INTRODUCTION
The Yorkshire Canary Club was founded in 1894 to encourage the breeding and exhibition of the Yorkshire Canary, which was originally bred by the woollen mill workers in and around the City of Bradford.  The true home of this variety is still in Bradford but it is now kept with enthusiasm and pride the length and breadth of the British Isles and on practically every continent of the world.

The Yorkshire is the largest of the popular breeds of canary.  It is a ‘type’ canary, which means it is bred to a particular standard. or Ideal Model, of shape, size and position.  Since 1894 the Ideal Model has evolved through several changes.  It was said that the first Yorkshires were so long and slender that they could slip through a wedding ring and, though this is regarded as something of a myth today, it does indicate that the first birds must have been very slender indeed.

Over the years the main change to the model has been the increase in depth and roundness of shoulder giving the bird a heavier ‘top end’. The current model was revised around 40 years ago by S.R.Golding and it remains the standard for all Yorkshires throughout the world, today. Throughout its evolution, the Yorkshire has maintained an upright, erect position similar to the hands of a clock when standing at five minutes past seven.  The combination of a bold, upright stance and deep shoulders tapering to a slender waist has earned the Yorkshire the proud name of the “Guardsman” of the Fancy.

The modern Yorkshire presents the fancier with similar challenges to other popular canary varieties In terms of breeding, feeding and general management.  The skill of the breeder lies in producing birds as close to the Golding model as possible.  The skill of the exhibitor lies in training and staging a bird so that it displays the bold, upright position and steady temperament that typify the “Guardsman".