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Figure 1

History of Castle Hill

• At the Beginning used as a hill fort during the late Bronze Age and Iron Age
• 12th Century, developed into a village and a working castle
• Even after the castle became abandoned residents still lived here
• A public house and hotel were also created around the 19th Century
• From the start of the 1800s to the mid-1900s, a public house and hotel stood there, the public house close first.
• Victoria Tower (the ironic listed building standing here today) was built in 1899 in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

(Historic England, 1992) (James, 2023) (Huddersfield Hub, 2021)

Castle Hill as a viewpoint There are stunning views from Castle Hill which overlook Huddersfield, the side facing the castle you can see across the whole of Huddersfield town, from the rugby and football stadium John Smiths to spotting familiar areas, for example, I can see my former high school from here. Figure 3 Figure 4

Emley Moor: Emley Moor Mass is 'the tallest freelancing structure in the United Kingdom', it can be seen from Castle Hill as seen in the photo below, Emley Moor Mass is seen in the distance. (Thomas, 2023) Figure 2

Victoria Tower It has a viewing point at the top, which costs a small amount to enter and usually only open in the summer months. Every time I have been to Castle Hill, it has not been open, but for me, I do find sitting on the nearby benches around the tower itself, relaxing especially on a quiet day, being at the top would create a completely different atmosphere, I feel I would be pressured to take a photo and leave, not enjoy being in that moment due to it being a tight space. Figure 5

Questions for you 1. What did you think of this place, when you first saw the photo? 2. Think of a question you now have about Castle Hill, now you have read all the information. 3. How does this place make you feel and can you feel a sense of belonging to this place and why?

Accessibility As you can see there are a large number of steps leading up to the castle and surrounding it as seen below. However, there is a car park at the top with a few spaces but fills up quickly. There are no public toilets and access to the top of tower of the tower is not easy to obtain due to the steep steps. It also is difficult to navigate around, for individuals with mobility challenges, as there are narrow pathways, some uneven surfaces and stairs.

Journey to Castle Hill Castle Hill is surrounded by hills within the countryside. They is a main road underneath the castle but once you are at the top, you can see hillside for miles. As a child, I loved walking up to Castle Hill from my home. From my bedroom window, I could see Castle Hill in the distance, when the weather was nice, I would regularly take the hour walk up there, the walk involved going through multiple fields full of a range of animals from sheep to cows and going through woodlands. Figure 6Figure 7Figure 8 Figure 9

Events There is a number of events held at Castle Hill, one I saw being the HEARD festival, where sheep sculptures were scattered across Kirklees for a week, one of the sheep was positioned at Castle Hill. (Artichoke Trust, 2024) Figure 10 Figure 11

My thoughts I love coming to Castle Hill, I feel a sense of belonging here as from a young age, I have been here with school as well as with my family. I went to see the fireworks from up there one year with my family, it was great fun, even though, it was freezing cold. There were quite a lot of people up there making it a memorable occasion. Every time I show someone Huddersfield, I make sure I bring them here as I am proud of living close by to it. My main highlights are seeing the views across Huddersfield, spotting places, which I have found memories of and getting to see Victoria tower in person as I constantly see it from my bedroom window. I do wish there was fewer stairs around the place, to enable everyone to be able to fully access the place though.

References List James, J. (2023) Castle Hill and Victoria Tower. Available at: https://www.creativetourist.com/venue/castle-hill/ (Accessed 10 March 2024). Historic England (1992) Castle Hill: slight univallate hillfort, small multivallate hillfort, motte and bailey castle and deserted village. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1009846?section=official-list-entry (Accessed 10 March 2024). Huddersfield Hub (2021) AMAZING HISTORY OF PUB AND HOTEL ON TOP OF CASTLE HILL. Available at: https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/amazing-history-of-pub-and-hotel-on-top-of-castle-hill/ (Accessed 10 March 2024). Thomas, T. (2023) THE FALL AND RISE OF EMLEY MOOR TELEVISION TOWER. Available at: https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/the-fall-and-rise-of-emley-moor-television-tower/ (Accessed 10 March 2024). Artichoke Trust. (2024) PLAN YOUR VISIT HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO FIND THE HERD… Available at: https://herd-kirklees.co.uk/plan-your-visit/ (Accessed 10 March 2024).

Photo References Williams, E. (2020). Figure 1 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2023). Figure 2 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2023). Figure 3 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2023). Figure 4 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2020). Figure 5 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2020). Figure 6 [Photograph], Netherton, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2021). Figure 7 [Photograph], Netherton, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2023). Figure 8 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2021). Figure 9 [Photograph], Newsome, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2023). Figure 10 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield Williams, E. (2023). Figure 11 [Photograph], Castle Hill, Huddersfield