Where to begin with Leeds? Located near the site of a Roman ford across the River Aire (the name Leeds derives from a Brythonic word, "Ladenses", which means "people of the fast-flowing river"), it was once an Anglo-Saxon settlement, and gradually expanded into a market town by the Middle Ages. But like so many towns and cities in Yorkshire – and indeed England – the Industrial Revolution proved the making of it, as it expanded considerably as a manufacturing centre. It was granted city status in 1893 and depending on whether measures a city by population or area, it has been various described as the second largest city in Yorkshire after Sheffield or the second largest city in England after Birmingham. A long-standing rivalry with Sheffield is largely driven by football, but really the two cities are very different. Whilst Sheffield has a sprawling city centre defined by the geography of its five rivers and seven hills, Leeds city centre is a compact nucleus with an overwhelming urban nature that combines a largely intact Victorian core (less damaged than Sheffield’s by bombing during World War Two) with a striking fringe of modern high-rise buildings that would be perfectly at home in London. Perhaps most notable amongst these is the twenty-first century Bridgewater Place, nicknamed “the Dalek”, the second tallest building in Yorkshire and substantial enough to have created its own wind microclimate.
Leeds Railway Station (also known as Leeds City Railway Station) opened in 1938 on the site of two older stations; it has been rebuilt several times, firstly after the Leeds Blitz, and again in 1967 and 2002. Reportedly the third busiest station in England outside of the London, it has seventeen platforms and is by far the largest station in Yorkshire. We leave it via the main station entrance on New Station Street and turn left to Bishopgate Street. Cross this and bear right, crossing Boar Lane, then bearing left to visit Mill Hill Chapel, a handsome Grade II*-listed Unitarian Church dating from 1847. Turn right and cross Park Row and City Square, then turn left again and walk across City Square itself, passing the Black Prince statue on the left and the former General Post Office building on the right. The statue is also Grade II*-listed and the Post Office building is Grade II-listed, the former dating from 1903 and the latter from 1896. Opposite these, the Grade II-listed Art Deco Queens Hotel can be seen; this opened in 1937 and is faced with Portland Stone. Leeds, you will note, has quite a lot of listed buildings, which I shall delight in pointing out.
Cross Quebec Street and then Wellington Street and then bear left along Aire Street. When this ends at a junction, turn left into Princes Square and follow this as it curves right, then turn right again to cross the River Aire (which runs into a massive culvert under the station at this point) and turn left to descend steps to the river bank. Follow the path along the riverside until it ends at Whitehall Road. Cross the road and turn right, then after a short distance turn left along a wide path between buildings, heading towards the Central Station Lifting Tower. This Grade II-listed nineteenth century truck lifting tower was originally one of a pair at the Great Western Railway complex that once occupied this site, and now stands with pleasing incongruence between modern residential blocks. Walk to the left of the tower and when the path joins Wellington Place continue along this to Wellington Road. Cross over and turn right, then take the second left along Queen Street, then take the fourth right turn along St Paul’s Street, passing St Paul’s House on the left. St Paul’s House is an ornate former warehouse and cloth cutting works built in 1878 and is now also Grade II*-listed. Turn left along St Paul’s Place and walk straight ahead into Park Square, a pleasant Georgian public square and park and one of relatively few green spaces in the city centre.
Exit Park Square on Park Square North, turn left, then turn right along Park Square West to reach Westgate. Cross straight over and follow Park Street to Great George Street; to the left is St George’s Church, another Grade II-listed church, this time dating from 1836-1838. Turn right and walk past the front of Leeds General Infirmary. The impressive Victorian Gothic frontage is the first Grade I-listed building we shall encounter on the walk and dates from 1864. Stay on Great George Street as it bears right at a junction, then turn right along Oxford Place, bearing left along Victoria Square, which runs around the front of Leeds Town Hall.
Leeds Town Hall
Also Grade I-listed, this was opened in 1858 by Queen Victoria and is now used for weddings and conferences and as an entertainment venue. Turn left in front of the Town Hall and continue straight ahead, parallel with The Headrow. Cross Calverley Street and pass Leeds Central Library (Grade II*-listed and dating from 1878-1884) and then Leeds Art Gallery on the left. Continue past a war memorial, then turn left along Cookridge Street, soon reaching Leeds Cathedral (a.k.a. the Cathedral Church of St Anne), a Grade II*-listed Roman Catholic Cathedral completed in 1904.
At a crossroads, turn left (once more on Great George Street), passing the Electric Press building on the right. Turn right and walk across Millennium Square to Leeds Civic Hall, another Grade II*-listed building that replaced Leeds Town Hall as the city’s administrative centre in 1933. Turn right again and walk past Leeds City Museum, which is housed in the Grade II*-listed former Mechanics’ Institute. A visit to the museum is well worth breaking up the walk for, and it has the added benefits of a café and toilets; admission to the museum is free. Turn right, then left along Rossington Street until it ends at Woodhouse Lane. Cross over and turn right, then left along Merrion Street. Cross the junction with Wade Lane, then turn right and enter Merrion Street Gardens, another pleasant but modest green space that breaks up our largely urban walk. Walk across these to St John’s Church, a Grade I-listed redundant Anglican church that dates from 1631 and is the oldest church in Leeds city centre; it is now owned by the Churches Conservation Trust and is open to the public. Walk to the right of the church and exit the churchyard via the stone gateway to reach New Briggate. The Grand Theatre can be seen on the left; this Grade II*-listed building opened in 1878 and is still used as a theatre today, having been restored in the nineteen seventies and refurbished in 2006.
Turn right and follow New Briggate to The Headrow, cross this, and then proceed along Briggate. Originally Leeds’ main road, this now-pedestrianised street has some of the city centre’s oldest buildings and includes several Victorian arcades. Since these are a popular feature of Leeds city centre, it seems appropriate to explore one, and so here we turn left and enter County Arcade, which was completed in 1903 and has impressive marble floors and carved stonework, walking its entire length to reach Vicar Lane. Turn right, then right again and enter Queen Victoria Street (which was arcaded in 1990 by the addition of the largest expanse of stained glass in Europe), following this back to Briggate. Turn left, then take the next left and follow it back to Vicar Lane. Turn right, walking past Leeds City Market on the left. The ornate frontage visible is the Grade I-listed Market Hall built in 1904. Turn right along Kirkgate, continuing straight on at the crossroads with Briggate, and then turn right at the next crossroads along Lands Lane. Take the next left turn along Albion Place, and at the end turn left again along Albion Street. On the right is the Leeds Club, a Grade II*-listed building originally built as residences and converted into the club in 1849; it was renovated in 2007. Follow this to Boar Lane, then turn left, shortly passing Holy Trinity Church on the left hand side of the road. This Grade I-listed church dates from 1722, with the distinctive steeple added in 1839. Behind Holy Trinity Church, the vast glass dome of Trinity Leeds shopping centre dominates the skyline.
Continue straight ahead along the road, which now becomes Duncan Street. Cross Call Lane and Cloth Hall Street (which intersect at this point) to the Corn Exchange. This Grade I-listed building dates from 1863 and was designed by Cuthbert Brodrick, who was also responsible for Leeds Town Hall. Walk clockwise around the Corn Exchange, eventually following Crown Street under a railway bridge to reach The Calls. Turn left and follow the road, passing several former warehouses on the right. When the road becomes High Court, continue to follow it to Kirkgate, then turn right, passing Leeds Minster. Leeds is not a cathedral city: the Minster is its main Anglican church. Officially the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds, it is another Grade I-listed building and dates from the mid-nineteenth century, although a church has been recorded on the site since the seventh century. Walk past the Minster, looking out for the East Bar stone and accompanying blue plaque on the wall next to it; this was one of six bars that originally marked the medieval boundaries of Leeds.
Turn right along Maude Street and follow it to The Calls. Turn left and walk to Crown Point Road, cross this, and then turn right. Just before Crown Point Bridge carries the road over the River Aire, turn left down steps to the riverside path. Follow this past the large weir known as Leeds Dam, then turn right over the footbridge over the river; the bridge crosses Aire Island halfway across, and to the left a good view of the adjacent Leeds Lock can be seen. We have seen sections of the Aire and Calder Navigation before, and now we have reached its end. But navigation beyond the terminus is possible, as we shall shortly see. On the other side of the bridge, look left to see Leeds Dock, which was originally called Clarence Dock and was constructed in 1843 for the transhipment of goods from Leeds onto the waterways; otherwise turn right and follow the riverside path under Crown Point Bridge. Stay on the path, passing beneath Centenary Bridge (a footbridge across the river) and using a wooden bridge to cross the basin on Brewery Wharf. When the riverside path ends, turn left and then right along Navigation Walk and follow it to Dock Street, then turn right and follow this to Bridge End. Cross the road and bear left along Water Lane to regain the riverside path and follow this until it ends at Victoria Road.
Cross Victoria Road, continue straight ahead along Water Lane, then turn right down Canal Wharf. Take a detour to the right, past the former Leeds and Liverpool Company Warehouse, to view River Lock Number 1, which marks the start of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
River Lock Number 1
This canal was authorised by an Act of 1770, was completed in 1816, and extended in 1822; it runs for 127 miles from Leeds to Liverpool and remains open to navigation. It is the longest canal built as a single waterway in the British Isles and has abundance of locks and interesting bridges, as well as boasting three of the so-called “Seven Wonders of the Waterways”, one of which we shall visit on a future walk. Indeed, we will encounter the canal several more times as we head further through the West Riding. After visiting the lock, proceed along Canal Wharf, turning right just past Water Lane Boathouse to gain the towpath. Follow this to Office Lock Bridge, then cross this to the other side of the canal. Office Lock Number 2 can be seen just on the other side of the bridge.
On the other side of the canal, turn right and follow a path to the left around Candle House (a tall, cylindrical tower block), then turn left past Granary Wharf. On the left are the enigmatic and intriguing “Dark Arches”, a huge labyrinth of railway viaducts that run below Leeds Railway Station and through which the River Aire is culverted. Continue to an old wharf, then continue straight ahead to follow a footpath over the river to Little Neville Street. Continue straight ahead to reach Neville Street, then turn left, following the road under the railway and on the other side, turn left along Bishopgate Street to return to Leeds Railway Station.
With our tour of Leeds city centre complete, we now head out into its suburbs. These lie along four railway lines (one of which splits into two), and we shall begin by heading east, along the Selby line towards York, for a trio of walks beginning with Cross Gates…
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