History of Leeds
The name "Leeds" is thought to be 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".
The 1866 map of 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 old Post Office, City Square, constructed 1896, representative
of the scale of many commercial buildings of the late nineteenth
century found in Leeds.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.
In 1991, 64,000 were employed in manufacturing. In 2003, 2,103
firms employed 44,500 (10% of workforce). 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.
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Government of Leeds
One of four golden owl sculptures outside Leeds Civic Hall Leeds
is a metropolitan district in the ceremonial county of West
Yorkshire. It was a county borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire
from 1889 to 1974.The metropolitan borough covers a much wider
area than the historical County Borough 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. There were "all
out" elections in 2004 after boundary changes, when all 99
councillors were elected. As of 2009[update] it is controlled
by a coalition of Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent
members. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat group leaders take
the role of Leader of the Council for six months alternately.
Leeds is represented by eight MPs, for the constituencies
of Elmet (Alec Shelbrooke, Conservative); Leeds Central (Hilary
Benn, Labour); Leeds East (George Mudie, Labour); Leeds North
East (Fabian Hamilton, Labour); Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland,
Lib Dem); Leeds West (Rachel Reeves, Labour); Morley and Rothwell
(Ed Balls, Labour); and Pudsey (Stewart Andrew, Conservative).
Various boundary changes will be implemented for the next General
Election, when Leeds will be represented by members for seven
constituencies and three-fifths of one: Elmet will be replaced
by Elmet and Rothwell and Morley by Morley and Outwood (three
Leeds wards and two Wakefield wards), and the boundaries of the
other constituencies will be altered. Leeds is within the Yorkshire
and the Humber European constituency, which is represented by
two Conservative, one Labour, one UKIP, one Liberal Democrat and
one BNP MEPs. The voting figures for Leeds in the European Parliament
election in June 2009 were: Conservative 22.6%, Labour 21.4%,
UKIP 15.9%, Lib Dem 13.8%, BNP 10.0%, Green 9.4% 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.
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,
as is biographical information about the current Lord Mayor and
Deputy Lord Mayor and their consorts.
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. The highest point in the city, at 1,115
feet (340 m), is at its north western extremity on the eastern
slopes of Rombalds Moor, better known as Ilkley Moor, on the boundary
with the City of Bradford. The lowest points are at around 33
feet (10 m), in the east of the city: where River Wharfe crosses
the boundary with North Yorkshire south of Thorp Arch Trading
Estate and where the River Aire (at this point forming the City
of Wakefield boundary) meets the North Yorkshire boundary near
Fairburn Ings.
Areas of the city
Main article: Places in Leeds
The city's current boundaries came into being on 1 April 1974,
set by the Local Government Act 1972. Before this, there existed
a smaller County Borough of Leeds, and parts of today's city were
in various other administrative areas. 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. The post-1974 Metropolitan Borough of Leeds also
includes part or all of the former Municipal Boroughs of Morley
and Pudsey, the Rural Districts of Tadcaster, Wetherby and Wharfedale,
and the Urban Districts of Aireborough, Garforth, Horsforth, Otley
and Rothwell.
Entire Metropolitan Borough
Leeds compared
2001 UK Census[48] Leeds Yorkshire and the Humber England
Population 715,402 4,964,833 49,138,831
White 91.8% 93.5% 90.9%
Asian 4.5% 4.5% 4.6%
Black 1.4% 0.7% 2.3%
As of the 2001 UK census, the Metropolitan Borough of Leeds had
a total population of 715,402. Of the 301,614 households in Leeds,
33.3% were married couples living together, 31.6% were one-person
households, 9.0% were co-habiting couples and 9.8% were lone parents,
following a similar trend to the rest of England.
The population density was 1,967 inhabitants per
square kilometre (5,094.5/sq mi) and for every 100 females, there
were 93.5 males. Of those aged 16–74, 30.9% had no academic qualifications,
higher than the 28.9% in all of England. Of the residents, 6.6%
were born outside the United Kingdom, lower than the England average
of 9.2%.
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").
Population change
The table below details the population change since 1801, including
the percentage change since the last available census data. Although
Leeds has had its current boundaries only since 1974, figures
have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages,
and civil parishes that are now constituent parts of the city
e.g. The population of the registration district of Leeds in 1801
was 30,669, but it must be noted that this figure excludes other
registration districts, such as Hunslet, within the core urban
area.
Leeds has a compact, easily walkable city centre,
and is the perfect gateway to the stunning Yorkshire countryside.
Accessible by a variety of channels means living in Leeds couldn’t
be easier:
Ideally connected to the British motorway network
from all directions, Leeds has easy access to M1, M62 and A1.
Its train station is considered to be the busiest outside London
with over 900 trains and 90,000 passengers passing through each
day. And if travelling by air, Leeds Bradford International Airport
is just 11 miles northwest of the city centre.
The snippets of beautiful greenery found dotted
around the city offer the perfect peaceful retreat away from the
hustle and bustle of city life, and are luckily never more than
a few miles away.
These include the famous Monet Garden at Roundhay
Park, Temple Newsam House & Gardens and Harewood House.
Today, the thriving city brimming with history
offers an architectural dream, with a balanced mix of old and
new, grand and stylish homes, and landmark buildings.
According to public body, English Heritage, there
are more listed buildings in Leeds than in any English city outside
London.
Sport has been a major part of Leeds life for
many years, with a favourite heritage site being the world famous
Headingley Carnegie Stadium – home of world rugby super league
champions Leeds Rhinos and Michael Vaughan's Yorkshire County
Cricket Club First XI. The cricket ground also hosts Test matches
featuring the world's top international sides, with the likes
of South Africa and Australia playing frequently.
Thousands of visitors are drawn to the city centre
every month, the award-winning Royal Armouries - the national
collection of arms and armour – has become a top attraction, along
with Leeds' finest stately home, Harewood House, and the West
Yorkshire Playhouse.
The Victorian arcades, the famous clubs, the vibrant
art scene, the diverse cuisine, the astounding attractions, theatrical
productions, and live operatic performances combine to offer a
cosmopolitan culture. And with five miles of shopping streets,
it is no surprise that the large pedestrianised centre has become
known as the 'Knightsbridge of the North'.
The Victoria Quarter is the lovingly-restored
Victorian home to 70 leading fashion brands, including the likes
of A-List favourites Vivienne Westwood, Prada and Paul Smith.
With high street giants lining the Headrow, vintage
boutiques dotted in-between and a special collection of quirky
stalls and shops in the elegant Corn Exchange, the city centre
caters for every taste and every budget.
And with the prestigious Harvey Nichols taking
centre stage, Leeds has become the favourite destination for a
chic, stylish retail experience outside the capital.
Human geography
There is a concentrated student population in Burley and Headingley,
to the north west of Central Leeds. Adel, Alwoodley and Moortown,
in North Leeds, have a large Jewish community. The city has
three recognised red-light districts — Spencer Place in Chapeltown,
Water Lane in Holbeck and the areas surrounding the City of
Mabgate public house in Mabgate, taking in Roseville Road, Telephone
Street and Mushroom Street. Leeds has also had riots in Hunslet,
Holbeck, Quarry Hill and more recently Chapeltown and Harehills.
Demonyms
An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of
uncertain origin, 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
alumnus is called an Old Leodensian.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Leeds and List of companies based in
Leeds
Central Business District
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 and has a diverse economy
with the service sector now dominating over the city's manufacturing
industries. Leeds' growth has helped to change the economic geography
of the United Kingdom, as Leeds is now one of the largest financial
centres in England outside the capital. 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 passes through Leeds,
making it one of the most important regional internet centres
in the UK. Over 124,000 people work in financial and business
services in Leeds, the largest number of any UK city outside London.
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 from the economic growth such as
Chapeltown and Kirkstall.
Shopping
Victoria Quarter
Briggate, one of Leeds' main shopping streetsLeeds 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'. 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, the proposed Eastgate Quarters will
enlarge the shopping area significantly, and is due to be anchored
by John Lewis and a second Marks and Spencer store for the city.
The Trinity Quarter is a large shopping development under construction
that is expected to open in 2010. It is a part redevelopment of
a run-down part of the city centre, and part re-modelling of the
existing Leeds Shopping Plaza.
Tourism
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 airport, with an 87 per cent growth in terminal passenger numbers
in the last five years. Over 450 weekly flights connect the city
to over 70 major European business and holiday destinations.
Tourism in Leeds is estimated to support over
20 full time equivalent jobs, and on average Leeds attracts around
1.5 million people annually who stay overnight, plus a further
10 million who visit on day trips. Visitors to the city bring
nearly £735 million into the local economy each year. 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 – Opera North and Northern Ballet Theatre,
both internationally renowned.
Development
Further information: List of tallest buildings in Leeds and Architecture
of Leeds
Bridgewater Place also known as 'The Dalek' taken in September
2007In 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. Bridgewater Place, known locally
as 'The Dalek', recently became the tallest building in Leeds.
A taller building, the 561-foot (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. The
plan for even taller 'Kissing Towers' of Criterion Place has been
scrapped for similar reasons.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.
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Landmarks
Kirkstall Abbey
Corn ExchangeThe 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/280 hectares), with its Tropical
World hothouse. The park hosts numerous concerts, as do Bramham
Park and Temple Newsam Park. 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. As well
as suburban parks there is also the Georgian Park Square in Leeds
city centre.
Transport in Leeds
Local Public transport
A Leeds FTR BusBus and train travel in the Leeds area is coordinated
and developed by West Yorkshire Metro, with service information
provided by Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Metro.
The primary means of public transportation in
Leeds are the bus services. 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 (the roads surrounding the core shopping area limited to public
transport) every 6 minutes from Monday to Saturday.
All cross-city services use bus stops on and around
the Public Transport Box 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.
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 Leeds City Region. 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. All of Leeds' suburbs
sit within Metrocard Zones 1 and 2.
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. The central tram sheds were converted
into Queens Hall, a concert hall, which was later demolished in
1989. The Bramley tram sheds were demolished in 1969. Former tram
buildings still exist on Abbey Road in Kirkstall, while tram poles
still stand in Roundhay.
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. 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.
A business case for a new Leeds Trolleybus 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.This system would
broadly follow the route of the abandoned Supertram project.
Roads
There is an Inner Ring Road with part motorway status and an Outer
Ring Road. Part of 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 (approximately £6 per hour in August 2008).
Access to cars is by using a smart card and PIN.
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National and regional
Rail
Leeds City Station after the 2002 rebuildLeeds City Station
is one of the busiest in England outside London, with over 900
trains and 50,000 passengers passing through every day. 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.
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 Yorkshire. 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 on franked post 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 centre, 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. Bridgepoint Capital
have released plans of their intended expansion of the airport
terminal, which is estimated to cost £28 million.
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
Schools
Leeds has a large number of education establishments, with Education
Leeds having responsibility for statutory education for young
people in the city. Education Leeds, a non-profit company owned
by Leeds City Council, has provided educational services in the
borough since 2001. In January 2009, it was announced that of
the 38 secondary schools in the borough, 8 were to have a police
officer stationed there full-time, and the remaining 30 schools
were to have 16 officers between them. The initiative, which allows
the officers to arrest and search pupils, was prompted by over
250 offences committed in schools in the borough in 2008. Police
Constable Bob Bowman of West Yorkshire Police stated that "we
don't have a particular problem in Leeds compared to other cities,
but we're not resting on our laurels".
BSF, Academies, Federations, closures and mergers
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. To date the council
has federated Primrose High School and the City of Leeds School,
to form the Central Leeds Learning Federation, merging West Leeds
High School and Wortley High School to form Swallow Hill Community
College, Matthew Murray School and Merlyn Rees School, to form
South Leeds Academy, Intake High School became Leeds West Academy
as well as closing Braim Wood School and Agnes Stuart School to
form David Young Community Academy.
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.
Leeds successfully bid to be one of 14 local authorities
to be included in Wave 1 of Building Schools for the Future (BSF
). This secured £260m, to transform 13 secondary schools into
high achieving, e-confident, inclusive schools. In September 2008,
the first three state-of-the-art new learning environments built
through BSF at Allerton High School, Pudsey Grangefield School
and Rodillian School, were opened. Significant facilities have
also been handed over at two schools set to receive a wholesale
rebuild and refurbishment through the programme, Cockburn College
of Arts and Temple Moor High School Science College.
Two more completely new facilities at Allerton
Grange School and the new Swallow Hill Community College for Inner
West Leeds open in September 2009, and a further six schools are
set to receive a wholesale refurbishment under the first wave
of the programme. These schools are Crawshaw, Farnley Park, Priesthorpe,
Corpus Christi Catholic College, Mount St Mary's Catholic High
and Parklands Girls.
Independent sector
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.
Other independent schools in Leeds include Fulneck School and
Gateways School
Colleges
The city is home to several further education colleges, such as
Leeds City College,the largest further education college in Leeds,
Leeds College of Building, Joseph Priestley College and Notre
Dame Catholic Sixth Form College.
College Merger
On 1 April 2009 Park Lane College Leeds (also based at Keighley),
Leeds Thomas Danby and Leeds College of Technology merged to form
Leeds City College.This marks the first stage of the merger process;
the actual re-organisation in terms of merging departments, re-organising
the courses, and construction of new buildings and facilities
(and any closures of existing buildings) etc. is not expected
to be completed for several years to come.
Universities
University of Leeds
Leeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds has two universities, the University
of Leeds with a total of about 31,000 students, of which 21,500
are full-time or sandwich undergraduate degree students, and Leeds
Metropolitan University with a total of 52,000 students of which
12,000 are full time or sandwich undergraduate degree students
and 2,100 full time or sandwich HND students.
It also has several higher education colleges:
Leeds College of Art (formerly Jacob Kramer College and until
2009 Leeds College of Art and Design), Leeds Trinity & All
Saints, Leeds College of Music (the largest music college in the
UK), Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Leeds City College,
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. Leeds Trinity & All Saints is applying
to become an independent University, under the name 'Leeds Trinity'.
Sport in Leeds
Elland Road Stadium.
The Grandstand at the John Charles Centre for Sport
Headingley Stadium, (cricket) - West StandThe city has a long
sporting heritage, with teams representing all the major national
sports. Leeds United A.F.C. are the city's main football club.
Leeds Rhinos (Rugby League), Leeds Carnegie (Rugby Union) and
Yorkshire County Cricket Club are also based in the city, amongst
numerous other teams playing at both a national and regional level.
Leeds United were formed in 1919 and play at the
40,000 capacity Elland Road in Beeston. Under the management of
Don Revie in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the club won the
league championship three times, the FA Cup once, the League Cup
once and the Fairs Cup twice. In 1992, Howard Wilkinson guided
the team to the last-ever First Division championship before the
creation of the Premier League, where they remained for 12 years
before a financial crisis contributed towards their relegation
in 2004. A further relegation led to the team playing in the third
tier of the English league for the first time in their history.
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.
Leeds Rhinos are presently the most successful
rugby league team in Leeds. They play their home games at the
Headingley Carnegie Stadium and compete in the Super League. Hunslet
Hawks, based at the John Charles Centre for Sport play in Co-Operative
Championship One and have won the League Championship and the
Challenge Cup twice each, though these honours were achieved before
the Second World War. Bramley Buffaloes and Leeds Akkies are members
of the Rugby League Conference.
Leeds Carnegie, formerly known as Leeds Tykes,
are the foremost rugby union team in Leeds and also play at Headingley
Carnegie Stadium. They play in the Guinness Premiership, the top
level of domestic rugby union in England. The club won their first
trophy in 2005, defeating favourites Bath in the Powergen Cup
final. Otley R.U.F.C. are a rugby union club based to the north
of the city and also compete in National Division One, whilst
Morley R.F.C., located in Morley currently play in National Division
Three North.
Hugh O'Neills gaelic football team was founded
in Leeds in 1948 and was All-Britain champion in 1982 and 1999,
and Yorkshire League champions in 2008.
Leeds City AC compete in the British Athletics
League and UK Women's League as well as the Northern Athletics
League. Many athletic clubs serve the youth of the city and enter
teams in the country's major running events. Leeds hosts many
athletics events itself, most notably the Help the Aged Abbey
Dash 10K, the Jane Tomlinson 10K and the Leeds Half Marathon.
In 1929 the first Ryder Cup of Golf to be held
on British soil was competed for at the Moortown Golf club in
Leeds
The "LeedsLeedsLeeds" Ultimate (frisbee)
team competes nationally and internationally. 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.
The city has a wealth of sports facilities including
the Elland Road football stadium, a host stadium during the 1996
European Football Championship; the Headingley Carnegie Stadiums,
adjacent stadia world famous for both cricket and rugby league
and the John Charles Centre for Sport with an Olympic sized pool
in its Aquatics Centre with seating for 800 spectators and a multi-use
stadium.
Other facilities include the Leeds Wall (climbing)
and Yeadon Tarn sailing centre.
Culture and recreation
Media
Yorkshire Television studios
BBC Yorkshire studiosYorkshire 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".
The Wetherby News covers mainly areas within the City of Leeds,
but also areas within Leeds itself, including Shadwell and Whinmoor.
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. Leeds Metropolitan University student union has also
established a free newspaper, titled The Met.
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. ITV Yorkshire, formerly Yorkshire
Television, broadcasts from The Leeds Studios on Kirkstall Road,
which were built in 1968 following a slum clearance, which included
the demolition of St Simon's church. In March 2009 ITV announced
that the main studio complex at Kirkstall Road is to be closed
down.
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 Yorkshire, 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.
Many communities within Leeds now have their own
local radio stations, such as East Leeds FM and Tempo FM (Wetherby
and the surrounding areas).
Museums and the arts
Thackray Museum
Leeds City MuseumA new Leeds City Museum opened on 13 September
2008 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, 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 in the UK.
The city also has an internationally recognised
film festival: the Leeds International Film Festival is the largest
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.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 in Leeds and List of bands originating
in Leeds
Part of Canal Gardens at Roundhay ParkArtists
Many musical acts have originated in Leeds, including Soft Cell,
Cud, Kaiser Chiefs, The Music, The Rhythm Sisters, the Pigeon
Detectives, Your Vegas, 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.
Carnivals
Leeds Carnival is Western Europe's oldest West Indian Carnival,
and the UK's second largest after Notting Hill Carnival.It attracts
around 100,000 people over 3 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.
The event is covered by BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Leeds Mela also attracts around 100,000 people
to Roundhay Park annually. It is one of the UK's largest Asian
festivals, and the largest in Yorkshire. It fell victim to the
credit crunch in 2008 and was unable to go ahead, but there are
no plans to cancel the 2009 event.
Festivals
Leeds Main Stage on 25 August 2007 between sets by Kings of Leon
and RazorlightThe annual Leeds Festival sees around 70,000 people
camping in fields along with thousands of non-camping festival
goers with day tickets. The event lasts for three days with most
people camping from Thursday and staying until Monday morning.
The event happens over the Bank Holiday weekend in August and
attracts famous bands from all over the world.
Leeds hosts the Leeds International Pianoforte
Competition, established in 1963 by Fanny Waterman and Marion
Stein with the 15th competition in September 2006.
Garforth (in Leeds' east suburbs) is host to the
fortnight long festival The Garforth Arts Festival which has been
an annual event since 2005. The festival attracts memorable musicians
and bands, comedians, authors, politicians and international renowned
acts. The latest festival saw the Buzzcocks and African Children's
Choir on the main stage, at the finale event and comedian Ricky
Tomlinson saw his touring show perform at Garforth Community College
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 SquareThe O2 Academy Leeds, on the site of the former
Creation night-club (and the Town & Country Club before that),
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 and The Specials in 2009), 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 City Council gave approval
for the new Leeds Arena. Larger touring acts currently 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 2010,[124]
and the arena has a planned capacity of 12,500 people. It will
be situated on a five-acre site at Claypit Lane near the Merrion
Centre.
Clarence Dock has many new restaurants and bars and is becoming
an alternative to more established parts of the city centreLeeds
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.
Leeds includes the original home of the club nights
Back 2 Basics and Speedqueen. Also, until a few years ago, nearby
Morley, was home to 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),
Discothèque by Gatecrasher, and Club Mission, but also a selection
of independent clubs such as Hi-Fi, Space, Mint and The West Indian
Centre, which hosts the 'Sub Dub' nights. The full range of music
tastes is catered for throughout the city.
Leeds' well established gay quarterLeeds 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 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 chains such as Jongleurs, Tiger Tiger,
Revolution and Ha!Ha!), various upmarket restaurants and a 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 (the UK's largest outdoor ice rink), Christmas
markets, Gigs and Concerts, citywide parties and the 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, Sandinista,
Mojo, The Reliance (Reli), Reform, etc., Baby Jupiter on York
Place and Milo on Call Lane.
Walking
Leeds Country Way waymarkThe 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.
Religion
St Anne's Cathedral (Roman Catholic), Cookridge Street, Leeds
Sikh Temple, Chapeltown RoadThe majority of people in Leeds identify
themselves as Christian. 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; the
Bishop's residence has been in Leeds since 2008. The most important
Anglican church is the Leeds Parish Church. 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.
The proportion of Muslims in Leeds is average
for the country. Mosques can be found throughout the city, serving
Muslim communities in Chapeltown, 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, the largest being in Chapeltown. 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.
There are eight active synagogues in Leeds. The small Hindu community
in Leeds has a temple (mandir) at Hyde Park. The temple has all
the major Hindu deities and is dedicated to the Lord Mahavira
of the Jains. Various Buddhist traditions are represented in Leeds,
including: FWBO, Soka Gakkai, Theravada, Tibetan and Zen. The
Buddhist community (sangha) comes together to celebrate the major
festival of Wesak in May. There is also a community of the Bahai
Faith in Leeds.
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 and Leeds Partnerships
NHS Foundation Trust[138] 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.
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 at Sheepscar,
Leeds.
Notable people
List of people from Leeds
John Smeaton Notable people born in and around the Leeds area
include:
academics: poet laureate Alfred Austin, cultural
historian Richard Hoggart, 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), Angela Griffin,
Frances Burnett, Jack Shephard(David Platt in Coronation street),
Geoffrey Bayldon and John Simm.
entertainers: One half of The Mighty Boosh Julian Barratt, 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 Keith
Lemon), Jeremy Dyson and XFM DJ and presenter Alex Zane.
writers: playwright Alan Bennett, novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford,
children's author Arthur Ransome, poet Tony Harrison, poet, novelist
and translator, Barry Tebb, scriptwriter, actress and director
Kay Mellor, novelist, newspaper columnist and scriptwriter Keith
Waterhouse.
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
player Ellery Hanley, dual code rugby player Jason Robinson, Rugby
Union World Cup winner Mike Tindall.
www.leeds.ac.uk
Leeds is one of the most popular universities in the UK, with an international reputation for its teaching and research.
www.leeds.gov.uk
Leeds is a lively city, rich in culture and heritage with lots to explore. More than 750,000 people live within our city boundaries and over 100,000 people come to work in the city centre every day
www.leeds.gov.uk/cityMuseum
The museum offers an exciting and fun day out for visitors of all ages. Showcasing exhibitions, displays, interactive games, video displays, shop and cafe, the museum is a great cultural addition to the heart of Leeds.www.leedsteachinghospitals.com
"We will ensure the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is a locally, nationally and internationally renowned centre of excellence for patient care, education and research. We will deliver this vision by ensuring we attract the best possible staff and invest in their development."
www.leedsfans.org.uk/leeds/links/index.html
Leeds United football club.
www.leedsgrammar.com
*The Grammar School at Leeds is the result of a merger between Leeds Girls' High School (founded 1876) and Leeds Grammar School (founded 1552).
www.leeds-uk.com
UK & Leeds Information. Uk and foreign Hotels, Flights, Travel and Holidays
www.campus.leeds.ac.uk/guidelines/how-to-publish.htm
the website for student and staff working at Leeds University.