Leeds developed as amill town during theIndustrial Revolution alongside other surrounding villages and towns in theWest Riding of Yorkshire. It was also known for itsflax industry,iron foundries, engineering and printing, as well as shopping, with several survivingVictorian era arcades, such asKirkgate Market.[2][3] City status was awarded in 1893, and a populous urban centre formed in the following century which absorbed surrounding villages and overtook the population of nearbyYork.[2][4]
Leeds' economy is the most diverse of all the UK's main employment centres, has seen the fastest rate of private-sector jobs growth of any UK city and has the highest ratio of private topublic sector jobs.[5] Leeds is home to over 109,000 companies, generating 5% of England's total economic output of £60.5 billion,[6][7] and is also ranked as ahigh sufficiency city by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.[8] Leeds is considered the cultural, financial and commercial heart of theWest Yorkshire Urban Area.[9][10]
Leeds is also served by five universities, and has the fourth largest student population in the country and the country'sfourth largest urban economy.[11] The student population has stimulated growth of the nightlife in the city and there are ample facilities for sporting and cultural activities, including classical and popular music festivals, and a varied collection of museums.[12]
The name derives from the oldBrittonic*Lātēnses (via Late BrittonicLādēses), composed of theCeltic root*lāt- "violent, boiling" and the borrowed Latin plural derivational suffix-ēnses meaning "people of the fast-flowing river", in reference to theRiver Aire that flows through the city.[19][20] This name originally referred to the forested area covering most of theBrittonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century.[21]
Bede states in the fourteenth chapter of hisEcclesiastical History, in a discussion of an altar surviving from a church erected byEdwin of Northumbria, that it is located in...regione quae vocatur Loidis (Latin, "the region which is called Loidis"). An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as aLoiner, a word of uncertain origin.[22] The termLeodensian is also used, from the city's Latin name.
Leeds developed as amarket town in theMiddle Ages as part of the local agricultural economy.
Before theIndustrial Revolution, it became a co-ordination centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth, and whitebroadcloth was traded at itsWhite Cloth Hall.[23] Leeds handled one sixth of England's export trade in 1770.[24] Growth, initially in textiles, was accelerated by the creation of theAire and Calder Navigation in 1699 (with major additional works in the 18th century) and theLeeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816.[25] In the lateGeorgian era,William Lupton was one of a number of central Leeds landowners, some of whom, like him, were also textile manufacturers. At the time of his death in 1828, Lupton occupied theenclosed fields of themanor of Leeds, his estate including a mill,reservoir, substantial house and outbuildings.[26][27]
Mechanical engineering, initially to supply tools and machinery for the textile sector, rapidly became a diverse industry.[28]
The railway network constructed around Leeds, starting with theLeeds and Selby Railway in 1834, provided improved communications with national markets and, significantly for its development, an east–west connection withManchester and the ports ofLiverpool andHull giving improved access to international markets.[29] Alongside technological advances and industrial expansion, Leeds retained an interest in trading in agricultural commodities, with theCorn Exchange opening in 1864.[30]
Leeds from the Meadows by Joseph Rhodes, 1825
Marshall's Mill was one of the first of many factories constructed in Leeds from around 1790 when the most significant were woollen finishing and flax mills.[31] Manufacturing diversified by 1914 to printing, engineering, chemicals and clothing manufacture.[32] Decline in manufacturing during the 1930s was temporarily reversed by a switch to producing military uniforms and munitions during the Second World War. However, by the 1970s, the clothing industry was in irreversible decline, facing cheap foreign competition.[33] The contemporary economy has been shaped byLeeds City Council's vision of building a '24-hour European city' and 'capital of the north'.[34] The city has developed from the decay of the post-industrial era to become a telephone banking centre, connected to the electronic infrastructure of the modern global economy.[34] There has been growth in the corporate and legal sectors,[35] and increased local affluence has led to an expanding retail sector, including theluxury goods market.[36]
Leeds was a manor and township in the large ancient parish ofLeeds St Peter, in theSkyrackwapentake of theWest Riding ofYorkshire.[39] The Borough of Leeds was created in 1207, when Maurice Paynel, lord of the manor, granted a charter to a small area of the manor, close to the river crossing, in what is now the city centre. KingJames I granted the borough to his wife,Anne of Denmark, and in 1612, she ordered a survey of the borough; in 1615 she was petitioned to remove the strictCalvinist preacher Alexander Cooke as vicar of Leeds, but she refused.[40]
The inhabitants petitionedCharles I for a charter of incorporation, which was granted in 1626. The new charter incorporated the entire parish, including all eleven townships, as theBorough of Leeds and withdrew the earlier charter.Improvement commissioners were set up in 1755 for paving, lighting, and cleansing of the main streets, includingBriggate and further powers were added in 1790 to improve the water supply.[41]
The borough corporation was reformed under the provisions ofMunicipal Corporations Act 1835.Leeds Borough Police force was formed in 1836, andLeeds Town Hall was completed by the corporation in 1858. In 1866, Leeds and each of the other townships in the borough becamecivil parishes. The borough became acounty borough in 1889, giving it independence from the newly formed West Riding County Council and it gainedcity status in 1893.[42] In 1904 the Leeds parish absorbedBeeston,Chapel Allerton,Farnley,Headingley cum Burley andPotternewton from within the borough. In the twentieth century the county borough initiated a series of significant territorial expansions, growing from 21,593 acres (87.38 km2) in 1911 to 40,612 acres (164.35 km2) in 1961.[43] In 1912 the parish and county borough of Leeds absorbedLeeds Rural District, consisting of the parishes ofRoundhay andSeacroft; andShadwell, which had been part of Wetherby Rural District. On 1 April 1925, the parish of Leeds was expanded to cover the whole borough.[39]
The county borough was abolished on 1 April 1974, and its former area was combined with that of the municipal boroughs ofMorley andPudsey; the urban districts ofAireborough,Horsforth,Otley,Garforth andRothwell; and parts of the rural districts ofTadcaster,Wetherby, andWharfedale.[44] This area formed a metropolitan district in the county ofWest Yorkshire. It gained both borough and city status and is known as theCity of Leeds. Initially, local government services were provided byLeeds City Council andWest Yorkshire County Council. When the county council was abolished in 1986, the city council absorbed its functions, and some powers passed to organisations such as theWest Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority. From 1988 two run-down and derelict areas close to thecity centre were designated for regeneration and became the responsibility ofLeeds Development Corporation, outside the planning remit of the city council.[45] Planning powers were restored to the local authority in 1995 when the development corporation was wound up.[46]
In 1801, 42% of the population of Leeds lived outside the township, in the wider borough.Cholera outbreaks in 1832 and 1849 caused the authorities to address the problems of drainage, sanitation, and water supply. Water was pumped from the River Wharfe, but by 1860 it was too heavily polluted to be usable. Following theLeeds Waterworks Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. cxli) three reservoirs were built at Lindley Wood, Swinsty, and Fewston in the Washburn Valley north of Leeds.[47]
Residential growth occurred in Holbeck and Hunslet from 1801 to 1851, but, as these townships became industrialised new areas were favoured for middle class housing.[48] Land south of the river was developed primarily for industry and secondarily forback-to-back workers' dwellings. TheLeeds Improvement Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. clvii) sought to improve the quality of working class housing by restricting the number of homes that could be built in a single terrace.[49]
Holbeck and Leeds formed a continuous built-up area by 1858, with Hunslet nearly meeting them.[50] In the latter half of the nineteenth century, population growth in Hunslet, Armley, and Wortley outstripped that of Leeds. When pollution became a problem, the wealthier residents left the industrial conurbation to live in Headingley, Potternewton and Chapel Allerton which led to a 50% increase in the population of Headingley and Burley from 1851 to 1861. The middle-class flight from the industrial areas led to development beyond the borough at Roundhay and Adel.[50] The introduction of theelectric tramway led to intensification of development in Headingley and Potternewton and expansion outside the borough into Roundhay.[51]
Two private gas supply companies were taken over by the corporation in 1870, and the municipal supply provided street lighting and cheaper gas to homes. From the early 1880s, the Yorkshire House-to-House Electricity Company supplied electricity to Leeds until it was purchased by Leeds Corporation and became a municipal supply.[52]
Slum clearance and rebuilding began in Leeds during theinterwar period when over 18,000 houses were built by the council on 24 estates inCross Gates, Middleton, Gipton, Belle Isle and Halton Moor. The slums ofQuarry Hill were replaced by the innovative Quarry Hill flats, which were demolished in 1975. Another 36,000 houses were built by private sector builders, creating suburbs in Gledhow, Moortown, Alwoodley, Roundhay, Colton, Whitkirk,Oakwood, Weetwood, and Adel. After 1949 a further 30,000 sub-standard houses were demolished by the council and replaced by 151 medium-rise and high-rise blocks of council flats in estates at Seacroft, Armley Heights, Tinshill, and Brackenwood.[53] Leeds has seen great expenditure on regenerating the city, attracting in investments and flagship projects,[54] as found inLeeds city centre. Many developments boasting luxurious penthouse apartments have been built close to the city centre.
At53°47′59″N1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W /53.79972; -1.54917 (53.799°, −1.549°), and 190 miles (310 km) north-northwest ofcentral London, central Leeds is located on theRiver Aire in a narrow section of the Aire Valley in the eastern foothills of thePennines. The city centre lies at about 206 feet (63 m)above sea level while the district ranges from 1,115 feet (340 m) in the far west on the slopes ofIlkley Moor to about 33 feet (10 m) where the rivers Aire and Wharfe cross the eastern boundary. The centre of Leeds is part of a continuously built-up area extending to Pudsey, Bramley, Horsforth, Alwoodley, Seacroft, Middleton and Morley.[55]
Leeds has the secondhighest population of any local authority district in the UK (afterBirmingham), and the secondgreatest area of any Englishmetropolitan district (afterDoncaster), extending 15 miles (24 km) from east to west, and 13 miles (21 km) from north to south. The northern boundary follows theRiver Wharfe for several miles but crosses the river to include the part of Otley which lies north of the river. Over 65% of the Leeds district isgreen belt land and the city centre is less than twenty miles (32 km) from theYorkshire Dales National Park,[57] which has some of the most spectacular scenery and countryside in the UK.[58] Inner and southern areas of Leeds lie on a layer of coal measure sandstones. To the north parts are built on older sandstone and gritstones and to the east it extends into the magnesian limestone belt.[31][59] Theland use in the central areas of Leeds is overwhelmingly urban.[60]
Attempts to define the exact geographic meaning of Leeds lead to a variety of concepts of its extent, varying by context include the area of thecity centre, the urban sprawl, the administrative boundaries, and thefunctional region.[61]
Leeds is much more a generalised concept place name in inverted commas, it is the city, but it is also the commuter villages and the region as well.
Inner and southern areas of Leeds lie on a layer of coal measure sandstones forming theYorkshire Coalfield. To the north parts are built on older sandstone and gritstones and to the east it extends into the magnesian limestone belt.[31][65][66] Outside Leeds centre, there are anumber of suburbs and exurbs within the district. Some of Leeds suburbs include Headingley, Harehills and Hunslet. while exurbs of Leeds include Pudsey, Horsforth and Morley.[62]
Lying in the eastern foothills of thePennines, there is a significant variation in elevation within the city's built-up area. The district ranges from 1,115 feet (340 m) in the far west on the slopes ofIlkley Moor to about 33 feet (10 m) where the rivers Aire and Wharfe cross the eastern boundary. Land rises to 198 m (650 ft) in Cookridge, just 6 miles (9.7 km) from the city centre. The northern boundary follows theRiver Wharfe for several miles (several kilometres), but it crosses the river to include the part of Otley which lies north of the river. TheLeeds postcode area covers most of the City of Leeds district[67] and is almost entirely made up of the Leedspost town.[68] Otley, Wetherby, Tadcaster, Pudsey and Ilkley are separate post towns within the postcode area.[68]
Leeds is within agreen belt region that extends into the wider surrounding counties and is in place to reduceurban sprawl, prevent the settlements in the West Yorkshire conurbation from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, encouragebrownfield reuse, and preserve nearby countryside. This is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within the designated areas, and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building.[69]
Over 60% of the Leeds district is green belt land and it surrounds the settlement, preventing further sprawl towards nearby communities. Larger outlying towns and villages are exempt from the green belt area. However, smaller villages, hamlets and rural areas are 'washed over' by the designation. The green belt was first adopted in 1960,[69] and the size in the borough in 2017 amounted to some 33,970 hectares (339.7 km2; 131.2 sq mi).[70] A subsidiary aim of the green belt is to encourage recreation and leisure interests,[69] with rural landscape features, greenfield areas and facilities including Temple Newsam Park and House with golf course, Rothwell Country Park, Middleton Park, Kirkstall Abbey ruins and surrounding park, Bedquilts recreation grounds, Waterloo lake, Roundhay castle and park, and Morwick, Cobble and Elmete Halls.
Leeds has a climate that isoceanic (Köppen:Cfb), and influenced by the Pennines. Summers are usually mild, with moderate rainfall, while winters are chilly, cloudy with occasional snow and frost. The nearest official weather recording station is at Bingley, some twelve miles (20 km) away at a higher altitude.[71]
July is the warmest month, with a mean temperature of 16 °C (61 °F), while the coldest month is January, with a mean temperature of 3 °C (37 °F). Temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) and below −10 °C (14 °F) are not very common but can happen occasionally. Temperatures at Leeds Bradford Airport fell to −12.6 °C (9.3 °F) in December 2010[72] and reached 31.8 °C (89 °F) at Leeds city centre in August 2003.[73]
The record temperature for Leeds is 34.4 °C (94 °F) during the early August 1990 heatwave. It is likely this was exceeded during the heatwaves of July 2019 and July 2022 where many other areas broke their all time records. However, Leeds weather centre closed in the 2000s.
As is typical for many sprawling cities in areas of varying topography, temperatures can change depending on location. Average July and August daytime highs exceed 22 °C (72 °F) (a value comparable to South East England) in a small area just to the south east of the city centre,[74][75] where the elevation declines to under 20 metres (66 feet). This is 2 °C (3.6 °F) milder than the typical summer temperature at Leeds Bradford airport weather station (shown in the chart below), at an elevation of 208 metres (682 feet). Situated on the eastern side of the Pennines, Leeds is among the driest cities in the United Kingdom, with an annual rainfall of 660 mm (25.98 in). Though extreme weather in Leeds is relatively rare, thunderstorms, blizzards, gale-force winds and even tornadoes have struck the city. The last reported tornado occurred on 14 September 2006, causing trees to uproot and signal failures atLeeds City railway station.[76]
Climate data for Leeds Bradford, extremes 1985–2003
Leeds forms the main area of theCity of Leeds metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire. This district includes Leeds itself as well as surrounding towns ofHorsforth,Morley,Otley,Pudsey,Rothwell andWetherby,[80] Leeds is the central city of theLeeds City Region, a classification for the city region'smetropolitan area. The city region has a population of over 3 million, making it the second most populated metropolitan city region in the United Kingdom, behindGreater London.[81]
In January 2011, Leeds was named as one of five "cities to watch" in a report published by Centre for Cities.[82] The report shows that the average resident in Leeds earns £471 per week,[83] 17th nationally and 30.9% of Leeds residents had NVQ4+ high-level qualifications,[84] 15th nationally. Employment in Leeds was 68.8% in the period June 2012 to June 2013, which was lower than the national average, whilst unemployment was higher than the national average at 9.6% over the same time period.[85] Leeds is overall less deprived than other large UK cities and average income is above regional averages.[86]
At the time of theUnited Kingdom Census 2001, the Leeds urban subdivision occupied an area of 109 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and had a population of 443,247; making it the fourth-most populous urban subdivision within England and the fifth largest within the United Kingdom. The population density was 4,066 inhabitants per square kilometre (10,530/sq mi), slightly higher than the rest of theWest Yorkshire Urban Area. It accounts for 20% of the area and 62% of the population of the City of Leeds. The population of the urban subdivision had a 100 to 93.1 female–male ratio.[92] Of those over 16 years old, 39.4% were single (never married) and 35.4% married for the first time.[93] The urban subdivision's 188,890 households included 35% one-person, 27.9% married couples living together, 8.8% were co-habiting couples, and 5.7% single parents with their children. Leeds is the largest component of the West Yorkshire Urban Area[62] and is counted byEurostat as part of the Leeds-Bradfordlarger urban zone. The Leedstravel to work area in 2001 included all of the City of Leeds, a northern strip of the City of Bradford, the eastern part of Kirklees, and a section of southern North Yorkshire; it occupies 751 square kilometres (290 sq mi).
In 2011, the Leeds urban subdivision had a population of 474,632 and had an area of 112 square kilometres (43 sq mi) with a population density of 4,238 inhabitants per square kilometre (10,980/sq mi).[95] It is bounded by, and physically attached to, the other towns ofGarforth to the east,Morley to the southwest andPudsey to the west, all being within the wider borough. 63% of the borough's population of 751,485 live in the urban subdivision, while it takes up only 21% of its total area of 552 km2.
At the time of the2011 UK Census, the district had a total population of 751,500, representing a 5% growth since the previous census ten years earlier.[86] According to the 2001 UK Census, there were 301,614 households in Leeds; 33.3% were married couples living together, 31.6% were single-person households, 9.0% wereco-habiting couples and 9.8% were single parents, following a similar trend to the rest of England.[96] The population density was 1,967/km2 (5,090/sq mi)[96] and for every 100 females, there were 93.5 males.
Leeds is a diverse city with over 75 ethnic groups, and with ethnic minorities representing just under 11.6% of the total population.[86] According to figures from the2011 UK Census, 85.0% of the population wasWhite (81.1%White British, 0.9%White Irish, 0.1%Gypsy orIrish Traveller, 2.9%Other White), 2.7% ofmixed race (1.2% White and Black Caribbean, 0.3% White and Black African, 0.7% White and Asian, 0.5% Other Mixed), 7.7%Asian (2.1%Indian, 3.0%Pakistani, 0.6%Bangladeshi, 0.8%Chinese, 1.2% Other Asian), 3.5%Black (2.0% African, 0.9%Caribbean, 0.6%Other Black), 0.5%Arab and 0.6% of other ethnic heritage. Leeds has seen many new different countries of birth as of theUK Census includingZimbabwe,Iran,India andNigeria all included in the top ten countries of birth in the city. Large Pakistani communities can be seen in wards such as Gipton and Harehills. Chapel Allerton is known for having a large Caribbean community.[97]
The majority of people in Leeds identify themselves as Christian.[98] The proportion of Muslims (3.0% of the population) is average for the country.[98] Leeds has the third-largest community of Jews in the United Kingdom, after those of London and Manchester. The areas ofAlwoodley andMoortown contain sizeable Jewish communities.[99] 16.8% of Leeds residents in the 2001 census declared themselves as having "No Religion", which is broadly in line with the figure for the whole of the UK (also 8.1% "religion not stated"). The crime rate in Leeds is well above the national average, like many other English major cities.[100][101] In July 2006, thethink tankReform calculated rates of crime for different offences and has related this to populations of major urban areas (defined as towns over 100,000 population). Leeds was 11th in this rating (excluding London boroughs, 23rd including London boroughs).[102] Total recorded crime in Leeds fell by 45% between March 2002 and December 2011[86]
TheCity of Leeds is thelocal government district covering Leeds, and the local authority isLeeds City Council. The council is composed of 99 councillors, three for each of the district'swards. Elections are held three years out of four, on the first Thursday of May. One third of the councillors are elected, for a four-year term, in each election. The council is currently controlled byLabour.West Yorkshire does not have a county council, so Leeds City Council is the primary provider of local government services for the city. The district is in theYorkshire and the Humber region of England.
Most of the district is anunparished area. In the unparished area, there is no lower tier of government. Outside the unparished area, there are 31 civil parishes, represented byparish councils. These are the lowest tier of local government[103] and absorb some limited functions from Leeds City Council in their areas.
With an economy worth £64.6 billion, Leeds is forecast to grow 21% over the next 10 years.[104]
Leeds has the most diverse economy of all the UK's main employment centres. It has seen the fastest rate of private sector jobs growth of any UK city and has the highest ratio of public to private sector jobs of all the UK'sCore Cities. The city had the third-largest jobs total by local authority area with 480,000 in employment and self-employment at the beginning of 2015.[105] 24.7% were in public administration, education and health, 23.9% were in banking, finance and insurance and 21.4% were in distribution, hotels and restaurants. It is in the banking, finance and insurance sectors that Leeds differs most from the financial structure of the region and the nation.[106] There are 130,100 jobs in the city centre, accounting for 31% of all jobs in the wider district. In 2007, 47,500 jobs were in finance and business, 42,300 in public services, and 19,500 in retail and distribution. 43% of finance sector jobs in the district are contained in Leeds city centre and 44% of those employed in the city centre live more than nine kilometres (5.6 miles) away.[107]
In 2011, the financial and services industry in Leeds was worth £2.1 billion, the fifth-largest in the UK, behind London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham.[108] Tertiary industries such as retail,call centres, offices and media have contributed to a high rate of economic growth. The city also hosts the only subsidiary office of theBank of England in the UK. In 2012 GVA for the city was recorded at £18.8 billion,[109] with the entireLeeds City Region generating a £56 billion economy.[110]
Key sectors include finance, retail, leisure and the visitor economy, construction, manufacturing and the creative and digital industries.[110] It has one of the most diverse economies of all the UK's main employment centres and has seen the fastest rate of private-sector jobs growth of any UK city. It also has the highest ratio of private to public sector jobs of all the UK's Core Cities, with 77% of its workforce working in the private sector. Leeds has the third-largest jobs total by local authority area, with 480,000 in employment and self-employment at the beginning of 2015.[110] Leeds is ranked as a "High Sufficiency" level city by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.[111] Today, Leeds has become the largest legal and financial centre outside London,[110][112] with the financial and insurance services industry worth £13 billion to the city's economy.
Office developments, also traditionally located in the inner area, have expanded south of the River Aire and total 11,000,000 square feet (1,000,000 m2) of space.[107] In the period from 1999 to 2008 £2.5 billion of property development was undertaken in central Leeds; of which £711 million has been offices, £265 million retail, £389 million leisure and £794 million housing. The city saw several firsts, including the oldest-surviving film in existence,Roundhay Garden Scene (1888), and the 1767 invention ofsoda water.[113][114]
Leeds is the UK's third-largest manufacturing centre and 50% of the UK's manufacturing base is within a two-hour drive of Leeds. With around 1,800 firms and 39,000 employees, Leeds manufacturing firms account for 8.8% of total employment in the city. The largest sub-sectors are engineering, printing and publishing, food and drink, chemicals and medical technology.[116] Manufacturing and distribution accounted for £26 million of new property development in the period. There is an established creative industry in the city, particularly in the digital gaming sector. A number of large developers have studios in and around the city, includingActivision, developers of the mobile versions of theCall of Duty series,[117] andRockstar Leeds, developers of theGrand Theft Auto series. In 2009 Leeds was the first city outside London to host theEurogamer Expo.
Leeds is the largest centre outside London for financial and business services. Over the next ten years, the economy is forecast to grow by 25% with financial and business services set to generate over half of GVA growth over that period with Finance and business services accounting for 38% of total output.
The finance and business service sector account for 38% of total output[110][118][108] with more than 30 national and international banks located in the city, including an office of theBank of England.
Leeds has over 30 national and international banks, many of whose northern or regional offices are based in the city. It is the headquarters forFirst Direct andYorkshire Bank, and has largeBarclays,HSBC,Lloyds Banking Group,NatWest Group andSantander operations.[115] The city is also an important centre for equity, venture, infrastructure and risk finance. Theventure capital provider, YFM Equity Partners, founded in Leeds, is now the UK's largest provider of risk capital to small and medium-sized enterprises.[115] TheNational Wealth Fund, founded to support economic growth across the United Kingdom, is also based in Leeds.[119]
There are around 150 law firms operating in Leeds, employing over 6,700 people. According to The UK Legal 500, "Leeds has a sophisticated and highly competitive legal market, second only to London."[120] Specialist legal expertise to be found in Leeds includes corporate finance, corporate restructuring and insolvency, global project financing, trade and investment, commercial litigation, competition, construction, Private Finance Initiatives and Public Private Partnerships, tax, derivatives, IT, employment, pensions, intellectual property, sport and entertainment.[120] The establishment of an Administrative Court in Leeds in April 2009 reinforced Leeds's position as one of the UK's key legal centres. The court previously sat only in London.[120]
Tourism is important to the Leeds economy, in 2009 Leeds was the eighth-most visited city in England by UK visitors.[121] and the 13th-most visited city by overseas visitors.[122] Research byVisitEngland reported that the day visitor market to Leeds attracts 24.9 million people each year, worth over £654 million to the local economy.[123] In the 2017Condé Nast Traveler survey of readers, Leeds rated 6th among the 15 best cities in the UK for visitors.[124]
In 2016, Leeds received 27.29 million leisure tourist visits generating over £1.6 billion for the city, according to data from a STEAM survey. That was a 15.9% increase in revenue over 2015. A 9.7% increase in visits had been recorded since 2013.[125] The industry supported over 19,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2016.[126]
In Leeds, 108,000 people work in the public sector—24% of the workforce. The largest employers are Leeds City Council, with 33,000 staff, and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with 14,000 staff.[127]
Leeds is home to one of the largest indoor markets in Europe,[129]Leeds Kirkgate Market. The district also has various regular local markets in Otley, Pudsey, and Yeadon.[130] Between 1987 – 1995, Leeds Kirkgate market was renovated. The changes have maximised the retail provision in the market without compromising the historical features of the building, so much so that the renovated Kirkgate Market Hall structure was promoted from Grade II to Grade I listing status, and was subsequently nominated for a Civic Trust Award.
There is an annual German Christmas Market ("Christkindelmarkt") based inMillennium Square, usually running from early November to mid-late December.[131] The 2020 Christmas Market was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.[132] The extensive retail area of Leeds is the principal regional shopping centre for the whole of the Yorkshire and the Humber region, offering a spend of £1.93 billion annually in 2013.[133] There are a number of indoor shopping centres in the centre of the city, including theMerrion Centre,St John's Centre,The Core, theVictoria Quarter,The Light, theCorn Exchange,Trinity Leeds, andVictoria Gate.[134] In total, there are well over 1,000 retail stores, with a combined floorspace of 3,660,000 square feet (340,000 m2)[107] in Leeds City Centre.
TheVictoria Quarter is notable for its high-end luxury retailers and impressive architecture. 70 stores such asLouis Vuitton,Vivienne Westwood,Diesel, and anchor Harvey Nichols are contained within two iron-wrought Victorian arcades, and a new arcade formed by arcading Queen Victoria Street with the largest expanse of stained glass in Britain.[135][136]
Trinity Leeds is Leeds's largest shopping centre and one of the largest in Europe.
In the Churwell area of Leeds is theWhite Rose Shopping Centre. Opening in 1997, the centre has over 100 high street stores anchored by Marks & Spencer, Primark, NEXT, and Sainsbury's.
On 21 March 2013, a large shopping and leisure complex calledTrinity Leeds opened in the city centre. The modern and interactive retail space covers the old Burton Arcades and the formerLeeds Shopping Plaza with its main entrance from Briggate.[137]
On 20 October 2016,Victoria Gate shopping centre opened with its flagship store,John Lewis. Three quarters of the stores in Victoria Gate were the first for the retailers outside of London.[138] Of the 40,000 people who work in retailing in Leeds, three quarters work in the wider district.[139] The Springs, located to the east of the city suburbs, just off junction 46 of the M1.[140]
Leeds displays a variety of natural and built landmarks. Natural landmarks include such diverse sites as the gritstone outcrop ofOtley Chevin and theFairburn Ings RSPB reserve. The city's parks atRoundhay andTemple Newsam have long been owned and maintained by the council for the benefit of ratepayers and among the open spaces in the centre of Leeds areMillennium Square,City Square,Park Square, and Victoria Gardens. This last is the site of the central citywar memorial: there are 42 other war memorials in the suburbs, towns and villages in the district.[141]
The built environment embraces edifices of civic pride likeMorley Town Hall and the trio of buildings in Leeds,Leeds Town Hall,Corn Exchange, andLeeds City Museum, by the architectCuthbert Brodrick. The two white buildings on the Leeds skyline are the Parkinson building of Leeds University and theCivic Hall, with golden owls adorning the tops of the latter's twin spires.[142]
Leeds is one of only a few UK cities outside of London to have a significant number ofhigh-rise buildings, the 112-metre (367 ft) tower ofBridgewater Place, also known asTheDalek, is part of a major office and residential development and was the region's tallest building untilAltus House was completed in 2021; it can be seen for miles (kilometres) around.[145] Among other Skyscrapers the 37-storeySky Plaza to the north of the city centre stands on higher ground so that its 106 metres (348 ft) is higher than Bridgewater Place and the aforementioned, 38-storey Altus House in Arena Quarter, standing at 380 metres.Elland Road (football) andHeadingley Stadium (cricket and rugby) are well known to sports enthusiasts, and theWhite Rose Centre is a well-known retail outlet.
Leeds has extensive road, bus and rail networks. Public transport in the Leeds area is coordinated and developed byWest Yorkshire Metro.[146]
The city has good rail and road links to the rest of the country.Leeds railway station is one of the busiest in Britain, and Leeds is connected to the national road network via theA1(M) motorway,M1 motorway andM62 motorway. The city is served byLeeds Bradford Airport.[147][148] Plans to improve the public transport network in Leeds have been suggested. In the 1940s plans to build an extensive underground system were not proceded with because of the Second World War.[149] TheLeeds Supertram in the 1990s at a cost of £500 million was cancelled by the Transport MinisterAlistair Darling in 2005 after £40 million had been spent on the project due to unforeseen added costs. A proposed £250 million re-introduction oftrolleybus in 2007; the plans were cancelled in May 2016 citing little value for money, after millions of pounds spent on inquiries.[150]
In June 2019, in his bid to become Prime Minister,Boris Johnson stated that it was "madness" that Leeds did not have a metro system.[151] In December 2019, in his firstQueen's Speech, Johnson promised to "remedy the scandal that Leeds is the largest city in Western Europe without light rail or a metro".[152][153] Plans are in place to improve public transport in Leeds, with upgrades to railway, bus services, and cycle lanes.[154][155][156] A tram system for the city and wider region was announced in 2023.[157]
Leeds is the starting point of theA62,A63,A64,A65,A647, andA660 roads. The city is on theA58,A61 roads, theM1 andM62 motorways intersect to the south of Leeds and theA1(M) passes to the east. The radialM621 takes traffic into central Leeds from the M62 and M1, theLeeds Inner Ring Road has part motorway status and the city has anouter ring road. Part of the city centre[158] is pedestrianised and encircled by the clockwise-onlyloop road. The East Leeds Orbital Route's construction started in summer 2019 and was completed in 2021.[159][160]
Bus networks are widespread throughout the city and wider region.
Air quality in Leeds was declared "unsafe" by theWorld Health Organization in May 2019. Neville Street, near Leeds railway station, has been measured as the most polluted street outside London.[161][162] AClean Air Zone, throughout north Leeds and the city centre, was proposed in 2018. The plan, similar to theLondon Low Emission Zone, would charge a daily fee for driving "older models of buses, taxis and HGVs" in the zone.[163] The zone was planned to start charging vehicles in January 2020, before being cancelled in October 2020 because of improvements in the city's air quality.[164]
An electric bicycle rental scheme, Leeds City Bikes, operated byBeryl, opened in September 2023.[166] The bikes are collected from bays around the city centre, and hirers are penalised if they do not return the bike to one of the bays.[167]
In 2017 Leeds had the third busiestrailway station in the UK[168] outside ofLondon. From the station at New Station Street,West Yorkshire Metro trains operated byNorthern run to Leeds' suburbs, the wider area, national and international connections. The station has 18 platforms, the most outside of London.[169]
The City of Leeds local government area has 16 railway stations. A parkway station serving Leeds Bradford Airport and two other new stations in the area, planned for within the next 20 years, were announced in 2016.[170]
Leeds Bradford Airport is inYeadon, about 8 miles (13 km) to the north-west of the city centre, and has direct flights to eight UK and 70 international destinations. It is the tenth busiestairport outside London,[171] with scheduled services toAmsterdam,Dublin, andBarcelona. There is a direct rail service from Leeds city centre toManchester Airport.[172]
Leeds is claimed by the city council to be one of the best cities in the UK for walking.[173] TheLeeds 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) fromCity Square. TheMeanwood Valley Trail leads fromWoodhouse Moor alongMeanwood Beck toGolden Acre Park. The Leeds extension of theDales Way follows the Meanwood Valley Trail before it branches off to head towardsIlkley andWindermere. Leeds is on the northern section of theTrans Pennine Trail for walkers and cyclists, and the towpath of theLeeds and Liverpool Canal is another walking and cycling route.The White Rose Way walking trail toScarborough begins at City Square. There are many parks and public footpaths in both the urban and rural parts of Leeds, andThe Ramblers' Association,YHA and other walking organisations offer sociable walks. The Ramblers' Association publish booklets of walks in and around Leeds.[174]
Leeds has 16 museums and galleries including nine that are council-run. Smaller museums in Leeds includeOtley Museum;Horsforth Village Museum;[175] ULITA, an Archive of International Textiles;[176] and the museum atFulneck Moravian Settlement.Leeds City Museum opened in 2008[177] atMillennium Square. It is a major museum for the city, showcasing its designated collections of local history; world cultures; natural history; archaeology and fine and decorative arts plus a diverse programme of special exhibitions.[178]
Abbey House Museum is housed in the former gatehouse ofKirkstall 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,[179] and includes industrial machinery and railway locomotives. This museum also shows the first known moving pictures in the world which were taken in the city, byLouis Le Prince, of aRoundhay Garden Scene and ofLeeds Bridge in 1888.Thackray Museum of Medicine 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 formerworkhouse next toSt James's Hospital. The museum closed temporarily in 2019 for a £4 million refurbishment. The redeveloped museum has since been shortlisted forArt Fund'sMuseum of the Year award 2021 and received a special commendation from the European Museum Forum in 2023.[180]
TheRoyal Armouries Museum, the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour, opened in 1996 in a dramatic modern building when this part of the collection was transferred from theTower of London. It is located a short distance from the city centre at Leeds Dock. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world, comprising the UK's National Collection of Arms and Armour, NationalArtillery Collection, and NationalFirearms Collection.Thwaite Mills Watermill Museum is a fully restored 1820s water-powered mill on theRiver Aire to the east of the city centre. Nearby is the Leeds Museum Discovery Centre (formerly housed at the Leeds Museum Resource Centre inYeadon),[181] the major storage of items not currently on display in museums, and open to the public by appointment.[181][182]
The city is served by five universities. It has the UK's fourth-largest student population and the country'sfourth-largest urban economy.[183] Institutions providing higher education include:
TheUniversity of Leeds, which received its charter in 1904 having developed from the Yorkshire College which was founded in 1874 and the Leeds School of Medicine of 1831;
Leeds Beckett University, formerly Leeds Polytechnic, which became a university in 1992 as Leeds Metropolitan University, and can trace its roots to theMechanics' Institute of 1824;
Leeds Trinity University, which began in 1966 as two teacher training colleges which merged in 1980 to form Trinity and All Saints College and became a university in 2012;
Leeds Arts University, formerly Leeds College of Art, which was founded in 1846 as the Leeds School of Art, and became a university in 2017;
TheUniversity of Law, formerly the College of Law, which became a university in 2012 and moved to its current Leeds centre campus fromYork in 2014;
The University of Leeds has about 31,000 students, of which 21,500 are full-time or sandwich undergraduate degree students,[185] Leeds Beckett University has 25,805[186] students of which 12,000 are full-time or sandwich undergraduate degree students and 2,100 full-time or sandwich HND students.[187] Leeds Trinity University has just under 3,000 students.[188] The city was voted the best UK university Destination by a survey inThe Independent newspaper.[189]
In 2018, Leeds embarked on a five-year cultural investment programme, culminating in a year of cultural celebration in 2023. In 2023, the city hostedLeeds 2023, an international cultural festival.[191][192]
Leeds Art Gallery, which opened in 1888, houses the best twentieth century collection outside London and a colourful wall painting for the Victorian staircase by Lothar Götz. The gallery is owned and operated byLeeds City Council and is free to members of the public. Just next door,The Henry Moore Institute hosts a year-round programme of historical, modern and contemporary exhibitions presenting sculpture from across the world.[193]
Located in the art deco headquarters of the former brewery,The Tetley is a centre for contemporary art. The Gallery at 164 is an independent art gallery exhibiting artists, illustrators, photographers and designers working in all types of media.
The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery offers art exhibitions from the University Art Collection and Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery. Art is taught in Leeds atLeeds College of Art which has alumni includingHenry Moore andDamien Hirst. Leeds city centre has a variety of statues and sculptures on public display. The city also features and ever-growing host of street art and urban murals, including the UK's tallest mural 'Athena Rising'.[194] This mural is part of a city-wide project 'A City Less Grey', initiated by East Street Arts, which won a national award at the Planning Awards 2018.[195]
The city has a number of public artworks ranging from traditional statues to contemporary work. These include several works byAlfred Drury and one ofJoseph Beuys7000 Oaks.[196] Two bronze statues stand at Elland Road Stadium celebrating former managerDon Revie and team captainBilly Bremner.[197]
Leeds West Indian CarnivalLight Night, one of the UK's largest annual arts and light festivals
Leeds West Indian Carnival is Western Europe's oldest West Indian Carnival, and the UK's third-largest after the Notting Hill and Nottingham Carnival.[198][199] It attracts around 100,000 people over 2 days to the streets of Chapeltown and Harehills. There is a large procession that finishes at Potternewton Park, where there are stalls, entertainment and refreshments. TheLeeds Festival, featuring some of the biggest names in rock and indie music, takes place every year inBramham Park. The Leeds Asian Festival, formerly the LeedsMela, is held in Roundhay Park.[200] TheOtley Folk Festival (patron:Nic Jones),[201] Walking Festival,[202] Carnival,[203] and Victorian Christmas Fayre[204] are annual events.Light Night Leeds takes place each October, and many venues in the city are open to the public forHeritage Open Days in September.[205] TheLeeds International Pianoforte Competition, established in 1963 byFanny Waterman andMarion Stein, has been held in the city every three years since 1963 and has launched the careers of many major concert pianists. The Leeds International Concert Season, which includes orchestral and choral concerts inLeeds Town Hall and other events, is the largest local authority music programme in the UK.[206]
TheLeeds International Film Festival is the largest film festival in England outside London[207] and shows films from around the world. It incorporates the highly successfulLeeds Young People's Film Festival, which features exciting and innovative films made both for and by children and young people.[208]Garforth is host to the fortnight-long festival TheGarforth Arts Festival which has been an annual event since 2005. TheChapel Allerton Arts Festival is a week-long music and arts event starting in 1998 and held the week after August Bank Holiday each year.[209]TheLeeds Festival Fringe is a week long-music festival created in 2010 to showcase local talent in the week prior to Leeds Festival.
Light Night, one of the UK's largest annual arts and light festivals, takes place in the first week of October, turning the entire city into an art installation with light shows, projections, installations and lots more.[210]Leeds Pride is an annualLGBT+ festival held since 2006 supported by the city council and local business.[211] In 2018 attendance was 40,000[212] with over 100 floats and benefits the city by over £3.8 million.[212][213][214] The city has a sponsorship scheme for its 15 Rainbow Plaques commemorating places and events that are of significance to the LGBT+ community organised throughLeeds Civic Trust.[215] Other festivals include Transform and Thought Bubble.
Wordsworth Donisthorpe who was also from Leeds, filmed the second-oldest-surviving film. It is not known if he and Louis Le Prince ever met but they both had a strong connection to theLeeds Philosophical and Literary Society. Donisthorpe's patent for a camera to capture the moving image pre dated Le Prince's by twelve years.
Leeds has a rich film exhibition culture. In addition to the Leeds International Film Festival and Leeds Young Film Festival, the city hosts numerous independent cinemas and pop-up venues for film screenings.[220]The Cottage Road Cinema andHyde Park Picture House have continuously been showing films since 1912 and 1914, respectively, which ranks them among the oldest still-running cinemas in the UK.[221]
Leeds has produced manywriters of note, including celebrated author and playwrightAlan Bennett.J. R. R. Tolkien, author ofThe Lord of the Rings, lived and taught in Leeds from 1921 to 1925.[222] AuthorJoanne Harris was a teacher atLeeds Grammar School for 15 years, and based several of her novels on her experiences there.[223][224] In 2019 and 2020, Leeds hosted the Leeds Lit Fest, a "non-traditional" literature festival, incorporating talks, panels, and workshops.[225] There are plans to create a National Poetry Centre in Leeds.[226]
Waterloo Lake inRoundhay Park, one of the largest urban parks in EuropeThe mansion and garden atTemple Newsam
Leeds has many large parks and open spaces.Roundhay Park is the largest park in the city and is one of the largest city parks in Europe. The park has more than 700 acres (2.8 km2)[231] of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens which are all owned by Leeds City Council.
Other parks in the city include:Beckett Park, Bramley Fall Park, Cross Flatts Park, East End Park,Golden Acre Park,[232] Gotts Park,[233] the gardens and grounds ofHarewood House, Horforth Hall Park, Meanwood Park,Middleton Park, Potternewton Park, Pudsey Park,[234]Temple Newsam, Western Flatts Park andWoodhouse Moor. There are many more smaller parks and open spaces scattered around the city, which make up around 21.7% of the city's total area. A 2017 survey ranked Leeds 7th among the ten largest UK cities (by population) for the amount of green space, although published comments on the survey pointed out major inconsistencies in the city boundaries used.[235]
As part of the South Bank regeneration project, plans are in development forAire Park, a new 3.5 hectare city centre park located close to the former Tetley Brewery site.[236] Planning permission for the first phase to be undertaken by Vastint UK was granted in December 2018.[237] In 2023, the Monk Bridge viaduct was restored by a developer and subsequently opened as theMonk Bridge Viaduct Garden.[238]
Leeds is also home toPhoenix Dance Theatre, who were formed in the Harehills area of the city in 1981, andNorthern Ballet Theatre.[245] In autumn 2010 the two companies moved into a purpose-built dance centre which is the largest space for dance outside London. It is also the only space for dance to house a national classical and a national contemporary dance company alongside each another.[246]
TheFirst Direct Arena[247] opened in September 2013. The 13,500-seater stadium is rapidly becoming the city's number one venue for live music, indoor sports and many other events. Concerts are also held at the O2 Academy, Elland Road, which has hosted groups such as Queen and Kaiser Chiefs, among others and at the universities.Roundhay Park in north Leeds has seen some of the world's biggest artists includingMichael Jackson,Madonna,Bruce Springsteen, andRobbie Williams.
TheLeeds Arena building was named the "best new venue in the world" in 2014 by the Stadium Business Awards.[248]Leeds Song Tunnel public art celebrating the music of the city
Leeds is Purple Flag accredited to indicate an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night.[261] Leeds has the fourth largest student population in the country (over 200,000[262]), and is therefore one of the UK's hotspots for night-life. There are a large number of pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, as well as a multitude of venues for live music. The full range of music tastes is catered for in Leeds. It includes the original home of the famous club nights Back 2 Basics, Speedqueen andVague.[263] Morley was the location oftechno club The Orbit.[264]
Leeds has a well established LGBT+ nightlife scene, predominantly located in the Freedom Quarter on Lower Briggate.[270]The New Penny is one of the UK's longest running LGBT+ venues, and Leeds oldest gay bar. TowardsMillennium Square is a growing entertainment district providing for both students and weekend visitors. The square has many bars and restaurants and a large outdoor screen. Millennium Square is a venue for large seasonal events such as aChristmas market, gigs and concerts, and citywide parties. It is adjacent to the Mandela Gardens, which were opened byNelson Mandela in 2001. A number of public art features, fountains, and greenery can be found here. Yorkshire has a great history of real ale,[271] but several bars near the railway station are fusing traditional beers with a modern bar Leeds also hosts an annual Leeds International Beer Festival, held atLeeds Town Hall every September.
Leeds has a diverse media landscape and is considered a media hub.[272]Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd, owned byJohnston Press plc, is based in the city, and produces a daily morning broadsheet,The Yorkshire Post, and an evening paper, theYorkshire Evening Post (YEP). The YEP has a website which includes a series of community pages which focus on specific areas of the city.[273] TheWetherby News covers mainly areas within the north eastern sector of the district, and theWharfedale & Airedale Observer, published inIlkley, covers the north-west, both appearing weekly. The two largest universities both havestudent newspapers, the weeklyLeeds Student from the University of Leeds and the monthlyThe Met from Leeds Beckett University.The Leeds Guide was a fortnightly listings magazine, which was established in 1997 and ceased publication in 2012. Free publications include theLeeds Weekly News, produced by Yorkshire Post Newspapers in four geographic versions and distributed to households in the main urban area of the city,[274] and the regional version ofMetro, which is distributed on buses and at railway stations.
Leeds has a local television station calledLeeds TV which is required to broadcast 37 hours a week of first-run local programming.[277] The station had launched in 2014 asMade in Leeds which launched across the city in 2014.[278]
The City of Leeds SynchronisedSwimming Club train at theJohn Charles Centre for Sport and are represented by swimmers throughout the whole of the North East. The club was founded in 2008 and only compete in National and International Competition.[283]
The city has a wealth of sports facilities including theElland Road football stadium, a host stadium during the1996 European Football Championship; theHeadingley Carnegie Stadiums, adjacent stadia world-famous for bothcricket andrugby league and theJohn Charles Centre for Sport with anOlympic-sized pool in its Aquatics Centre[284] and includes a multi-use stadium. Other facilities include the Leeds Wall (climbing) andYeadon Tarn sailing centre. In 1929 the first Ryder Cup of Golf to be held on British soil was competed for atMoortown Golf Club in Alwoodley, and Wetherby has aNational Huntracecourse.[285] In the period 1928 to 1939 speedway racing was staged in Leeds on a track at the greyhound stadium known as Fullerton Park, adjacent to Elland Road. The track entered a team in the 1931 Northern league.
The2014 Tour de France Grand Départ took place from the Headrow in Leeds city centre on 5 July 2014. Leeds is well known for its divers and features some of the best diving facilities in the UK.City of Leeds Diving Club, who train at theJohn Charles Centre for Sport, has trained many athletes who have competed at international andOlympic level, withJack Laugher andChris Mears making history by becoming the first ever divers from Great Britain to win an Olympic gold medal, a feat they accomplished at the2016 Rio Olympics. Leeds has anice hockey team, theLeeds Knights (formerly named Leeds Chiefs); they play at the Planet Ice Arena inBeeston, Leeds, in theNational Ice Hockey League.
Leeds has a well-established climbing and mountaineering scene. TheYorkshire Ramblers’ Club, England’s second oldest mountaineering club, was founded in Headingley in 1892, and the city is also home to a number of other climbing clubs and venues. The UK’s first artificialclimbing wall for training and developing technique was established at the University of Leeds in 1964.[286] Leeds has hosted theBMC’s British Bouldering Championships,[287] and the Youth Climbing Series Grand Final.[288]
TheSikh community is represented bygurdwaras (temples) spread across the city, the largest being inChapeltown. There is also a colourful religious annual procession, called the Nagar Kirtan, intoMillennium Square in the city centre on 13–14 April to celebrateVaisakhi—the Sikh New Year and the birth of the religion. It is estimated that around 3,000 Sikhs in Leeds take part in this annual event.
Leeds'sJewish community is the third-largest in the United Kingdom, after London and Greater Manchester.[292][293] The areas ofAlwoodley andMoortown contain sizeable Jewish populations.[99] There are eight active synagogues in Leeds.[294] TheHindu community in Leeds has atemple (mandir) atHyde Park.[295] The temple has all the major Hindu deities and is dedicated to the LordMahavira of theJains.[296]
Water supply andsewerage services in Leeds are provided byYorkshire Water, part of theKelda Group. Prior to 1973 water and sewerage services had been provided by the Leeds Corporation. Leeds City Council has a target of 11MW of renewable energy from onshore wind by 2010 and an aspirational target of 75MW by 2020. There are currently no operational wind farms in Leeds, but a planning application byBanks Renewables Ltd for five turbines at Hook Moor, nearMicklefield, was approved in 2011.[299]
The area is policed by theWest Yorkshire Police. The force has five policing districts covering the West Yorkshire area, one of which covers Leeds. The Leeds District Headquarters is located at Elland Road in the south of the city. In the north-west of the city the main stations areWeetwood and Woodhouse Lane; in the north-east, the main stations are Stainbeck nearChapel Allerton andKillingbeck; in the south the main stations are Leeds Central, located on Park Street in the city centre, and the District Headquarters itself. Fire and rescue services are provided by theWest Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. The fire stations in Leeds are:Cookridge,Gipton,Hunslet,Stanks,Moortown,Stanningley, and the "Leeds" fire station (near the city centre, on Kirkstall Road).
West Yorkshire Joint Services provides analytical, archaeological, archives, ecology, materials testing, and trading standards services in Leeds and the other four districts of West Yorkshire. It was created following the abolition of the county council in 1986 and expanded in 1997, and is funded by the five district councils, pro rata to their population. The Leeds site of the archives service is in the former public library atSheepscar, Leeds.[306]Leeds City Council is responsible for over 50 public libraries across the whole city, including 5 mobile libraries. The mainCentral Library is located on theHeadrow, in the city centre.
^Caunce, S. A. (2003). "Houses as Museums: The Case of the Yorkshire Wool Textile Industry".Transactions of the Royal Historical Society.13. Royal Historical Society:329–343.doi:10.1017/S0080440103000197 (inactive 1 November 2024).ISSN0080-4401.S2CID111082735.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
^Morris, J. (2002).Atlas of Industrializing Britain, 1780–1914. Routledge. p. 172.ISBN9781135836450.Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved26 February 2017.In the 1830s, William Lupton left his widow with land..... in Merrion and Belgrave streets (Briggate)...the enclosed fields of the manor of Leeds were already occupied by a woolen mill and its reservoir and the house and outbuildings of William Lupton – a gentleman merchant
^Istrate, Emilia; Nadeau, Carey Anne (November 2012)."Global MetroMonitor". Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. Archived fromthe original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved23 December 2013.
^"Home".www.leedsfilmcity.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved22 March 2019.
^Chapel Allerton Arts Festival (26 February 2014)."Chapel Allerton Arts Festival". Chapelallerton.org.uk.Archived from the original on 11 February 2014. Retrieved15 March 2014.
^"Pioneers of Early Cinema: 1, Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince (1841–1890?)"(PDF). www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk. p. 2. Retrieved25 November 2012.he developed a single-lens camera which he used to make moving picture sequences at the Whitley family home in Roundhay and of Leeds Bridge in October 1888. ... it has been claimed that a photograph of a drowned man in the Paris police archives is that of Le Prince.
^Gray, Nick (31 January 2010).""Jimmy's": the rise of the docusoap and the fall of YTV"(PDF)."No Such" Research. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 8 March 2012. Retrieved17 June 2010.What is "Jimmy's"? It's the local nickname of a hospital in Leeds, actually called St. James's University Hospital ... (paper by Deviser/Producer/Director of TV series)
^The area that is the subject of this article does not have legal city status itself, but is widely regarded as a city since it is the main and nominate settlement in the City of Leeds local government area
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Unsworth and Stillwell (2004).Twenty-First Century Leeds: Geographies of a Regional City. Leeds: Leeds University Press.ISBN0-85316-242-5.
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