Leeds

Leeds

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This article is about the city of Leeds in England. For the administrative district, see City of Leeds. For other uses, see Leeds (disambiguation).

Leeds

—  City and Metropolitan Borough  —

City of Leeds

The Headrow, Leeds city centre at night

Coat of arms

Nickname(s): "Capital of the North",[1][2][3] "Knightsbridge of the North"[4]

Motto: "Pro rege et lege" "For king and the law"

Leeds shown within England

Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W

Sovereign state         United Kingdom

Constituent country England

Region            Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county   West Yorkshire

Admin HQ      Leeds city centre

Borough Charter       1207

Town Charter            1626

City status      1893

City of Leeds Met. District created            1974

Government

 - Type            Metropolitan borough, City

 - Governing body     Leeds City Council

 - Lord Mayor Cllr James McKenna (L)

 - Leader of the Council        Cllr Keith Wakefield (L)

 - Chief Executive      Paul Rogerson

 - MPs:            Stuart Andrew (C)

Ed Balls (L)

Hilary Benn (L)

Fabian Hamilton (L)

George Mudie (L)

Greg Mulholland (LD)

Rachel Reeves (L)

Alec Shelbrooke (C)

Area

 - Total            213 sq mi (551.72 km2)

Highest elevation[5]            1,115 ft (340 m)

Lowest elevation[6] 33 ft (10 m)

Population (2008 est.)

 - Total            770,800 (Ranked 2nd)

 - Density       3,574/sq mi (1,380/km2)

 - Ethnicity

(2001 census)[7]      89.1% White

5.4% Asian or Asian British

2.0% Black or Black British

1.7% Mixed Race

1.8% Chinese and other

Demonym      Loiner/Leodensian

Time zone      Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)

 - Summer (DST)        British Summer Time (UTC+1)

Postcode        LS,part of WF and also part of BD.

Area code(s)  0113 (urban core)

01924 (Wakefield nos)

01937 (Wetherby/ Boston Spa)

01943 (Guiseley/ Otley)

01977 (Pontefract nos)

ISO 3166-2    GB-LDS

ONS code       00DA

NUTS 3           UKE42

OS grid reference     SE296338

Euro. Parlt. Const.    Yorkshire & the Humber

Website         www.leeds.gov.uk

Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W Leeds (pronounced /ˈliːdz/ ( listen)) is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England.[8] In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247,[9] while the entire city had a population of 787,700 (2009 est.)[10] making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union. Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the West Yorkshire Urban Area,[11][12][13] which at the 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million,[14] and the Leeds city region, an economic area with Leeds at its core, had a population of 2.9 million.[15] Leeds is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside London,[16][17][18][19][20] and its office market is the best in Europe for value.[21]

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds can trace its recorded history to fifth century when the Kingdom of Elmet was covered by the forest of "Loidis", the origin of the name Leeds. The name has been applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small manorial borough, in the 13th century, through several incarnations, to being the name attached to the present metropolitan borough. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a major centre for the production and trading of wool. Then, during the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major industrial centre; wool was still the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing and other industries were important.[22] From being a compact market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century.

Public transport, rail and road communications networks in the region are focused on Leeds and there are a number of twinning arrangements with towns and cities in other countries. Its assigned role in the Leeds City Region partnership recognises the city's importance to regional economic development.

Contents [hide]

1 History

1.1 Toponymy

1.2 Economic development

1.3 Local government

1.4 Suburban growth

2 Geography

3 Climate

4 Demography

4.1 Urban subdivision

4.2 Metropolitan district

5 Government

6 Economy

7 Landmarks

8 Transport

8.1 Walking

9 Education

9.1 Schools

9.2 Further and higher education

10 Culture

10.1 Media

10.2 Museums

10.3 Music, theatre and dance

10.4 Carnivals and festivals

10.5 Nightlife

11 Sports

11.1 Notable Leeds Teams

12 Religion

13 Public services

14 Twin towns

15 See also

16 References and notes

17 External links

[edit]History

Main article: History of Leeds

[edit]Toponymy

The name Leeds derives from "Loidis", the name given to a forest covering most of the kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century.[23] Bede states in the fourteenth chapter of his Historia ecclesiastica, in a discussion of an altar surviving from a church erected by Edwin of Northumbria, that it is located in "...regione quae vocatur Loidis", the region known as Loidis. An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin.[24]

[edit]Economic development

The Leeds Corn Exchange opened in 1864.

Leeds developed as a market town in the Middle Ages as part of the local agricultural economy. Prior to the Industrial Revolution it had become a co-ordination centre for the making of woollen cloth; with white broadcloth being traded at the Leeds White Cloth Hall.[25] Leeds was handling one sixth of England's export trade in 1770.[26] Growth, initially in textiles, was accelerated by the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699 and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816.[27] The railway network constructed around Leeds, starting with the Leeds and Selby Railway in 1834, provided improved communications with national markets and, significantly for its development, an east-west connection with Manchester and the ports of Liverpool and Hull giving improved access to international markets.[28] Alongside technological advances and industrial expansion, Leeds retained an interest in trading in agricultural commodities, with the Corn Exchange opening in 1864.

Marshall's Mill was one of the first of the many factories that were to be constructed in Leeds from around 1790.[29] In the early years the most significant of the factories were woollen finishing and flax mills; diversifying by 1914 to printing, engineering, chemicals and clothing manufacture.[30] Decline in manufacturing during the 1930s was temporarily reversed by a switch to producing military uniforms and munitions during World War II. However, by the 1970s the clothing industry was in irreversible decline, facing cheap foreign competition.[31] The contemporary economy of Leeds has been shaped by Leeds City Council having the vision of building a '24 hour European city' and a 'capital of the north'.[32] It 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.[32] There has been growth in the corporate and legal sectors[33] and increased local affluence has led to an expanding retail sector, including the luxury goods market.[34]

[edit]Local government

Main article: History of local government in Yorkshire

Leeds (parish) population

1881   160,109

1891   177,523

1901   177,920

1911   259,394

1921   269,665

1931   482,809

1941   war #

1951   505,219

1961   510,676

# no census was held due to war

source: UK census[35]

Leeds was a manor and township in the large ancient parish of Leeds St Peter, in the Skyrack wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire.[36] The Borough of Leeds was created in 1207, when Maurice Paynel, lord of the manor, granted a charter to a small area within the manor, close to the river crossing, in what is now the city centre. Four centuries later, the inhabitants of Leeds petitioned Charles I for a charter of incorporation, which was granted in 1626. The new charter incorporated the entire parish, including all eleven townships, as the Borough of Leeds and withdrew the earlier charter. Improvement commissioners were set up in 1755 for paving, lighting, and cleansing of the main streets, including Briggate; with further powers added in 1790 to improve the water supply.[37]

The borough corporation was reformed under the provisions of Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Leeds Borough Police force was formed in 1836 and Leeds Town Hall was completed by the corporation in 1858. In 1866 Leeds, and each of the other townships in the borough, became a civil parish. The borough became a county borough in 1889, giving it independence from the newly formed West Riding County Council and it gained city status in 1893. In 1904 the Leeds parish absorbed Beeston, Chapel Allerton, Farnley, Headingley cum Burley and Potternewton 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.[38] In 1912 the parish and county borough of Leeds absorbed Leeds Rural District, consisting of the parishes of Roundhay and Seacroft; and Shadwell, which had been part of Wetherby Rural District. On 1 April 1925 the parish of Leeds was expanded to cover the whole borough.[36]

The county borough was abolished on 1 April 1974 and its former area was combined with that of the municipal boroughs of Morley and Pudsey; the urban districts of Aireborough, Horsforth, Otley, Garforth and Rothwell; and parts of the rural districts of Tadcaster, Wetherby and Wharfedale.[39] This area was used to form a new metropolitan district in the county of West Yorkshire; it gained both borough and city status and is known as the City of Leeds. Initially, local government services were provided by Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire County Council. However, the county council was abolished in 1986 and the city council absorbed its functions, with some powers passing to organisations such as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority. From 1988 two run-down and derelict areas close to the city centre were designated for regeneration and formed the area of responsibility of Leeds Development Corporation, outside the planning remit of the city council.[40] Planning powers were restored to the local authority in 1995 when the development corporation was wound up.

[edit]Suburban growth

1866 map of Leeds

Quarry Hill flats

In 1801, 42% of the population of Leeds lived outside the township, in the wider borough. Cholera outbreaks in 1832 and 1849 caused the borough authorities to address the problems of drainage, sanitation and water supply. Water was originally pumped from the River Wharfe, but by 1860 it was too heavily polluted to be usable. Following the Leeds Waterworks Act of 1867 three reservoirs were built at Lindley Wood, Swinsty and Fewston, to the north of Leeds.[41] 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.[42] Land to the south of the river was henceforth developed, primarily for industry and secondarily for back-to-back workers' dwellings. The Leeds Improvement Act 1866 sought to improve the quality of working class housing by restricting the number of homes that could be built in a single terrace.[43] Holbeck and Leeds formed a continuous built-up area by 1858, with Hunslet nearly meeting them.[44] In the latter half of the nineteenth century, population growth in Hunslet, Armley and Wortley outstripped that of Leeds itself. When pollution became a problem, the wealthier residents left the small industrial conurbation to live in the northerly villages of Headingley, Potternewton and Chapel Allerton; this led to a 50% increase in the population of Headingley and Burley from 1851 to 1861. The middle class flight from the industrial areas also led to development beyond the borough at Roundhay and Adel.[44] The introduction of the electric tramway led to intensification of development in Headingley and Potternewton and expansion outside the borough into Roundhay.[45]

Two private gas supply companies were taken over by the corporation in 1870 and this new municipal supply was used to provide 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 also purchased by Leeds Corporation and became a municipal supply.[46]

Slum clearance and rebuilding began in Leeds in the Inter-war period when over 18,000 houses were built by the council on 24 estates in places like Cross Gates, Middleton, Gipton, Belle Isle and Halton Moor. The slums of Quarry 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 the suburbs of Gledhow, Moortown, Alwoodley, Roundhay, Colton, Whitkirk, Oakwood, Weetwood and Adel. After 1949 a further 30,000 sub-standard houses were demolished by the council to be replaced by a total of 151 medium-rise and high-rise blocks of council flats in estates like Seacroft, Armley Heights, Tinshill and Brackenwood.[47]

Recently, Leeds has seen great local expenditure on regenerating the city, attracting in investments and flagship projects,[48] as found in Leeds city centre. Many buildings have already been built, boasting luxurious penthouse apartments,[49] just a stones throw from the city centre.

[edit]Geography

Map of Leeds in West Yorkshire

River Aire in Leeds

At 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W (53.799°, −1.549°), and 190 miles (310 km) north-northwest of central London, the central area of Leeds is located on the River Aire in a narrow section of the Aire Valley, which is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. 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 of Ilkley 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.[50] Leeds has the second highest population of any local authority district in the UK (after Birmingham), and the second greatest area of any English metropolitan district (after Doncaster), extending 15 miles (24 km) from east to west, and 13 miles (21 km) from north to south. The northern boundary follows the River Wharfe for several miles but crosses the river to include the section of Otley which lies north of the river. Over 65% of the Leeds district is green belt land and the city centre is less than twenty miles (32 km) from the Yorkshire Dales National Park,[51] which offers some of the most spectacular scenery and countryside in the UK.[52] Inner and southern areas of Leeds lie on a layer of coal measure sandstones. To the north parts are built on older sand and gritstones and to the east it extends into the magnesian limestone belt.[29][53] The land use in the central areas of Leeds is overwhelmingly urban.[50]

Attempts to define the exact geographic meaning of Leeds lead to a variety of concepts of its extent, varying by context; they include the area of the city centre, the urban sprawl, the administrative boundaries, and the functional region.[54]

“          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.       ”

—A History of Modern Leeds, Brian Thompson[54]

Leeds city centre is contained within the Leeds Inner Ring Road, formed from parts of the A58 road, A61 road, A64 road, A643 road and the M621 motorway. Briggate, the principal north-south shopping street, is pedestrianised and Queen Victoria Street, a part of the Victoria Quarter, is enclosed under a glass roof. Millennium Square is a significant urban focal point. The Leeds postcode area covers most of the City of Leeds[55] and is almost entirely made up of the Leeds post town.[56] Otley, Wetherby, Tadcaster, Pudsey and Ilkley are separate post towns within the postcode area.[56] Aside from the built up area of Leeds itself, there are a number of suburbs and exurbs within the district.

[edit]Climate

Sunny day at Park Square

Leeds' Oceanic climate is typical of the British Isles, with little variation of temperature through-out the year. The city's climate is greatly influenced by the Atlantic ocean and to some extent the Pennines. Summers in Leeds are usually mild, sometimes hot, while winters are chilly, and sometimes bitterly cold with occasional snow. Residents of Leeds can expect a few days of lying snow every year. Severe frost is common. Due to its northerly latitude, daylight hours vary across the year in Leeds. On the shortest day, the sun rises at 8:22 am and sets at 3:46 pm, leading to only 7 hours of daylight. Cloudy, wet days can make daylight feel even shorter. On the longest day, the sun rises at 4:35 am and sets at 9:41 pm, with a total of 17 hours of daylight, with astronomical twilight lasting all night. When High Pressure dominates the weather, days can feel exceptionally long and hot.

The warmest month is shared between July and August, both having an average high of 19.9 °C (67.8 °F), while the coldest month is February, with the average low being 0.2 °C (32.3 °F). Temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) in summer and below -5 °C in winter are not common but not unheard of, temperatures in August 2003 and July 2006 exceeded 30 °C (86 °F) for a few days, and on 3 December 2010 the temperature fell to -15 °C (5 °F) and didn't rise above -5 °C (23 °F).

Leeds averages 660 mm (25.9 inches) of rain per year, one of the driest in the United Kingdom, due to the Pennines mountain range, protecting it from winds off the Atlantic, nevertheless, Leeds still averages 147 days of rain per-year, mostly in the form of light drizzle, but heavy downpours can occur during late spring/early summer. Although rare, extreme weather can occur. During the 2007 floods in the United Kingdom, the city centre experienced flooding due the to the banks of the River Aire bursting. On 14 September 2006, a tornado struck the Harehills area of the city, causing trees to uproot, the same storm caused signal failures at Leeds station.