Hidden West Yorkshire

Explore fascinating stories from West Yorkshire.

Radio Leeds,107 episodes

Episodes

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The Todmorden moss man
This is the story of moss man, and the moss-covered remains of his Todmorden cottage.
18 Feb 2026,5 mins
This historic Leeds document was nearly lost
This historic Leeds document was nearly lost before the owner realised it's importance.
16 Feb 2026,4 mins
The Rhubarb Triangle
John Whitaker talks to Gayle Lofthouse about West Yorkshire's rhubarb triangle.
11 Feb 2026,7 mins
The hidden Queer history of Leeds
From the longest running gay pub to the creation of Softcell.
29 Jan 2026,4 mins
Leeds' hidden Victorian jail
Under Leeds Town Hall is a maze of prison cells and an old courthouse.
24 Jan 2026,4 mins
I discovered the contract Revie never signed
Adam Pope discovered an unsigned contract in his mother's bungalow.
21 Jan 2026,7 mins
Prehistoric arrowhead found under Leeds road
Over 6000 artefacts unearthed during the construction of a major new road in Leeds.
12 Jan 2026,4 mins
Ghost sightings in Wakefield
Rob Shersby talks to Gayle Lofthouse about the ghosts of Wakefield.
18 Dec 2025,5 mins
The carpenter who conquered the ocean with a clock
The story of how Wakefield's John Harrison transformed ocean travel forever.
30 Nov 2025,4 mins
The first historian of Leeds
Ralph Thorseby was a 16th century antiquarian, born in Leeds.
26 Nov 2025,5 mins
Is new film based on Huddersfield Choral Society?
Yorkshire choir believe that they may be the inspiration for the new Alan Bennett film.
19 Nov 2025,7 mins
The woman who put Bradford on the stage
A blue plaque in Bradford marks the site of Esmé Church’s Northern Theatre School.
12 Nov 2025,4 mins
Wyke's headless horseman: Bevers Baht’ead
The eerie tale of High Fernley Hall and its spectral rider in Judy Woods.
31 Oct 2025,6 mins
Phoebe: The quiet ghost of Temple Newsam
Discover Phoebe Grey’s story. A kind maid lost to time at Temple Newsam.
30 Oct 2025,4 mins
The Leeds man who inspired Addams Family 'Thing'
W.F. Harvey was a surgeon during WWI and what he saw inspired his fictional horror work.
29 Oct 2025,6 mins
Black Dick: The ghostly rider of Cockley Wood
Explore the legend of Black Dick’s Tower and its haunting tale in West Yorkshire.
26 Oct 2025,4 mins
Wakefield's mysterious witching mirror
Among the artifacts at Wakefield's Mental Health Museum is a special mirror.
22 Oct 2025,4 mins
The haunted tunnels beneath England's oldest pub
The Bingley Arms is said to date back to 953 AD.
01 Oct 2025,6 mins
The Leeds film pioneer who disappeared forever
Louis Le Prince may have invented cinema but disappeared before he could prove it.
29 Sep 2025,5 mins
Heritage Open Day: The Old Fire Station in Gipton
Behind the scenes at a former Fire Station that is now a community hub.
19 Sep 2025,4 mins
Heritage Open Day: Inside a mental health museum
Jess Bayley has been to Wakefield to look around the Mental Health Museum.
18 Sep 2025,3 mins
Heritage Open Day: Hidden 200-year-old forge
Inside a 200-year old blacksmith’s, that forged items for the canal.
16 Sep 2025,4 mins
Heritage Open Day: Climbing Wainhouse Tower
Inside Calderdale’s tallest structure, affectionately known as the ‘Tower of Spite’.
15 Sep 2025,4 mins
A trip through Roman Castleford
Gayle Lofthouse speaks to Dr Tegwen Roberts about the project.
10 Sep 2025,4 mins
The most haunted car park in Leeds
Skulls and Stones Yard in Leeds was named after two brothers who died.
04 Sep 2025,4 mins
Asa Briggs: The Keighley codebreaker
From Keighley to Oxford, Asa Briggs chronicled Britain’s Victorian past.
20 Aug 2025,7 mins
Sunken bridge reappears during reservoir drought
Low water levels at Baitings reservoir have revealed previously hidden structures.
12 Aug 2025,4 mins
The phantom bear of Wakefield
Rob Shersby who runs the Wakefield Ghost Walk chats to Gayle Lofthouse.
06 Aug 2025,5 mins
For Sale: The wood with a ballroom and waterfall
Goit Stock Wood near Bingley known locally as the "hidden valley".
23 Jul 2025,4 mins
The Leeds inventor who gave us the Spirograph
From bike springs to NATO tech to Spirograph: Denys Fisher's inventive journey.
16 Jul 2025,6 mins