Yorkshire Day 2017: 11 People From God's Own County That Make Locals Ridiculously Proud

It's a great day to be from Yorkshire.
LOADINGERROR LOADING

Yorkshire Day is upon us once again, a day to celebrate everything that’s great about the region modestly known as God’s Own County.

And if you were wondering, the region has a LOT to be proud of, especially when it comes to its residents, past and present.

Here are a few of the awesome people to come out of Yorkshire that we should all be thankful for gracing this world.

1. Helen Sharman

Astronaut Helen Sharman
Astronaut Helen Sharman
PA Archive/PA Images

Dr Helen Sharman OBE became the first Brit to go into space when she set off on the Soyuz TM-12 mission and spent eight days on the Mir space station in 1991.

A true Sheffielder, Sharman was born and raised in Grenoside before studying Chemistry at the University of Sheffield, where she is one of the uni’s proudest alumna.

2. Jodie Whittaker

Actress Jodie Whittaker
Actress Jodie Whittaker
Rune Hellestad - Corbis via Getty Images

Actress Jodie Whittaker, known for her gripping roles in Black Mirror and Broadchurch, comes from the village of Skelmanthorpe in West Yorkshire.

Most recently, Whittaker made history - and the whole of Yorkshire chuffed - by being revealed as the next, and first female, Doctor Who.

3. David Hockney

Artist David Hockney
Artist David Hockney
PA Archive/PA Images

Bradford-born David Hockney has quite the portfolio to his name, with his achievements in painting, drawing, print, photography and video all contributing to him being crowned by fellow artists as the “most influential British artist of all time”.

The recent Tate exhibition celebrating his work, which often featured Yorkshire landscapes and countryside, was regularly sold out.

4. Nicola Adams

Boxer Nicola Adams
Boxer Nicola Adams
Reuters Staff / Reuters

Pro boxer Nicola Adams is smashing it, literally.

A lass from Leeds known as the Smiling Assassin, Adams was the first woman to become a boxing Olympic champion after two consecutive golds at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

5. Alex Turner

Singer Alex Turner
Singer Alex Turner
Stoyan Nenov / Reuters

The Arctic Monkeys, headed up by Alex Turner, couldn’t be prouder to show off their Yorkshire roots in their music.

Turner’s unmistakably Sheffield accent shines through in their songs, while the band often adorn their performances with subtle symbols of home - from white roses on their jackets to the local telephone area code 0114 printed on their drum kit.

6. Patrick Stewart

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Actor Sir Patrick Stewart
PA Wire/PA Images

Sir Patrick Stewart’s incredibly long, busy and impressive career may have seen him regularly jet back and forth to the US from London, but he only decided to let go of his Yorkshire home of 25 years last year.

Born in Mirfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the much loved Star Trek actor explained to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner that it just wasn’t “practical” to live there anymore but that his ties to his home turf would never be cut as he has family still living there.

7. Emily Bronte

Author Emily Bronte
Author Emily Bronte
Hulton Archive via Getty Images

The strikingly beautiful scenes of the Yorkshire moors were the backdrop to Emily Bronte’s classic romantic novel Wuthering Heights.

The 19th century author, along with her sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, was an integral part of Britain’s most famed literary family.

8. Alistair Brownlee

Alistair Brownlee helps his brother, Jonny, over the finish line
Alistair Brownlee helps his brother, Jonny, over the finish line
Alexander Koerner via Getty Images

Alistair Brownlee won the hearts of the nation when he gave up his chance to take first place at the end of the triathlon World Series in Mexico in order to help his struggling brother Jonny, who was on the verge of collapsing, cross the finish line.

It wasn’t the first time the sporting Brownlee brothers, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, crossed the finishing line together, when Alistair took gold and Jonny took silver in the Rio 2016 Olympics.

9. Alan Bennett

Playwright Alan Bennett
Playwright Alan Bennett
Mike Marsland via Getty Images

Despite studying at Oxford and living in London for many years, Leeds born Bennett, the award-winning playwright, screenwriter, actor and author, has said his love for Yorkshire has never faltered.

His Talking Heads series featured Yorkshire accents as well as references to Harrogate and Bettys Cafe near to where he grew up.

10. John Smeaton

Perth Bridge over the River Tay in Perth, Scotland - one of Smeaton's designs
Perth Bridge over the River Tay in Perth, Scotland - one of Smeaton's designs
Mark Sunderland / robertharding via Getty Images

A lesser known addition to the list, you may not know the name of John Smeaton but you’ll definitely know his work.

Smeaton, born in 1724, has become known as the first civil engineer, credited with inventing cement and being responsible for the designs of many buildings including bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses.

11. Sean Bean

Actor Sean Bean
Actor Sean Bean
PA Wire/PA Images

One of the few actors to go through theatre school and retain his Yorkshire accent, Sean Bean’s soothing on-screen tones fill many a Yorkshireman with pride.

But you tend to have to enjoy hearing that accent while you can, before his character almost inevitably gets killed off.

Close

What's Hot