Leeds

Leeds
Leeds Town Hall
Leeds shown within West Yorkshire
Population	443,247 (2001 census)
OS grid reference	SE297338
Metropolitan borough	City of Leeds
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LEEDS
Postcode district	LS1, LS2, LS3–LS29
Dialling code	0113
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Elmet Leeds Central
	Leeds East Leeds North East
	Leeds North West
	Leeds West
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Leeds (pronunciation) is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. It is the urban core and administrative centre of the wider metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds. The county borough of Leeds was awarded city status in 1893, but in 1974 this status was transferred to the larger new metropolitan borough named "City of Leeds". Thus Leeds, although commonly referred to as a "city", does not have this legal status unless the wider area is being discussed.

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the recorded history of Leeds can be traced to the 5th century when the Kingdom of Elmet was covered by the forest of "Loidis", the origin of the name Leeds. During the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major industrial centre for the production and trade of wool, before emerging as a centre for commerce and higher education, being the location of the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity and All Saints. Today the city is one of the largest financial and legal centres outside London.^[1]

According to the 2001 UK census, the population of the Leeds urban area was 443,247,^[2] whereas the wider City of Leeds metropolitan district has a population of 761,100 (mid-2007 estimate) and is one of the eight largest English cities outside London that form the English Core Cities Group. It is near the centre of the West Yorkshire metropolitan county which has a population of over 2.1 million.

History

Main article: History of Leeds

The 1866 map of Leeds.

Calls Landing on The Calls, Leeds. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the area served the docks on the canal. The area soon became deprived, but has since been regenerated and boasts restaurants and a thriving gay scene.

The name "Leeds" is derived from "Loidis", a word of Celtic origin. Bede wrote: "...regione quae vocatur Loidis" — region known as Loidis. This root also survives in the nearby place names of Ledston and Ledsham. Leeds was mentioned as "Ledes" in the Domesday Book of 1086, after which the name evolved into "Leedes" and finally "Leeds".

Leeds was an agricultural market town in the Middle Ages, and received its first charter in 1207. In the Tudor period Leeds was mainly a merchant town, manufacturing woollen cloths and trading with Europe via the Humber estuary. The population grew from 10,000 at the end of the 17th century to 30,000 at the end of the 18th. At one point nearly half of England's total exports passed through Leeds. At the time of the Industrial Revolution Leeds grew rapidly and the population rose to over 150,000 by 1840. The city's industrial growth was helped by the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699, Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the railway in 1848. In 1893 Leeds was granted city status. The industries that developed in the Industrial Revolution included making machinery for spinning, machine tools, steam engines and gears as well as other industries based on textiles, chemicals, leather and pottery. Coal was extracted on a large scale and the Middleton Railway, the first successful commercial steam locomotive railway in the world, transported coal from Middleton colliery into the centre of Leeds. The first permanent set of fully automatic traffic lights in the world were installed at the junction of Park Row and Bond Street, Leeds, in 1928.

By the 20th century this social and economic base started to change as Leeds saw the creation of the academic institutions that are known today as the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity & All Saints. This period also witnessed expansion in medical institutions, particularly the Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital. Following World War II there was a decline in the secondary industries that had thrived in the 19th century. In 1951, half the workforce was still occupied in manufacturing; by 1971 the figure was a third. Leeds lost a third of its manufacturing jobs during 1971–1981.^[3] In 1991, 64,000 were employed in manufacturing. In 2003, 2,103 firms employed 44,500 (10% of workforce).^[4] However there are still some large engineering firms, the largest of which make turbine blades, components, alloys, valves and pipelines for the oil industry, switchgear, printers' supplies, copper alloys, surgical and hospital equipment, pumps, motors and radiators.

In the 1980s, the Conservative government designated Urban Development Corporation status on a number of areas of UK cities: some declining areas were taken out of local authority control and government funding was provided with the aim of speeding up and concentrating private sector investment in the most run-down areas. Leeds Development Corporation ran from 1988–1995 and helped to focus attention on two decayed industrial areas, the lower Kirkstall Valley and the riverside area to the south east of the city centre. Achievements of LDC included refurbishment of many riverside properties, the opening up of Granary Wharf and the Royal Armouries development.

Leeds is generally regarded as the dominant city of the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire, although the presence of other large cities and towns (such as Bradford and Huddersfield) means that this dominance is less pronounced than in most other English metropolitan areas.

Governance

One of four golden owl sculptures outside Leeds Civic Hall

Panorama of Leeds City Centre

Leeds is the administrative core of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire. It was an independent county borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1889 to 1974.^[5] The metropolitan borough covers a much wider area than Leeds' urban core and includes once separate towns such as Morley, Otley and Wetherby. See history and geography of the City of Leeds.

Leeds City Council, which is based in Leeds Civic Hall in the city centre, governs the whole metropolitan district. It has 99 elected members, three for each of 33 wards; councillors are elected for a four year term, and one third are elected at local elections held in three years out of four. As of 2007^[update] it is controlled by a coalition of Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent members. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat group leaders take the rôle of Leader of the Council for six months alternately.

Leeds is represented by six MPs, for the constituencies of Elmet, Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West and Leeds West. Apart from Leeds Central these constituencies also cover areas outside the core of the city, but within the metropolitan district. Leeds North West is represented by a Liberal Democrat and the rest by Labour.

Leeds is within the Yorkshire and the Humber European constituency, which is represented by two Conservative, two Labour, one Liberal Democrat and one UKIP MEPs.

Lord Mayor of Leeds

The first mayor of Leeds, in 1662, was Thomas Danby after whom Leeds Thomas Danby college is named. A popular Victorian mayor was Henry Rowland Marsden whose statue can be seen near the university. There were 240 mayors until, in 1897, Queen Victoria gave the city the privilege of having a Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor is elected in May each year from and by the members of Leeds City Council and is the Chair of the Council.^[6]

The Lord Mayor fulfils many ceremonial duties during the year, and chooses a "Lord Mayor's charity" to support. The full title of the Lord Mayor is "The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of the City of Leeds". Although the Lord Mayor's remit covers the whole of the City of Leeds metropolitan district, there are also town mayors in some of the other towns in this district.

A full list of Aldermen (1626–1661), Mayors (1662–1896) and Lord Mayors (from 1897) is available on the council's website.^[7]

Geography

Leeds is situated in the eastern foothills of the Pennines astride the River Aire whose valley, the Aire Gap, provides a road and rail corridor that facilitates communications with cities to the west of the Pennines.

Location grid

Areas of the city

Main article: Areas of Leeds

For list of places within the City of Leeds metropolitan district, but outside the primary urban area, see Leeds environs

Until the 1974 reorganisation of local government, the County Borough of Leeds included the former parishes of Armley, Beeston, Bramley, Chapel Allerton, Farnley, Headingley / Burley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Leeds, Osmondthorpe, Potter Newton, Seacroft, Temple Newsam (covering the areas of Austhorpe, Colton, Halton, Halton Moor and Whitkirk) and Wortley.^[8]

Demography

There is a concentrated student population in Burley and Headingley, to the north west of Central Leeds and Adel, Alwoodley and Moortown, in North Leeds, have a large Jewish community.^[9] The city has three recognised red-light districts — Spencer Place^[10] in Chapeltown, Water Lane in Holbeck^[11] and the areas surrounding the City of Mabgate public house in Mabgate, taking in Roseville Road, Telephone Street and Mushroom Street.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Leeds and List of companies based in Leeds

Briggate (from the junction with The Headrow), Leeds

Leeds was voted 'Britain's Best City for Business' by Omis Research in 2003 but dropped to 3rd place behind Manchester and Glasgow in 2005 ("Relative under-performance over the past two years in transport improvements and cost competitiveness were the major contributing factors"). It is also regarded by some as one of the fastest growing cities in the UK^[12][13][14] and has a diverse economy with the service sector now dominating over the city's manufacturing industries. Leeds is one of the largest financial centres in England outside the capital.^[15] New tertiary industries such as retail, call centres, offices and media have contributed to a high rate of economic growth since the early 1990s. Leeds was successful in becoming the first British city to have full broadband and digital coverage during the dot-com bubble, enabling it to become one of the key hubs in the emerging new media sector. Companies such as Freeserve, Energis, Sportal, TEAMtalk, Contactmusic.com and Ananova emerged from Leeds to dominate the UK internet industry. Now, over 33% of the UK's internet traffic is claimed to go through Leeds, making it one of the most important regional internet centres in the UK. Over 100,000 people work in financial and business services in Leeds, the largest number of any UK city outside London.^[16] The strength of the economy is also indicated by the low unemployment rate.

Although Leeds' economy has boomed in recent years, the prosperity has not spread to all parts of the city. Many areas south and east of Central Leeds remain deprived, although are slowly starting to benefit from inward investment. Previously deprived areas have benefited by the economic growth such as Chapeltown and Headingley.

Shopping

Victoria Quarter

Part of Canal Gardens at Roundhay Park

Leeds has an extensive and diverse range of shops and department stores, and has been described by the Lonely Planet guides as the 'Knightsbridge of the North'.^[17] The diverse range of shopping facilities, from individual one-off boutiques to large department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Louis Vuitton outlets, has greatly expanded the Leeds retail base. The Victoria Quarter, several existing arcades connected together by roofing the entirety of Queen Victoria Street with stained glass, is located off Briggate, Leeds' main shopping street. Other popular shopping attractions include Leeds Kirkgate Market, Granary Wharf, Leeds Shopping Plaza, Headrow Shopping Centre, The Light, The St John's Centre, The Merrion Centre Leeds, Birstall Retail Park and the White Rose Centre. In addition, there are also two proposed shopping developments, namely the Eastgate Quarters and Trinity Quarter, the former due to be anchored by John Lewis and a second Marks and Spencer store for the city.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Leeds

Leeds has received several accolades in the field of tourism; including being voted by Condé Nast Traveler magazine Readers' Awards as the "UK's favourite city" in 2004, "Best English city to visit outside London" in 2005, and also "Visitor city of the year" by The Good Britain Guide in 2005. Situated close to the UK's geographical centre, the city benefits from good transport connections with the M1 running from Leeds to London, the M62 connecting Leeds with Manchester and the seaport cities of Hull and Liverpool, and the A1(M) for linking to the north. Leeds Bradford International Airport is a rapidly growing regional UK airports, with an 87 per cent growth in terminal passenger numbers in the last five years.^[18][19] Over 450 weekly flights connect the city to over 70 major European business and holiday destinations.^[20]

Tourism in Leeds is estimated to support over 20,000 full time equivalent jobs, and on average Leeds attracts around 1.4 million people annually who stay overnight, plus a further 18.4 million who visit on day trips. Visitors to the city bring in nearly £735 million into the local economy each year and Leeds. Major national and regional attractions include the Royal Armouries, Leeds Art Gallery, the Henry Moore Institute and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Leeds is also the only city outside London to have both its own opera and ballet companies – the internationally acclaimed Opera North and Northern Ballet Theatre.

Development

Bridgewater Place taken in September 2007

Further information: List of tallest buildings in Leeds and Architecture of Leeds

In recent times Leeds has seen many new developments, with high rise schemes making a much larger mark on Leeds' skyline. Sixteen skyscrapers are currently under construction or proposed, all of them taller than West Riding House (262 ft/80 m) — Leeds' tallest building from 1972–2005.^[21] Bridgewater Place recently became the tallest building in Leeds. A taller building, the 561 ft (171 m) Lumiere building was planned to be finished by 2012 but building work has been put on hold as of 9 July 2008 owing to the state of the world economy.^[22] The plan for even taller 'Kissing Towers' of Criterion Place has been scrapped for similar reasons.^[23] Since postponing any further work on Lumiere, the developers have applied to Leeds City Council for the development to be revised, making it taller than the current proposals.

Landmarks

See also: Architecture of Leeds

Kirkstall Abbey

Corn Exchange

The ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, a Cistercian abbey dating from the 12th century, are in an open park alongside the River Aire in Kirkstall, to the west of the city centre. The abbey gatehouse houses the Abbey House Museum. To the east of the city centre, Temple Newsam house dates from the early 16th century and has an extensive estate including gardens and a rare breeds farm. The house was sold to Leeds City Council for a nominal sum in 1922, and is notable for its Jacobean architecture.

Lotherton Hall, with art collections and a bird garden, lies to the east of the city, Bramham Park to the north-east near Bramham, and Harewood House to the north. Kirkstall Abbey, Temple Newsam, and Lotherton Hall are owned and administered by Leeds City Council.

To the north lies Roundhay Park, the largest park in the city (in excess of 700 acres/2.8 square kilometres), with its Tropical World hothouse. The park hosts numerous concerts, as do Bramham Park and Temple Newsam. Other parks in the city include Golden Acre Park which lies between Adel and Bramhope, Hall Park in Horsforth, Woodhouse Moor in Hyde Park, Potternewton Park between Chapeltown and Harehills, Temple Newsam Park stretching from Halton Moor to Colton, East End Park in the location of the same name, Cross Flatts Park in Beeston and Middleton Park in Middleton.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Leeds

Local

Public transport

Leeds Travel Info is Leeds City Council's public access website providing real-time travel information in the Leeds area. West Yorkshire Metro provides bus and train information on its website,^[24] and offers the "My Next Bus" service of real-time bus information by text message or online. This real-time information is also displayed in certain bus shelters.

The primary method of public transport around Leeds is by bus. The main provider is First Leeds, with Arriva Yorkshire serving routes to the south of the city. The bus network is highly developed with several guided busways operating on radial routes, as well as an extensive network of bus lanes and bus priority systems. A zero-fare bus service, the FreeCityBus, connects Leeds City Bus Station, Leeds City Station, the Universities, and Leeds General Infirmary via the public transport box every 6 minutes from Monday to Saturday.

All cross-city services use bus stops on and around the Public Transport Box (a box surrounding the core shopping area limited to public transport) and interchanges at Leeds City Station, Boar Lane and Infirmary Street. Leeds City Bus Station is used by many routes serving destinations outside the city and a minority of First Leeds buses.

Leeds's former tram system was closed down in 1959, at around the same time that most other cities in the UK also abandoned tramways. ^[25] The city had plans in the 1990s and 2000s for a tram network known as Supertram. However the government axed the scheme due to an unwillingness to pay for any costs over budget, and the Department for Transport's apparent preference for a bus-based rapid transport scheme rather than a tram-based scheme.^[26][27] A sub-surface tramway system which could double as a public air-raid shelter facility was proposed in the 1930s by Leeds City Council, with Central Government funding. The plans were axed as the Second World War commenced and funds were diverted to the war effort. Leeds remains the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system. ^[28]

A business case for a new Leeds Trolleybus^[29] system in the region was submitted to the Department for Transport towards the end of 2007.If all goes smoothly, construction work could start on the first phase of the scheme by 2011.^[30] This system would broadly follow the route of the axed Supertram project.

Roads

There is an Inner Ring Road with part motorway status and an Outer Ring Road. The city centre is pedestrianised, and is encircled by the clockwise-only 'loop road'.

Recent developments to east Leeds have seen phase 7 of the M621 which involves completion of the Inner Ring Road scheme originally started in 1971, and construction of a bridge running from the A64 near South Accommodation Road, straight to the M621. This new road link will help in taking a percentage of traffic away from the city centre and roads exiting to south Leeds and the motorways.

Another project which will begin construction in late 2008 is the long awaited link to (and the opening of) Junction 45 on the M1. Slip roads, markings and roundabouts were all included during the construction of the motorway, in anticipation of a possible link road, but for many years, the un-signposted slip-roads have remained blocked off. Now, a dual carriageway (the East Leeds Link Road) is being constructed from Junction 45 directly to Leeds via Cross Green and Hunslet. This is part of Leeds City Council's aim to re-develop and encourage investment into the east Leeds area, which has huge areas of unused and derelict land.

Leeds City Council is supporting the "carsharing club" WhizzGo , a car-hire organisation which requires a £50 per annum membership fee, in a battle to reduce congestion and carbon emissions in the city centre and surroundings. The scheme offers local residents and businesses to save money by not having to own cars yet having access to a fleet of low-emission vehicles whenever they need. As a result, car club members tend to drive less and swap car journeys for walking, cycling or public transport. Over 30 cars are sited across the city and available to members for hire by the hour (approximatly £6 per hour in August 2008). Access to cars is by using a smart card and PIN.

National and regional

Rail

Leeds City Station after the 2002 rebuild

From Leeds City station at New Station Street, MetroTrains operated by Northern Rail run to many of Leeds' suburbs and onwards to all parts of West Yorkshire. The MetroTrain network has been expanding since the 1980s, although overcrowding has resulted in expansion slowing in recent years with the last station opening at Glasshoughton in 2005. Leeds City Station is one of the busiest in England outside London, with over 900 trains and 50,000 passengers passing through every day.^[31] It provides connections to London and the south, Birmingham and the Midlands, Manchester and the north west, the East Coast, Bristol and the West Country, Newcastle and Scotland as well as to local and regional destinations. The station itself has 17 platforms, making it the largest in England outside London.^[32]

Two railway lines offer direct services to London. The principal route is along the East Coast Main Line, with trains departing for London King's Cross half hourly for most of the day. East Midlands Trains offers an infrequent and much slower alternative route via Sheffield, Derby and Leicester along the Midland Main Line to London St Pancras International with connections to the Eurostar international services. The East Midlands services are restricted to three or four early morning services from Leeds and three or four evening services from London.

Buses

Leeds has a large, modern bus and coach station at Dyer Street. One area is for National Express coach services; the rest is used by bus services to many towns and cities in Yorkshire, plus a small number of local services. Buses out of the city are mainly provided by FirstBus and Arriva. Harrogate & District provides a service to Harrogate and Ripon. Keighley & District provides a service to Shipley, Bingley and Keighley. The Yorkshire Coastliner service runs from Leeds to Bridlington, Filey, Pickering, Scarborough, Thornton-le-Dale, and Whitby via Tadcaster, York and Malton. Stagecoach provides a service to Hull via Goole.

Road Network

Leeds is the focus of the A58, A61, A62, A63, A64, A65 and A660 roads, and was promoted as Motorway City of the Seventies by Leeds City Council. Nowadays, with the M1 and M62 intersecting just to its south and the A1(M) passing just to its east, it is one of the principal hubs of the northern motorway network.

Air

Leeds Bradford Airport, entrance to departure hall A

Leeds Bradford International Airport is located in Yeadon, about 10 miles (16 km) to the north-west of the city, and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and (for a trial run, in December 2008) to the USA. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. In 2007 Bridgepoint Capital acquired the airport from the consortium of local councils which had previously owned it, for £145.5 million. The new owners have said they are to implement a £70 million capital expenditure plan, to focus on improving passenger and retail infrastructure. They also aim to more than double passenger numbers to 7 million per annum and to add up to 20 new scheduled destinations, both by 2015.^[33]

There is a direct rail service from Leeds to Manchester Airport, with trains running hourly during the day and every 2–3 hours through the night. The journey time is just under 1½ hours. Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is 40 miles (64 km) south-east of Leeds.

Sea

Leeds has connections by road, rail and coach to Hull, only an hour away, from where it is possible to travel to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge by ferry services run by P&O Ferries.

Education

Parkinson Building, University of Leeds

Leeds Metropolitan University

Leeds has a large number education establishments, with Education Leeds having responsibility for statutory education for young people in the city.The city's state schools trace their history to the Elementary Education Act 1870 and the formation of the Leeds School Board in 1871. Under the Government's targets for better schools for children, many schools are being rebuilt or undergoing refurbishment. There is a partial list of state and independent schools, colleges and universities in Leeds. However, because like most UK cities, Leeds has a falling birth rate, the council have come under pressure in recent years to reduce the number of schools, merging Matthew Murray School and Merlyn Rees School as well as closing Braim Wood School. Primary schools have also been hit. In 2006, Headingley Primary School was closed and a religious primary school 'secularised' to take over from Headingley.OFSTED reports are available for all schools and further education colleges in Leeds.^[34] The city's oldest and largest private school is The Grammar School at Leeds, which was legally created in 2005 following the merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School. Both schools had long histories, dating back to 1552 and 1857 respectively. There are several other private schools.

Leeds has two universities, the University of Leeds, with around 31,500 full-time students (and a further 52,000 on short courses), and Leeds Metropolitan University with around 26,000 (according to UCAS; the LMU website claims 37,000). It also has several higher education colleges: Leeds College of Art and Design (formerly Jacob Kramer College), Leeds Trinity & All Saints, Leeds College of Music (the largest music college in the UK), and Park Lane College Leeds, which offers both further and higher education. This gives Leeds one of the largest student populations in the country. The city was voted the Best UK University Destination by a survey in The Independent newspaper.^[35] Leeds Trinity & All Saints is applying to become an independent University, under the name 'Leeds Trinity'.

The city is home to several further education colleges, such as Park Lane College Leeds (the largest further education college in Leeds with over 38,500 students), Leeds College of Technology, Leeds College of Building, Joseph Priestley College and Leeds Thomas Danby. Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College is a very large college for A-level students close to the city centre.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Leeds

See also: Football in Leeds

Elland Road Stadium.

The new Carnegie Stand at Headingley Stadium

The city has a long sporting heritage, with teams representing all the major national sports. Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Football Club and Leeds Carnegie Rugby Union Football Club all play at Headingley, where there are adjacent cricket and rugby stadia; the Hunslet Hawks RLFC are based at the John Charles Centre for Sport. Leeds United A.F.C., the city's main football team, play at Elland Road in Beeston Also, one of Leeds' most historic and influential rugby league teams, the Bramley RLFC, play in Leeds at the Arthur Miller Stadium (Stanningley SARLC).

Leeds has only one league football team. Leeds United was formed in 1919 in Salem Chapel, just south of Leeds bridge, following the bankruptcy of its predecessor, Leeds City. Under the management of Don Revie, the club was a major force in English football during the late 1960s and early 1970s, winning the league championship three times, the FA Cup once, the League Cup once and the Fairs Cup twice. After Revie's departure for the England job in 1974, Leeds went into decline and did not win another major trophy until 1992, when Howard Wilkinson guided the team to glory in the last-ever First Division championship before the creation of the Premier League. They remained at this level for 12 years before a financial crisis contributed towards their relegation in 2004. Three years later they were relegated again, into the third tier of the English league for the first time in their history. The city is also home to non-league side Leeds Carnegie.

The Grandstand at the John Charles Centre for Sport

Leeds Rhinos are currently the most successful rugby league team in Leeds. They play their home games at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium and compete in the Super League. They make up the top three sides in the league, based on the number of Challenge Cups won, together with the Bradford Bulls and St Helens. In 2007 they finished 2nd in the league but they beat St Helens in the Super League Grand Final, making them Super League champions. They went on to beat the Australian NRL champions Melbourne Storm 11–4 at Elland Road on 29 February in the 2008 World Club Challenge.^[36]

Rhinos are the best supported rugby team of either code throughout the UK,^[37] having won a number of domestic and international trophies, including 5 Championships, 11 Challenge Cups and 2 World Club Challenge titles.

Another rugby league team from the city are the Hunslet Hawks, who are based in Hunslet, south Leeds. They play in the National League Two and their home is the John Charles Centre for Sport, formerly known as the South Leeds Stadium. Their nickname is The Parksiders, after their former home ground, Parkside. They have won the League Championship and the Challenge Cup twice each, though these honours were all achieved before the Second World War.

Bramley Buffaloes, from Bramley, west Leeds, currently play in the Rugby League Conference. They are known as The Villagers and the club play their home games at Stanningley ARLFC. Leeds Akkies are also in the Conference and are based in Bramhope, north Leeds. The club was founded in 2003 by students from the three universities of Leeds, to provide a pathway from student rugby league to open age amateur rugby league.

Leeds Carnegie, formerly known as Leeds Tykes, are the main rugby union football club in Leeds. They are owned by the same company that run the Leeds Rhinos rugby league team and, consequently, they also play at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium. Their name was changed on 14 May 2007, when it was announced that Leeds Metropolitan University would buy a 51% stake in the club and change the name to fit with the university's sport department, Carnegie College.^[38] They currently play in the Guinness Premiership, the highest level of domestic rugby union in England, having been promoted as champions of National Division One in the 2006–07 season. The club won their first trophy in 2005, with a battling performance to defeat favourites Bath in the Powergen Cup final.

Otley R.U.F.C., who play at Cross Green, are another rugby union club from the area. They are based in Otley and compete in National Division Two, having been relegated from National Division One in the 2006–07 season. Morley R.F.C., located in Morley, south-west Leeds, currently play in the National Division Three North. Their nickname is The Maroons, after the colour of their kit.

Leeds City AC is amongst the biggest and most successful athletics clubs in the north of England and competes in the British Athletics League and UK Womens League as well as the Northern Athletics League. The club has had the most successful men's harriers section in the country in the 21st century. Since the turn of the millennium the team has never been out of the top four in the National Cross Country Championships, winning in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 the team achieved the 'Grand Slam' of wins — Yorkshire, North of England and English National Champions. They were also National 12-stage road relay champions in 2007 and 2008 and have gained numerous medals in the National 6-stage and cross country relays.

Many athletic clubs serve the youth of the city and enter teams in the country's major running events — especially raising funds for local charities in the London Marathon and the British 10K. Leeds hosts many athletics events itself, most notably the Help the Aged Abbey Dash 10K, the Jane Tomlinson 10K and the Leeds Half Marathon.

Leeds Carnegie L.F.C. are the best-placed women's football team in Leeds. They currently compete at the highest level in England, the FA Women's Premier League National Division, for the 2007–08 season, having finished 5th in the league last season. The club currently play their home matches at The Park, home of Tadcaster Albion A.F.C., in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

Another women's team based in Leeds is Leeds City Vixens L.F.C.. They currently play in the Northern Combination Women's Football League, which is the third tier of women's football. Last season they finished 2nd in the league, narrowly missing out on promotion into the FA Women's Premier League Northern Division. Presently, the club play their home fixtures at The Bracken Edge, home of Yorkshire Amateur A.F.C..

The "LeedsLeedsLeeds" Ultimate (frisbee) team competes nationally and internationally.^[39] In the period 1928 to 1939 speedway racing was staged in Leeds on a track at the greyhound stadium in Elland Road. The track entered a team in the 1931 Northern league.

Leeds has a wealth of sports facilities including the 40,000 capacity Elland Road football stadium, a host stadium during the 1996 European Football Championship; the Headingley Carnegie Stadiums, world famous for both cricket and rugby league; John Charles Centre for Sport with an Olympic sized pool in its Aquatics Centre and a stadium used for rugby league (Hunslet RLFC), athletics, bowls, football and tennis. Other facilities include the Leeds Wall (climbing), Yeadon Tarn sailing centre. The Aquatics Centre at the John Charles Centre for Sport, replaces facilities at the Leeds International Swimming Pool

Culture and recreation

Media

Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd, owned by Johnston Press plc, is based in the city, and produces a daily morning broadsheet, the Yorkshire Post, and an evening paper, the Yorkshire Evening Post(YEP). The (YEP), as well as other publications such as Leeds Express and the weekly freesheets of the Leeds Weekly News, Wharfe Valley Times and Pudsey Times has a website which includes a series of "community websites" focused on specific areas of Leeds and called "[placename] today".^[40] Between 1974 and 1994, "Leeds' Other Paper" (latterly the Northern Star) provided a left-wing take on news, politics and social events in the city. Based at Leeds University Union is one of the largest student newspapers in the country, the Leeds Student.

There is also a number of regular dedicated lifestyle magazines based in Leeds, most notably the The Leeds Guide magazine which features regular nightlife listings and pages on food & drink, shopping, fashion, property, travel, clubbing, film and rock & pop in the city. The magazine reflects the diversity of cultural life in Leeds and West Yorkshire, with areas such as art, literature, cinema, comedy, dance, classical music, opera, jazz and theatre all regularly represented.

Regional television and radio stations also have bases in the city; BBC Television and ITV both have regional studios and broadcasting centres in Leeds, although there is concern over the future of regional independent television with the consolidation of Independent Television franchises in the UK. There are a number of independent film production companies, including the not-for-profit cooperative Leeds Animation Workshop, founded in 1978; community video producers Vera Media and several small commercial production companies. BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Aire, Magic 828, Galaxy 105, Real Radio and Yorkshire Radio all broadcast from the city. In the 1980s, pirate radio stations including Rapid City Radio (RCR), amongst other shorter-lived stations broadcasting a mainly reggae playlist from Chapeltown, later diversifying into hip hop and house. Later, Dream FM (Leeds) was one of the biggest pirate radio stations in the country, but folded soon after getting a licence to operate legally. Leeds also has one of the largest student radio stations in the country, serving all the students of Leeds and open to participation from all of the universities and colleges within Leeds. The station, LSRfm.com, is based in Leeds University Union, and regularly hosts outside broadcasts around the city.

Museums and the arts

Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds: Looking up the main stairwell

Thackray Museum

A new Leeds City Museum opened on 13 September 2008^[41] in the building of the former Mechanics Institute, more recently used as the Civic Theatre, in Millennium Square. The previous city museum was in the Central Library building, and closed some years ago. Abbey House Museum is housed in the former gatehouse of Kirkstall Abbey, and includes walk-through Victorian streets and galleries describing the history of the abbey, childhood, and Victorian Leeds. Armley Mills Industrial Museum is housed in what was once the world's largest woollen mill,^[42] and includes industrial machinery and railway locomotives. Thwaite Mill Museum is a fully-restored water-powered mill on the river Aire to the east of the city centre. A fulling mill was built on the site in 1641, and it was extensively rebuilt in 1823–25. The Thackray Museum is a museum of the history of medicine, featuring topics such as Victorian public health, pre-anaesthesia surgery, and safety in childbirth. It is housed in a former workhouse next to St James's hospital. The Royal Armouries Museum opened in 1996 in a dramatic modern building when this part of the collection was transferred from the Tower of London.

Leeds Art Gallery reopened in June 2007 after a major renovation project, and houses important collections of traditional and contemporary British art. Contemporary Art venues include Gallery 42, Leeds Met Gallery, PS:L and theartmarket.

Leeds has the Grand Theatre (where Opera North is based), the City Varieties Music Hall (which hosted performances by Charlie Chaplin and Harry Houdini and was also the venue of the BBC television programme The Good Old Days) and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Leeds also has a very important dance community; it is currently the home of the Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance.

The Leeds Festival takes place every year in Bramham Park, having moved from Temple Newsam after pressure from some local residents. It features some of the biggest names in rock and indie music. The city is home to the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, held every three years since 1963, which has launched the careers of many major concert pianists. There is also the Leeds International Concert Season, the largest local authority music programme of any UK city outside London.

The city also has an internationally recognised film festival; the Leeds International Film Festival is the largest^[43] film festival in England outside London and shows films from around the world. It incorporates the highly successful Leeds Young People's Film Festival, which features exciting and innovative films made both for and by children and young people.^[44] Yorkshire hosted the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2007. Leeds and Sheffield played core parts in the awards, being the two key cities involved in hosting the ceremony. The IIFA Awards are Bollywood's (the Hindi film industry) equivalent to the Oscars in Hollywood. The four-day event generated millions of pounds in inward investment to the economy of Yorkshire.

The first known moving pictures in the world were taken in the city, by Louis Le Prince, of a Roundhay Garden Scene and of Leeds Bridge in 1888.

Music

Main articles: Music in Leeds and List of bands originating in Leeds

Artists

Many musical acts have originated in Leeds, including Soft Cell, Kaiser Chiefs, The Music, the Pigeon Detectives, Chumbawamba, The Sisters of Mercy and Melanie B, of the Spice Girls. The post-punk band Gang of Four and Grindie band Hadouken! both formed after meeting at Leeds University.

Dance music and the clubbing scene

House Music had a big impact on Leeds when it arrived in the late 1980s. Early house nights included Downbeat at the Warehouse, Meltdown at the Astoria in Harehills, and Joy and Kaos at various temporary venues, along with a thriving Shebeen or "Blues" scene in Chapeltown.

Along with Sheffield and Bradford, Leeds was a centre for the Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass scene in 1989–1990, with influential local bands such as LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Ital Rockers, Unit 93 and Juno on Sheffield's Warp Records and Leeds' Bassic Records. The earlier underground house scene developed into the Leeds club scene of the 1990s, when for a while Leeds held the title of Britain's clubbing capital. Both Back to Basics and mixed gay night Vague enjoyed the title of best club in Britain at different points in the decade, whilst The Orbit in Morley was, before its closure in the late 1990s an internationally recognised techno mecca.

Festivals

Leeds hosts the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, established in 1963 by Fanny Waterman and Marion Stein with the 15th competition in September 2006.

The two-day O2 Wireless Festival took place at Harewood House between 2006 and 2007 and Leeds initially played host to the northern leg of the V Festival between 1996 and 1998 before the event moved to Weston Park, Staffordshire. In 2000, Leeds hosted the first and only BBC Radio 1 Love Parade at Roundhay Park.

Venues

Millennium Square

The Leeds Academy, on the site of the former Creation night-club, is the largest capacity venue in the city. Other venues include Leeds University refectory (where The Who recorded their 1970 live album Live at Leeds and Motörhead partially recorded their most successful album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith), The Cockpit, Brudenell Social Club, The Faversham, The Hi-Fi Club, The Wardrobe, The Irish Centre, Joseph's Well, The New Roscoe and Trash (formally The Mixing Tin) among others.

Occasional music events are held in Millennium Square in the city centre (including the Kaiser Chiefs and Fall Out Boy in 2006), Roundhay Park (which was home to Love Parade in 2000 and has hosted gigs by the likes of Robbie Williams, U2, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones), Harewood House (including performances by James Blunt and The Who, as well as popular classical concerts), Leeds Town Hall (the main venue for the Leeds International Concert Season), The Venue at Leeds College of Music, and Leeds Parish Church (which has a full programme of musical events, many associated with its Choral Foundation). On 25 May 2008, the local band Kaiser Chiefs played a sell-out 30,000 capacity gig at Elland Road, following in the footsteps of Queen, U2 and Happy Mondays who have also played there.

In June 2008, Leeds received approval for the long awaited Leeds Arena. Previously larger touring acts tend to play either Manchester or Sheffield owing to the relatively small capacity of venues in Leeds. SMG, whose current venues include the Manchester Evening News Arena, have been appointed as the operators of the arena. Work is expected to commence in November 2008, and the arena has an planned capacity of 12,500 people.

Nightlife

Clarence Dock has many new restaurants and bars and is becoming an alternative to more established parts of the city centre

Leeds has a very large student population, resulting in a large number of pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, as well as a multitude of venues for live music such as The Cockpit, New Roscoe, Joseph's Well, The Brudenell Social Club, The Faversham and The Wardrobe, which combine to generate a vibrant and nationally renowned nightlife.

Leeds includes the original home of the pioneering club nights Back 2 Basics and Speedqueen.^[45] Also, until a few years ago, nearby Morley, was home to the legendary Orbit, which for 13 years was known internationally as one of the original and best techno clubs in the country. Leeds is home to a number of large 'super-clubs' including Oceana (Leeds), Discotheque by Gatecrasher, and Club Mission, but also a strong selection of independent clubs such as Hi-Fi, Space, Mint and The West Indian Centre, which hosts the now legendary 'Sub Dub' nights. The full range of music tastes is catered for throughout the city.

Leeds also has a well established gay nightlife scene. The Bridge Inn and The New Penny, both on Call Lane, have long been gay night spots. Queen's Court offers a similar experience to its London counterpart Rupert Street. Other more recent additions such as Bar Fibre, on Lower Briggate and Mission offer more contemporary 'straight friendly' environments, along with The Viaduct and Blaydes just across the road. During the summer months the secluded courtyard that lies between Bar Fibre and Queens Court transforms into a lively beer garden. The refurbished Warehouse venue is now also home of the alternate Saturday club nights Technique/Asylum.

Towards Millennium Square and the Civic or Northern Quarter, is a growing entertainment district thriving on both students and weekend visitors. Millennium Square has many bars (including amongst others popular chains Jongleurs, Tiger Tiger, Revolution and Ha!Ha!), various upmarket restaurants and large outdoor screen mounted on the side of the Civic Theatre. Millennium Square also plays host to many large seasonal events such as Earth From The Air, IceCube (Europe’s largest outdoor ice rink), Christmas markets, Gigs and Concerts, citywide parties and the world famous Rhythms of the City Festival. Millennium Square is adjacent to the Mandela Gardens, which were opened by Nelson Mandela in 2001. A number of public art features, fountains, a canal and greenery can be found here as an oasis amongst the city centre excitement.

Leeds is also home to some Bohemian bars that are not aimed at the 'usual' weekend crowd — especially the bars in and around Briggate and North Street North Bar, Sandanista, Mojo, The Reliance (Reli), Reform, etc., Baby Jupiter on York Place and Milo on Call Lane.

Walking

Leeds Country Way waymark

The Leeds Country Way is a waymarked circular walk of 62 miles (100 km) through the rural outskirts of the city, never more than 7 miles (11 km) from City Square. The Meanwood Valley Trail leads from Woodhouse Moor along Meanwood Beck to Golden Acre Park. The Leeds extension of the Dales Way follows the Meanwood Valley Trail before it branches off to head towards Ilkley and Windermere.

Leeds is on the northern section of the Trans Pennine Trail for walkers and cyclists, and the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is another popular walking route. In addition, there are many parks and public footpaths in both the urban and rural parts of Leeds, and the Ramblers' Association, YHA and other walking organisations offer sociable walks. The Ramblers' Association publish various booklets of walks in and around Leeds.^[46]

Religion

St Anne's Cathedral (Roman Catholic), Cookridge Street, Leeds

The majority of people in Leeds identify themselves as Christian.^[47] Fairly unusually for a settlement of its size, Leeds does not have a Church of England Cathedral, this is because Leeds is part of the Anglican Diocese of Ripon and Leeds with the Cathedral for this Diocese being in Ripon. However, Leeds does have a Roman Catholic Cathedral, being the Episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds. Many other Christian denominations are established in Leeds, including Assembly of God, Baptist, Christian Scientist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons"), Community of Christ, Greek Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Army, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene, Newfrontiers network, Pentecostal, Salvation Army, Seventh-Day Adventist, Society of Friends ("Quakers"), Unitarian, United Reformed, Vineyard, Wesleyan Church, an ecumenical Chinese church, and several independent churches.^[48][49]

The proportion of Muslims in Leeds is average for the country.^[47] Mosques can be found throughout the city, serving Muslim communities in Harehills, Hyde Park and parts of Beeston. The largest mosque is Leeds Grand Mosque in Hyde Park. The Sikh community is represented by Gurudwaras (Temples) spread across the city. There is also a colourful religious annual procession, called the Nagar Kirtan, into Millennium Square in the city centre around 13–14 April to celebrate Baisakhi — the Sikh New Year and the birth of the religion. It is estimated around 3,000 Sikhs in Leeds take part in this annual event.

Leeds has the third-largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom, after those of London and Manchester. The areas of Alwoodley and Moortown contain sizeable Jewish populations.^[50] There are eight active synagogues in Leeds.^[51] The small Hindu community in Leeds has a temple (mandir) at Hyde Park.^[52] The temple has all the major Hindu deities and is dedicated to the Lord Mahavira of the Jains.^[53] Various Buddhist traditions are represented in Leeds,^[54] including: FWBO, Soka Gakkai, Theravada, Tibetan and Zen. The Buddhist community (sangha) comes together to celebrate the major festival of Wesak in May.

Public services

Water supply and sewerage in Leeds is provided by Yorkshire Water, part of the Kelda Group. Prior to 1973 it had been provided by the Leeds Corporation. The area is policed by the West Yorkshire Police. The force has eight divisions, three of which cover Leeds: AA "North West Leeds Division" covering north and west Leeds with a station at Weetwood; BA "North East Leeds Division", covering north east Leeds with stations at Stainbeck near Chapel Allerton and Killingbeck; CA "City and Holbeck Division" covering central and south Leeds with stations at Millgarth (City Centre) and Holbeck. Fire and rescue services are provided by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. The fire stations in Leeds are: Cookridge, Gipton, Hunslet, "Leeds" (near city centre, on Kirkstall Road) and Moortown.

Health services are provided by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Primary Care Trust^[55] and Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust^[56] which provides mental health services. Leeds General Infirmary is a listed building with more recent additions and is in the city centre. St James's University Hospital, Leeds, known as "Jimmy's", is to the north east of the city centre and is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. Other hospitals are Chapel Allerton Hospital, Seacroft Hospital, and Leeds Dental Institute. The "Pan Leeds Health Portal" provides information on all NHS services in Leeds.^[57]

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Leeds

John Smeaton

An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin,^[58] possibly from Loidis, an early name for the region mentioned around 700 AD by Bede. The term is rarely used or understood. The mock-classical adjectives Leodensian and Leodiensian are sometimes used by some local sports clubs, and the word Leodensian also features in the lyrics of "I Predict a Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs, although in that context it was referring to John Smeaton, a famous 18th century resident of the city (who resided in Austhorpe Lodge, now the site of Austhorpe Primary School) as a founder of Leeds Grammar School, as a Leeds Grammar School leaver is called an Old Leodensian.

Notable people born in and around the Leeds area include:

• academics: poet laureate Alfred Austin, mechanical engineer and physicist John Smeaton, and local historian Richard Vickerman Taylor.
• actors: Peter O'Toole, Malcolm McDowell, Elizabeth Dawn (aka Vera Duckworth), Tom Wilkinson, Steven Waddington, Matthew Lewis (aka Neville Longbottom of the Harry Potter films) and John Simm.
• entertainers: BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, former DJ and TV presenter Sir Jimmy Savile, singer Corinne Bailey Rae, Spice Girl Mel B, bands The Pigeon Detectives and Kaiser Chiefs, comedians Ernie Wise, Vic Reeves, Barry Cryer, Leigh Francis (aka Avid Merrion), and Julian Barratt.
• writers: playwright Alan Bennett, novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, children's author Arthur Ransome, poet Tony Harrison, and poet, novelist and translator, Barry Tebb.
• others: American Gangster Owney Madden, former Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, furniture designer Thomas Chippendale, Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, TV sports presenter Gabby Logan, Newsround presenter John Craven, model Nell McAndrew, celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, snooker player Paul Hunter, rugby league legend Ellery Hanley, dual code rugby star Jason Robinson, and Rugby Union World Cup winner Mike Tindall.

Twin towns

Town twinning, or "sister cities", takes place at the level of local authority. The City of Leeds metropolitan district has several twinning or partnership arrangements:

The city also has "strong contacts" with the following cities "for the purposes of ongoing projects":^[60]

References

Further reading

• Burt S. and Grady K. (2002 – 2nd edition) The Illustrated History of Leeds, Breedon Books, Derby
• Fraser D. (ed.) (1980) A History of Modern Leeds, Manchester University Press, Manchester
• Unsworth R. and Stillwell J. (eds.) (2004) Twenty-First Century Leeds: Geographies of a Regional City, Leeds University Press, Leeds; Sixteen Chapters about the Contemporary City; 160 maps, many photos
• Wrathmell S. (2005), Leeds, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, London

External links

• Leeds travel guide from Wikitravel
• 'Leeds Initiative' Leeds Initiative city partnership.
• Leeds City Council Leeds City Council.
• 'Leeds, Live it, Love it' Official city website, for visitors, business, students and residents.
• Leeds Local History Wiki Add your memories of Leeds.