
The Rhubarb Triangle is a area of
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, England between
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...
,
Morley, and
Rothwell famous for producing early
forced rhubarb. It includes
Kirkhamgate,
East Ardsley
East Ardsley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. East Ardsley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District and sits within the Rhubarb Triangle.
Etymology
The name ''Ardsley'' is first attested in t ...
,
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
,
Lofthouse and
Carlton.
The Rhubarb Triangle was originally much bigger, covering an area between
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
,
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
and
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...
.
From the 1900s to 1930s, the
rhubarb
Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...
industry expanded and at its peak covered an area of about .
Rhubarb is native to
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
and thrives in the wet cold winters in Yorkshire. West Yorkshire once produced 90% of the world's winter forced rhubarb from the forcing sheds that were common across the fields there.
In 2010,
Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb was awarded
Protected Designation of Origin
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
(PDO)
status by the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
's Protected Food Name scheme after being recommended by
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for environmental quality, environmenta ...
(Defra).
Cultivation

The cultivation method for
forced rhubarb was developed in the early 1800s.
The fields were fertilised with large quantities of horse manure and '
night soil
Night soil is a historical euphemism for Human waste, human excreta collected from cesspit, cesspools, privies, pail closets, pit latrines, privy middens, septic tanks, etc. This material was removed from the immediate area, usually at night, by ...
' from the nearby urban areas and woollen waste from "
mungo and
shoddy
Recycled wool, also known as rag wool or shoddy is any Wool, woollen textile or yarn made by shredding existing fabric and re-spinning the resulting fibres. Textile recycling is an important mechanism for reducing the need for raw wool in manufact ...
" mills.
The rhubarb plants spend two years out in the fields without being harvested. While in the fields the plants store energy from the sun in their roots as
carbohydrates
A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ma ...
. The roots are subjected to frost before being moved into sheds in November where they are kept in complete darkness. In the sheds the plants begin to grow in the warmth and the stored carbohydrate in the roots is transformed into
glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...
resulting in forced rhubarb's sour-sweet flavour.
The sheds are long low buildings which are heated; originally with coal, which was plentiful and relatively cheap in the area, but this has been replaced by diesel.
Forced rhubarb grown in the sheds is more tender than that grown outdoors in summer. Without daylight the rhubarb leaves are a green-yellow colour, and the stalks, measuring around , are crimson in colour with a smooth texture. Traditionally, the pickers pull the stalks in candlelight as any exposure to strong light will stop the growth. By the end of March the
harvest
Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
is over and the
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...
stock is totally exhausted and used for compost.
History
Growing and forcing rhubarb was originally done by many hundreds of small farmers, smallholders and market gardeners. In later years some growers expanded and owned many thousands of roots and extensive forcing sheds.
In the late 19th century early forced rhubarb was sent to
Spitalfields
Spitalfields () is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and situated in the East End of London, East End. Spitalfields is formed around Commercial Street, London, Commercial Stre ...
and
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
markets in London in time for Christmas and was sent to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
for the French market. A special express train carrying rhubarb was run by the
Great Northern Railway Company from
Ardsley station every weekday night during the forced rhubarb season from Christmas until Easter. Up to 200 tons of rhubarb sent by up to 200 growers was carried daily at the peak of production before 1939.
In 1962, a rail strike caused the growers to look for alternative transport and the service ended shortly after.
Wakefield Museum has a permanent exhibition about forced rhubarb.
Rhubarb became less popular after the Second World War when more exotic fruits became more available.
The ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' dates the name "rhubarb triangle" to a 1965 textbook mentioning pre-war trains called ''rhubarb specials'' that ran from the West Riding rhubarb triangle to London and it was mentioned in the ''Guardian'' newspaper in 1986.
EU recognition of Yorkshire forced rhubarb

Twelve farmers who farm within the Rhubarb Triangle applied to have the name "Yorkshire forced rhubarb" added to the list of foods and drinks that have their names legally protected by the European Commission's
Protected Food Name scheme.
The application was successful and the farmers in the Rhubarb Triangle were awarded Protected Designation of Origin status (PDO) in February 2010. Food protected status accesses European funding to promote the product and legal backing against other products made outside the area using the name. Other protected names include
stilton cheese,
champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
and parma ham. Leeds Central MP,
Hilary Benn
Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South, formerly ...
, was involved in the Defra campaign to win protected status.
Culture
Wakefield Council holds an annual Rhubarb Festival in February, celebrating the area's links and promoting the surviving rhubarb industry. A Farmers' Market, cookery demonstrations, walks and tours of the forcing sheds are among the attractions.
In 2005 Wakefield council erected a sculpture depicting a rhubarb plant in Holmfield Park Wakefield. Rhubarb growing and the 'Rhubarb Express' are featured in
Wakefield Museum. In 2016 an exhibition of photographs by Martin Parr at The
Hepworth Wakefield featured The Rhubarb Triangle series of images, along with a publication.
In
Frances Brody
Frances McNeil, also writing as Frances Brody, is an English novelist and playwright, and has written extensively for radio.
Early life
McNeil was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, where she now lives. She studied at Ruskin College, Oxford and ha ...
's 2019 novel ''The Body on the Train'' (Piatkus: ), a murdered man's body is found on a rhubarb train from Ardsley, on its arrival at
King's Cross. The book's cover illustration features boxes of rhubarb on a platform beside a train.
See also
*
Rhubarb forcer
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Rhubarb Sheds; images from LeodisE. Oldroyd & Sons Ltd*Yorkshire Film Archive (documentary)
The Rhubarb Triangle (2000)
{{coord, 53.73, -1.5, scale:50000_region:GB, format=dms, display=title
British products with protected designation of origin
Geography of the City of Bradford
Geography of Leeds
Rhubarb
Rothwell, West Yorkshire