and 38 miles north-west of Skipton. Kendal today is largely as a centre for tourism, as the home of Kendal mint cake. Its buildings, mostly constructed with the grey limestone, have earned it the nickname Grey Auld Town. Kendal is listed in the Domesday Book as part of Yorkshire with the name Cherchebi, for many centuries it was called Kirkbie Kendal, meaning village with a church in the valley of the River Kent. The earliest castle was a Norman motte and bailey when the settlement went under the name of Kirkbie Strickland, Kendal Green was also worn by slaves in the Americas, and is mentioned in songs and literature from that time. Kendal Green was traditionally the colour of clothing worn by foresters and as such was mentioned by Shakespeare in Henry IV, Part 1. The site of several castles, the most recent one constructed in the late-12th century and it was the castle of the Barony of Kendal, the part of Westmorland ruled from here. The castle is best known for being the home of the Parr family, the Parrs inherited the castle through marriage during the reign of Edward III of England. Rumours still circulate that King Henry VIIIs sixth wife Catherine Parr was born at Kendal Castle, by the time Catherine was born the castle was beyond repair and her father was already based in Blackfriars, London, as a member of the court of King Henry VIII. A Roman fort existed about 2 miles south of the present day town centre and it was built in about AD90, originally as a timber structure, and then rebuilt with stone in about 130 during the reign of Hadrian. The fort was abandoned for about 20 years during the Antonine re-occupation of Scotland and it was then rebuilt during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and occupied until roughly 270. That was probably the last time it was held for military purposes, what remains of the stone structure is now buried under a field. Many of the Roman artefacts from this site may be found in the Kendal museum, early travellers to Kendal complained of eight miles of nothing but a confused mixture of Rockes and Boggs. Riding horseback was the fastest form of travelling for the road was no better than the roughest fell tracks on ground and spongy. It became evident that it was unjust and beyond the power of the scattered rural population thereabouts be called upon to maintain a road used for through traffic. In 1703 by Order of the Quarter Sessions of the Barony of Kendall the surveyors of highways was to make the good and sufficient for the passage of coaches, carts. In 1753 The Keighley and Kendal Turnpike brought the stage coach from Yorkshire to Kendal, Kendal is known for Kendal mint cake, a glucose-based type of confectionery reputedly discovered accidentally by Joseph Wiper during his search for a clear glacier mint
3.
Roads in the United Kingdom
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Roads in the United Kingdom form a network of varied quality and capacity. Road distances are shown in miles or yards and UK speed limits are indicated in miles per hour or by the use of the speed limit symbol. Some vehicle categories have various lower maximum limits enforced by speed limiters, enforcement of UK road speed limits increasingly uses speed guns, automated in-vehicle systems and automated roadside traffic cameras. A unified numbering system is in place for Great Britain, whilst in Northern Ireland, the earliest specifically engineered roads were built during the British Iron Age. The road network was expanded during the Roman occupation, some of these survive and others were lost. New roads were added in the Middle Ages and from the 17th century onwards, certain aspects of the legal framework remain under the competence of the United Kingdom parliament. Although some roads have much older origins, the network was subject to development from the 1950s to the mid-1990s. From then, construction of roads has become controversial with direct action campaigns by environmentalists in opposition. In the UK, vehicles drive on the left and on multi-lane carriageways drivers are expected to keep to the left lane except when overtaking, in Great Britain, the Highway Code applies to drivers. In Northern Ireland, the Highway Code for Northern Ireland applies, UK speed limits are shown in mph. With a few exceptions, they are in multiples of 10, unless a lower speed limit is posted on a road, the national speed limit applies, which varies between class of vehicles and the type of road. In a built-up area, unless signs indicate otherwise, a limit of 30 miles per hour applies, other limits are shown in the table. For a road to be classed as a carriageway, the two directions of traffic flow must be physically separated by a central reservation. Roads in the UK are classified as M, A, or B roads, as well as categories of more minor roads, for internal purposes. These numbers follow a zonal system, there is no available explanation for the allocation of road numbers in Northern Ireland. The majority of the major routes are motorways, and are designed to carry long distance traffic. The next category is the A roads, which form the route network. A primary route is defined as, primary destinations are usually cities and large towns, to which, as a result of their size, a high volume of traffic is expected to go
4.
Ilkley
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Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the borough of the City of Bradford. Approximately 12 miles north of Bradford and 17 miles northwest of Leeds, Ilkleys spa town heritage and surrounding countryside make tourism an important local industry. The town centre is characterised by Victorian architecture, wide streets, Ilkley Moor, to the south of the town, is the subject of a folk song, often described as the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire, On Ilkla Moor Baht at. The songs words are written in Yorkshire dialect, its title translated as On Ilkley Moor without a hat, the earliest evidence of habitation in the Ilkley area is from flint arrowheads or microliths, dating to the Mesolithic period, from about 11,000 BC onwards. A druidical stone circle, the Twelve Apostles Stone Circle, was constructed 2,000 years ago, serious interest in the rock art of Ilkley began after the publication in 1879 of the Prehistoric Rock Sculptures of Ilkley by Romilly Allen in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association. The remains of a Roman fort occupy a site near the town centre, some authorities believe it is Olicana, dating to 79 AD, but the identification is not settled. A number of Roman altars have been discovered from the reigns of Antoninus Pius, three Anglo-Saxon crosses from the 8th century that stood in the churchyard of All Saints Church have been moved inside to prevent erosion. The church site, as a centre for Christian worship, extends to 627 AD, the Domesday Book, of 1086, records Ilkley as being in the possession of William de Percy 1st Baron Percy. The land was acquired by the Middelton family of Myddelton Lodge, the family lost possession through a series of land sales and mortgage repossessions over a period of about a hundred years from the early 19th century. The agents of William Middelton were responsible for the design of the new town of Ilkley to replace the village which had stood there before, in the 17th and 18th centuries the town gained a reputation for the efficacy of its water. In the 19th century it established as a fashionable spa town, with the construction of Ben Rhydding Hydro, a hydropathic establishment at Wheatley. Charles Darwin underwent hydropathic treatment at Wells House when his book On the Origin of Species was published on 24 November 1859, tourists flocked to take the waters and bathe in the cold-water spring. Wheatley was renamed Ben Rhydding after the Hydro, which has been demolished, the Midland Railway built a connection to Skipton via Bolton Abbey in May 1888. Other Victorian visitors to the town include Madame Tussaud, the only remaining hydro building is the white cottage known as White Wells House. The cottage can be seen and visited on the edge of the moor overlooking the town, the town has a parish council and although it is a town and has a town hall, the parish council has not exercised its right to be called a town council. The parish consists of four wards and elects 14 councillors, Ilkley North, Ilkley South, Ilkley West, the parish council precept is collected with the annual Council Tax to fund its running and to aid the development of local projects. The parish is a ward in the borough of the City of Bradford and is represented by three Conservative councillors
5.
Skipton
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Skipton is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire, at the 2011 Census, Skipton had a population of 14,623. Skipton is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and it was important during the English Civil War and was the site of a prisoner of war camp during the First World War. The mill as it today is only half of what used to exist when two mills were in operation to produce corn for the whole of Skipton. The mill has been redesigned, from the mill grounds to the buildings themselves. Skipton Castle was built in 1090 as a wooden motte-and-bailey by Robert de Romille, the protection offered by Skipton Castle during the Middle Ages encouraged the urbanisation of the surrounding area, and during times of war and disorder the town attracted an influx of families. It is now one of the most complete and best preserved castles in England and is open to the public. Skipton became a market town, trading sheep and woollen goods, its name derives from the Old English sceap. A market stemming from its formative years still survives, since 1974, Skipton has been the seat of Craven District Council. The Skipton Building Society was founded in the town, Skipton is part of the parliamentary constituency of Skipton and Ripon, which was created in 1983. The constituency has returned a Conservative MP since its inception, the seat is currently held by Julian Smith MP. Before 1983 Skipton had its own eponymous constituency, Skipton forms part of Craven District, a Non-metropolitan district, and is home of the offices of Craven District Council. In 2007, proposals to make North Yorkshire County Council a unitary authority, Skipton has its own town council consisting of 16 Councillors, formed by 4 members from each of the four wards within the parish boundaries. Skipton Town Councillors elect a Town Mayor each year at its Annual General Meeting and this year, the Town Mayor is Councillor Gordon Bell. The Town Council Offices are based on the High Street, above Barclays Bank, the towns major local employer is Skipton Building Society, with its subsidiary companies. The town is home to several companies, including Blue Water Holidays. It is a centre for recruitment, with several hundred people employed in this sector, Recruitment firms include Medacs, JCJ, Templars, Holt and Medic International, and Justteachers. Tourism and retail sales are also significant, there is also a recruitment software company called LMS Recruitment Systems Ltd
6.
Road
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Roads consist of one or two roadways, each with one or more lanes and any associated sidewalks and road verges. Roads that are available for use by the public may be referred to as parkways, avenues, freeways, interstates, highways, or primary, secondary, and tertiary local roads. In urban areas roads may diverge through a city or village and be named as streets, serving a function as urban space easement. Modern roads are normally smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel, historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or maintenance. In the United Kingdom there is ambiguity between the terms highway and road. The Highway code details rules for road users and this includes footpaths, bridleways and cycle tracks, and also road and driveways on private land and many car parks. Vehicle Excise Duty, a use tax, is payable on some vehicles used on the public road. The definition of a road depends on the definition of a highway, in the United States, laws distinguish between public roads, which are open to public use, and private roads, which are privately controlled. The assertion that the first pathways were the trails made by animals has not been universally accepted, others believe that some roads originated from following animal trails. The Icknield Way is given as an example of type of road origination. By about 10,000 BC, rough roads/pathways were used by human travelers, the worlds oldest known paved road was constructed in Egypt some time between 2600 and 2200 BC. Stone-paved streets are found in the city of Ur in the Middle East dating back to 4000 BC, corduroy roads are found dating to 4000 BC in Glastonbury, England. The Sweet Track, a timber causeway in England, is one of the oldest engineered roads discovered. Built in winter 3807 BC or spring 3806 BC, tree-ring dating enabled very precise dating and it was claimed to be the oldest road in the world until the 2009 discovery of a 6, 000-year-old trackway in Plumstead, London. Brick-paved streets were used in India as early as 3000 BC, in 500 BC, Darius I the Great started an extensive road system for Persia, including the Royal Road, which was one of the finest highways of its time. The road remained in use after Roman times, a hybrid of road transport and ship transport beginning in about 1740 is the horse-drawn boat in which the horse follows a cleared path along the river bank. From about 312 BC, the Roman Empire built straight strong stone Roman roads throughout Europe and North Africa, at its peak the Roman Empire was connected by 29 major roads moving out from Rome and covering 78,000 kilometers or 52,964 Roman miles of paved roads. In the 8th century AD, many roads were built throughout the Arab Empire, the most sophisticated roads were those in Baghdad, which were paved with tar
