Leeds
Leeds City Guide
Introduction
Long before the Industrial Revolution Leeds was an important market town, trading in cloth and wool from the Middle Ages. Then in the late 18th century the arrival of canals and steam power brought mass textile production and enormous factories popped up everywhere. The city’s population swelled with factory workers and their families. Social conditions were poor and the city was grimy and polluted, and Leeds soon acquired the reputation of being a grim northern city. A lot has been done to shake off this reputation in recent decades, as urban regeneration projects have cleaned up the Victorian city centre and created new developments of cultural venues, bars and restaurants. It’s now one of the best places in the north of England for shopping, nightlife and the arts.
Attractions
Headrow
The Victorian and Edwardian buildings in the Headrow area have been splendidly renovated and given a new lease of life with pedestrianised streets and designer shops. One of the most spectacular buildings in the city is the mid 19th century Town Hall, a neo-classical design with a fabulous clock tower and proud sculptures representing the city’s heritage in industry, science and the arts.
Leeds City Art Gallery, another impressive 19th century civic building, has an extensive collection of 20th century British art, with a great many works by local artists Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, both students of the Leeds School of Art. There are also some wonderful industrial landscape scenes by Lowry as well as a large section on 19th century art – from French impressionist paintings to English watercolours and sculptures.
The fancy shops and designer boutiques on the pedestrianised Briggate street occupy marvellous 19th century buildings with incredibly ornate interiors, from mahogany and marble to ceramic tiles and stained glass. The most impressive of all, however, is the Victoria Quarter, home of the exclusive department store Harvey Nichols.
There’s more in the way of great shops around Kirkgate and the Corn Exchange. The Kirkgate Market is housed in an Edwardian building and also has an outdoor section where, famously, Mr Marks of Marks and Spencer fame set up his first stall in 1884.
The Corn Exchange was built by the same architect as the Town Hall. It’s a striking round building with a domed roof, surrounded by arched windows. It now houses an indoor market selling beautiful arts, crafts, clothes and gifts.
Leeds-Liverpool Canal
The area around the canal is where the most regeneration work has taken place. The water has been cleaned up, a new footpath has been laid and the canal is now lined with visitor attractions, ultra-chic apartment blocks and fashionable restaurants and bars.
The purpose-built Royal Armouries museum, opened in 1996 by the Queen, houses the Royal Armouries’ national collection of arms and armour. There are fascinating exhibits from the 5th century BC to the present, divided into five main themes – self-defence, hunting, warfare, tournaments and the Orient. It’s brought to life by a fantastic programme of demonstrations in the summer, from gun making and crossbow shooting to jousting and horse riding.
Another big attraction by the canal is the Tetley Brewery, which for over 150 years has brewed some of the most popular beers in the North of England. The museum explores the history of pubs and brewing and explains how beer is made. Guided tours with tasting sessions also run several times daily.
The arches under the railway line at Granary Wharf have been wonderfully converted into craft shops and every weekend there’s a market, where there are often live bands and entertainers.
Out of town
Leeds Industrial Museum is just two miles west of the city centre on the A65. Housed in Armley Mills, once the biggest factory in the world, it’s an enlightening museum that gives an excellent account of industrialisation in the north of England. The exhibits include cloth looms, mill machinery, steam engines and water wheels.
Just another mile further along the A65 is Kirstall Abbey, one of the best preserved Cistercian monasteries in England. There’s a large complex of buildings, most of which are almost completely intact – dormitories, kitchens, refectories, chapels, chapter houses and the tower. Next door to this is the Abbey House Museum, where Victorian street scenes have been recreated to outline life in Leeds in the late 19th century.
Eating Out
The redevelopment of the city centre has provided some very good areas for eating and drinking. Exchange Quarter is a series of restored warehouses and factory buildings that have been converted into lofty and spacious restaurants and hip and trendy bars. Most of the establishments have tables and chairs outside and there’s a buzzing continental atmosphere in good weather.
Townhouse on Assembly Street at Exchange Quarter is a contemporary café bar and grill, with a mouth-watering menu of modern British dishes.
The other main area for eating out is by the Leeds-Liverpool canal, where similar warehouse conversions are lined around the canal basin. Rascasse on Canal Wharf has excellent views of the canal and a very good menu of meats, fish and grills.
Nightlife
Again, the Exchange Quarter and the canal are the places to go for a night out. Norman is a stylish minimalist bar on Call Lane in the Exchange Quarter, with loud music throughout the week and a DJ at weekends. Revolution on the same street is a hip and laid back café by day and a thumping pre-club bar by night, with a DJ almost every evening. Pop in and out of all the bars around here to experience the best of Leeds nightlife.
There are some more traditional pubs in the Headrow area. The Duck and Drake on Kirkgate serves a wide variety of real ales and often has live music, and the Victoria on Great George Street is one of the oldest pubs in Leeds, with a wood-pannelled interior and a good selection of Tetley and other local beers.
