Discover the history of Leeds as you walk around Leeds.
Leeds Bridge to Temple Mills historic walk
This walk begins at Leeds Bridge which crosses the river Aire. Walk down Briggate and you will pass Queen's Court which was a merchant's house. On the other side of the road is a Leeds landmark, Dyson's. This was a famous jewellers and is now a restaurant. Go up Boar Lane to Holy Trinity Church and the Griffin Hotel. There is a Civic Trust plaque where a medieval gate used to stop people going into the Park of Leeds.
Mill Hill chapel facing onto City Square is where Joseph Priestley was minister. He is famous for discovering oxygen. There is a statue of him in City Square along with John Harrison and James Watt. There are also statues of 'Morn' and 'Even' and in the centre a large statue of the Black Prince.
Go along Neville Street and under the Dark Arches. You can see Bondman Dam which took water towards a number of mills where, during the middle ages, the people of Leeds had their corn ground into flour. Next is the Leeds Liverpool canal and this was finished in 1816 and is 127 miles long. Before crossing over Victoria Bridge is a large building which used to be a granary warehouse. On the other side of Water Lane is a development of offices and flats where the Round Foundry was. Machinery and steam engines were developed here.
From Globe Road you can see two towers. The larger one, known as the Giotto Tower (1899), is based on a tower at the Florence Cathedral (1334) and was a ventilation shaft. The smaller tower on the left is a chimney (1864) which is a copy of a 12th century Lamberti tower in Verona. In the distance are rows of terraced houses in Holbeck. This walk finishes at Temple Mills where flax was spun from 1817-30.
Civic Pride historic walk
This walk begins at the Civic Hall. On the right hand side is the Brotherton wing of Leeds General Infirmary. This opened in 1940 for patients who could not afford private nursing homes but were not poor enough to go in the infirmary. The infirmary has been a hospital since 1771. As you walk along Great George Street towards Thoresby place you can see the medical school, St George's church and what used to be a clothing factory, Centaur Clothes.
Coming back down Great George Street and onto Oxford Row you can see the law courts and Oxford Place chapel. As you turn onto The Headrow there is the magnificent Town Hall which was opened by Queen Victoria. The next building as you go up the Headrow is the Municipal Buildings. The Art Gallery and the Henry Moore centre are next. On the same side of the road is Leeds Permanent House which is now a hotel. Turning down Cookridge Street is St Anne's Cathedral. As you go towards Millennium Square you can see the Mechanic's Insitute on your right which used to be the Civic Theatre. In 2008 this building will open again as the City Museum.
This walk finishes in Millennium Square at a red brick building which is now Creation Nightclub. This was the Coliseum Theatre before it became a cinema. Millennium Square was Leeds' flagship project to mark the year 2000, funded by Leeds City Council and the Millennium Commission.
You can download maps of each walk as a pdf from this page. These walks were planned by Steven Burt. For more information on the history of Leeds see 'The Illustrated History of Leeds' by Steven Burt and Kevin Grady (Breedon Books, 1994).