Leeds
| Leeds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Shire county | Yorkshire (West Riding) |
| Council | Leeds City Council |
| Population | 2021 Census: 536,280 (settlement) 811,952 (council area) |
Leeds is the largest settlement in Yorkshire. It is located on the River Aire at the eastern edge of the Pennines. A partnership with municipal Bradford, UK led to the Leeds Bradford International Airport. The settlement itself had a population of 536,280 at the 2021 Census, whilst the wider unitary authority area of Leeds City Council had a population of 811,952.
Recorded as Loidis by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century AD as the house of the kings of the Brittonic kingdom Elmet, Leeds was a manorial borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire by the 13th century and a market town by the 15th century. It saw significant expansion with the wool industry in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and opening of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Coal, which may have been extracted in the area as early as the Roman period, was also a big industry in the south-east of Leeds until the 20th century. Other major industries have included iron foundries, printing and engineering. The Victorian era saw Leeds become a centre for shopping, with numerous arcades dating from the period. In the 21st century, Leeds has become known for its diverse range of employment centres, being the largest centre for finance in England after London and third largest in the UK after Edinburgh, with Leeds's finance and insurance sector being worth over £2.1 billion in 2011.
Contents
Geography
Leeds is mostly split between the Skyrack and Agbrigg and Morley wapentakes of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The People
Demonyms for people from Leeds are Loiners and Leodensians, the latter may also refer to a current or former pupil of Leeds Grammar School.
Despite the old image of a grim northern industrial town, Leeds now has a thriving multicultural community with thousands of students and workers choosing to live here. Despite the influx of Muslim people from neighboring Bradford, UK,[1] Leeds citizens have lost none of their reputation for friendliness and hospitality except if you might espouse Christianity. Among countries of birth for Leodensians, out of the 811,952 people in the City of Leeds administrative area in 2021, the most common were England (82.1%), Pakistan (1.33%), India (1.26%), Poland (1.21%), Scotland (1.1%), Romania (0.67%), China (0.51%), the Republic of Ireland (0.47%), Wales (0.47%), Nigeria (0.42%), Italy (0.41%), Northern Ireland (0.4%), Zimbabwe (0.4%), Ghana (0.4%), Iraq (0.36%), Iran (0.36%), Germany (0.33%), Lithuania (0.3%), Spain (0.28%), Bangladesh (0.24%), Hong Kong (0.21%) and the United States of America (0.21%).[2]
History
All Hallows Church in Bardsey, which comes within the city's present administrative boundaries and is approximately 8 miles north-east of the city centre, was constructed in c. 850 AD and is one of the oldest buildings in the area. It remains an active parish church within the Anglican Diocese of Leeds. By c. 880 AD, Leeds was like all of Yorkshire and much of the Midlands and East Anglia a part of the Danelaw, a part of Anglo-Saxon England in which the laws of the Danes applied. The Shire Oak in Headingley (now a suburb of Leeds) was a tree at which local Scandinavian settlers may have held meetings.
Following the end of Anglo-Saxon England after the Norman conquest of 1066, Leeds was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) (as Ledes) as having a population of 27 villagers, 4 freemen, 4 smallholders and 1 priest in 36 households.[3] Its recorded tenant-in-chief was Ilbert of Lacy (1045-1093), who had received Leeds as part of a large fief of lands mainly in Yorkshire but also in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The De Lacy family (who took their name from Lassy in Normandy) would play a significant role in the politics of Norman-era Northern and Midland England.
Leeds Town Hall was constructed in the 1850s, opening in 1858, and designed by Hull-based architect Cuthbert Brodick (1821-1905). With a height of 225 ft, it would spend 108 years as the tallest building in Leeds, being overtaken in 1966 by the 252 ft Royal Exchange House, a tower block (now the Park Plaza Hotel).
The current Leeds Corn Exchange building was opened in 1864, replacing a smaller corn exchange built on Briggate in 1829. The building is Grade I-listed (designated as such in 1951) and was designed in Italianate style, also by Brodrick.
Leeds is one of a string of classic 'foothill towns' on the eastern fringe of the Pennines, established at significant river crossings at the interface between upland and lowland agricultural and economic systems. Founded as a medieval new town, Leeds during the 17th century was predominantly a merchant town, manufacturing textiles which were exported by means of the Humber estuary. As trading increased throughout the 17th and 18th century, nearly half of England's exports passed through Leeds. The Leeds Corn Exchange, an important meeting place for tradesmen survives to this day and is a historic local landmark despite now being a shopping center.
In 2021, the Altus House was completed. The 381 ft residential skyscraper is the tallest building in Leeds.
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution sparked a massive population growth in Leeds. The catalysts for this industrial growth were, as in merchant times, the superb transport links. Waterborne transport was originally via the Aire & Calder rivers but, in 1816, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was completed allowing huge volumes of goods to be transported between these two cities and, via the famous docks at Liverpool, to the whole world. The "founder of civil engineering," John Smeaton came from Leeds and was responsible for building the Aire and Calder navigation canal.
During the Industrial Revolution, Leeds was a centre for machinery manufacture as well as having thriving industries based on textiles, chemicals, leather and pottery. Being in the midst of a famous coal producing heartland, the first commercial railway (The Middleton Railway) was built to transport coal into the centre of Leeds.
In 1893 Leeds was granted city status.
Modern Leeds
In the late 20th century, Leeds began to shake off the image of an industrial Northern city, particularly after the decline of the coal and manufacturing industries in the area had led to widespread unemployment. Leeds now has two universities, the Metropolitan and the University of Leeds. The University of Leeds is one of the most popular British universities that caters to a multi-cultural student body. The rise of the financial sector in Leeds was a massive boost to the economy and led to widespread regeneration. Leeds is now described as a "24 hour" city and has seen huge growth in city living and urban culture fuelled by the thriving business sector.
Notable
Leeds is the home of the world-famous Headingley cricket ground situated in Headingley (a popular student area).
The Royal Armouries museum was built at Brewery Wharf in Leeds.
The Tetley Brewery is still situated at Brewery Wharf and is a popular tourist attraction as well as being a successful brewery.
The famous London luxury goods store Harvey Nichols has its only other branch in Leeds.
Kirkstall Abbey is the best preserved example of a Cistercian monastery in the British Isles
Leeds is home to the Henry Moore Institute which houses many of his famous sculptures as well as works from many other artists.
During the 1980s, Leeds was famous for a thriving music scene. The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and Softcell are just some of the many bands hailing from the city.
Leeds is famous for being Barbara Taylor Bradford's birthplace.
Sport
Leeds is the home of the world-famous Headingley cricket ground, home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Leeds United F.C. is the local football (soccer) club. After many years of success in the top rank of English football, Leeds is now doing badly, languishing in the lower divisions and experiencing difficulty retaining good players.
References
- ↑ British Islamists Expand Campaign To Set Up Sharia Law Zones In UK Cities…
- ↑ Leeds - Country of Birth (detailed)
- ↑ Leeds Domesday Book
