Leeds in 50 Buildings

Buildings are among the crucial features that define a city. They create the cityscape and form the horizon while, at a more personal level, they provide the homes for its citizens, their places of education, worship, entertainment, arts and commerce. The fifty buildings described in this book chart the history of Leeds from its pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution as a major producer of wool and white broadcloth at the White Cloth Hall, Marshall’s Mill and the stunning Corn Exchange. Leeds boasts four universities, the Brotherton Library taking pride of place with the Rose Bowl Building. The Thackray museum of medical history, the City Museum and the Armouries provide cutting edge culture along with the Art Gallery, the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Arena. For sport there is Headingley and Elland Road while the beautifully elegant Victoria Arcades provide a special shopping experience. The skyline is pierced with windy Bridgewater Place, the Electric Press and Broadcasting Tower. Fine churches and mosques abound, as do old pubs like Whitelocks, the Whip and the Angel, and further afield are the splendours of Kirkstall Abbey, Temple Newsam and Harewood House. All of these buildings and many more are covered in this fascinating book: their history and the role they play today in one of England’s leading cities provide an enthralling historical narrative for the Leeds of yesterday and of today.