LEEDS

'Leeds' is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the River Aire and is the urban core of the City of Leeds metropolitan district.
According to the 2001 UK census the ''Leeds Urban Area'' had a population of 457,247 while the metropolitan district, City of Leeds had a population of 747,939 and is one of England's core cities.

History

The 1866 map of Leeds.

The name "Leeds" came from "Loidis" (Bede states: "...regione quae vocatur Loidis" region known as Loidis), a word of Celtic origin, also surviving in the nearby place names of Ledston and Ledsham.
Leeds has been known since being mentioned (as "Ledes") in the Domesday Book of 1086, (the name evolved into "Leedes" and finally "Leeds"). Leeds was an agricultural market town in the Middle Ages, and received its first charter in 1207. In the Tudor period Leeds was mainly a merchant town, manufacturing woollen cloths and trading with Europe via the Humber estuary, and the population grew from 10,000 at the end of the 17th century to 30,000 at the end of the 18th. At one point nearly half of England's total exports passed through Leeds. The Industrial Revolution had resulted in the radical growth of Leeds whose population had risen to over 150,000 by 1840. The city's industrial growth was catalysed by the introduction of the Aire & Calder Navigation in 1699, Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the railway in 1848. In 1893 Leeds had been granted city status. These industries that developed in the Industrial Revolution had included making machinery for spinning, machine tools, steam engines and gears as well as other industries based on textiles, chemicals and leather and pottery. Coal was extracted on a large scale and the still functioning Middleton Railway, the first successful commercial steam locomotive railway in the world, transported coal from Middleton colliery into the centre of Leeds. The first permanent set of fully automatic traffic lights was installed at the junction of Park Row and Bond Street, Leeds, in 1928.
By the 20th century this social and economic status had started to change with the creation of the academic institutions that are known today as the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity & All Saints. This period had also witnessed expansion in medical provision particularly Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital. Following World War II there was a decline in secondary industries that had thrived in the 19th century. In 1951, half the workforce was still in manufacturing; by 1971 the figure was a third. Leeds lost a third of its manufacturing jobs during 1971-1981 (Champion & Townsend, 1990, p.82). In 1991, 64,000 were employed in manufacturing. In 2003, 2,103 firms employed 44,500 (10% of workforce) - see Leeds Economy Handbook. But there are still some large engineering firms. The largest make turbine blades, components, alloys, valves and pipelines for the oil industry, switchgear, printers' supplies, copper alloys, surgical and hospital equipment, pumps, motors, radiators.
In the 1980s, the Conservative government designated Urban Development Corporations on a number of UK cities: some declining areas were taken out of local authority control and government funding was provided with the aim of speeding up and concentrating private sector investment in the most run-down areas. Leeds Development Corporation ran from 1988-1995 and helped to focus attention on two decayed industrial areas (The lower Kirkstall Valley and the riverside area to the south east of the city centre). Achievements of LDC included refurbishment of many riverside properties, the opening up of Granary Wharf and the Royal Armouries development.
Today Leeds is known as one of eight core cities that act as a focus of their respective regions and Leeds is generally regarded as the dominant city of the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire, and the dominant city in Yorkshire as a whole.^[1]

Industry and economy

Leeds Town Hall - Victorian civic confidence

Briggate, Leeds

Bridgewater Place from the Canal

''and List of companies based in Leeds''
Leeds was voted Britain's Best City for Business by Omis Research in 2003 but dropped to 3rd place behind Manchester and Glasgow in 2005 ("Relative under-performance over the past two years in transport improvements and cost competitiveness were the major contributing factors")^[2]. It is also regarded as the fastest growing city in the UK^[3]and has a diverse economy with the service sector now dominating over the city's manufacturing industries. Leeds is the largest financial centre in England outside the capital ^[4]. New tertiary industries such as retail, call centres, offices and media have contributed to a high rate of economic growth since the early 1990s. Over 100,000 people work in financial and business services - about a quarter of the workforce. The strength of the economy is also indicated by the low unemployment rate. However, despite the growth of the Leeds economy in recent years, large parts of Leeds do remain poor, especially to the north and east of the city centre, typical of the large cities in the north of England.
Growth sectors in financial & business services: banking, labour recruitment
★ , commercial cleaning, legal services, insurance, pension funds, computing
★ , architecture and civil engineering, real estate, investigation & security, accountancy, equipment leasing, consultancy & market research
★ , advertising, and R&D
★ .
''Some of the faster growing sub-sectors during the 1990s marked
★ .''

Internet industry

In the late 1990s dot-com boom, Leeds became one of the key hubs in the emerging new media sector - companies such as Freeserve, Energis, Sportal, TEAMtalk and Ananova emerged to dominate the UK internet industry, with Freeserve and Ananova going on to become part of Wanadoo and Orange within France Télécom.
The city's Holbeck area is home to the 'internet quarter' - an urban village with infrastructure and facilities for digital media and creative companies; at its heart is the Round Foundry media centre facility. Now, over 33% of the UK's internet traffic goes through Leeds, making it one of the most important regional internet centres in the UK.
In the second 'Web 2.0' era of the industry, Leeds is again playing a significant role with a number of new internet startups, regular unconference networking events such as OpenCoffee, GeekUp and [ http://barcamp.org/BarCampLeeds BarCamp Leeds]. Leeds Metropolitan University is also exploring the notion of coworking spaces for entrepreneurs and geeks.

Transport

Main articles: Transport in Leeds

Rail

The rail network is still of great importance. Leeds City station is one of the busiest in the UK outside central London, with over 900 trains and 50,000 passengers per day. Its modern interior provides connections to London, Southampton and the south, Birmingham and the Midlands, Bristol and the West Country, Newcastle, Edinburgh and the north east, Manchester and Liverpool and the north west, as well as to local and regional destinations. The station itself has 17 platforms, making it the largest in England outside London.
From Leeds City station MetroTrains operated by Northern Rail operate to all parts of West Yorkshire and surrounding local and commuter locations and other operators including GNER, Virgin Cross Country, Midland Mainline and TransPennine Express operate services to the rest of the country.
Leeds has two railway lines offering direct services to London. The principal route is along the East Coast Main Line which operates at least once per hour and is planned to become half-hourly through the day. Midland Mainline offers an alternative route via Leicester along the Midland Main Line to London St Pancras soon to be the home of Eurostar international services. The Midland Mainline service operates principally because the train operators fleet of diesel high speed trains (HST's) is based at Neville Hill maintenance depot in Leeds. There are three trains per day in each direction.

Tram plans

The city had plans in the 1990s and 2000s for a tram network known as Supertram. However the government axed the scheme due to an unwillingness to pay for any costs over budget, and the Department for Transport's apparent preference of a bus-based rapid transport scheme to a tram-based scheme.^[5]^[6] Leeds remains the largest city in the European Union without a mass transit system.

Roads

Leeds is the focus of the A58, A61, A62, A63, A64 and A65 roads. Nowadays, with the M1 and M62 intersecting just to its south and the A1(M) passing just to its east, it is one of the principal hubs of the northern motorway network. The city centre is pedestrianised, and is encircled by the clockwise-only 'loop road'.

Bus/coach

On 30th January 2006, a zero-fare bus service (the FreeCityBus) started running, on a circular route, in the centre of Leeds.
Leeds has a large modern bus station served by National Express and local bus services. Buses in the city are mainly provided by FirstBus and Arriva. Harrogate & District provides a service to Harrogate and Ripon. The Yorkshire Coastliner service runs from Leeds to Malton, Scarborough, Filey, Whitby and Bridlington via Tadcaster, York and Malton.

Local public transport information

Leeds Travel Info is Leeds City Council's public access website providing real-time travel information in the Leeds area. West Yorkshire Metro provides bus and train information on its website, and offers the innovative "My Next Bus" service of real-time bus information by text message or online. This real-time information is also displayed in certain bus shelters.

Air transport

Leeds Bradford International Airport is located near Yeadon, to the north-west of the city and has scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt and Turkey and to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
There is a direct rail service from Leeds to Manchester Airport, with trains running throughout the night. Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is 40 miles (65 km) from Leeds.

Sea transport

Leeds has good connections by road, rail and coach to Hull, only an hour away, from where it is possible to travel to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge by ferry services run by P&O Ferries.

Development

Bridgewater Place taken in October 2006

and ''List of Developments in Leeds''
In recent times Leeds has seen many new developments. High rise schemes are making a much bigger mark on Leeds' skyline. Sixteen skyscrapers are under construction or proposed, all of them taller than West Riding House (80m) - Leeds' tallest building since it was built in the 1970s^[7]. Bridgewater Place recently became the tallest building in Leeds, however this title is anticipated to be shortlived as the 171m Lumiere is expected to be finished by 2010.

Events

★ The Leeds German Christmas Market is held in Millennium Square every year from 17 November to 17 December.

★ The Ice Cube - Europe’s largest open air ice skating rink is also held in Millennium Square annually.

An artists impression of Lumiere

★ The Leeds Christmas Lights Switch On is an annual event featuring a celebrity turning on the lights with the Lord Mayor, accompanied by an up-and-coming band and small funfair. Leeds is one of the only cities in Britain to have a year-round agency in charge of planning their display and maintaining the equipment, and as such has established the largest Christmas lights display in the country, and one of the largest in Europe, with illuminations covering over 13 miles (21 km) of street (Blackpool Illuminations is bigger, but is not a Christmas display). The Switch On ceremony used to take place on the fourth Thursday in November from its inception in the early 1980s, but from 1996 has been held earlier in the month, usually close to (but not on) 5 November. It was held on a Friday in 1997 and 1999, but is otherwise always held on a Thursday, the traditional night in Britain for pre-Christmas late night shopping. As the popularity of the event increased into the early 1990s, attendances at what essentially became a free concert swelled, and has been known to attract in the region of 50,000 people (part of the main road through central Leeds, The Headrow is closed off and traffic diverted). The date of the 2007 Switch On is likely to be 8 November, though this will be confirmed publicly much nearer the time, when the celebrity guest has been booked.

★ The Leeds International Pianoforte Competition [1], founded by Fanny Waterman, takes place every three years, next due in 2009.

★ ''Party in the Park'' and ''Opera in the Park'' are major free events held each summer at Temple Newsam

★ The Leeds Mela [2] is held each summer in Roundhay Park.

★ Leeds West Indian Carnival takes place in Chapeltown each summer.

★ The Leeds International Film Festival [3] takes place each autumn and there is also an annual Leeds Young People's Film Festival.

★ The annual summer and Christmas concerts at Leeds Town Hall, organised by the Leeds Schools Music Association and involving hundreds of schoolchildren from around the city.

★ There is also a musical event held annually at the Kirkstall Abbey, known as Fantasia, usually held in August which includes a large firework display.

★ Kirkstall Abbey also plays host to the annual Kirkstall Festival, a Leeds tradition. This takes place every July.

★ A Half marathon takes place every May, starting in the Town centre and running in a loop around the North of the city.

Areas of the City

	★ Burley ★ Chapel Allerton ★ Chapeltown ★ Churwell ★ City Centre ★ Colton ★ Cookridge ★ Cottingley ★ Cross Flatts ★ Cross Gates ★ East End Park ★ Farnley ★ Farsley ★ Garforth	★ Gipton ★ Gledhow ★ Guiseley ★ Halton ★ Halton Moor ★ Harehills ★ Hawksworth ★ Headingley ★ Holbeck ★ Holt Park ★ Horsforth ★ Hunslet ★ Hyde Park ★ Killingbeck ★ Kippax	★ Kirkstall ★ Ireland Wood ★ Lawnswood ★ Little London ★ Meanwood ★ Micklefield ★ Middleton ★ Miles Hill ★ Moor Grange ★ Moorside ★ Moortown ★ Morley ★ New Farnley ★ Oakwood ★ Otley	★ Osmondthorpe ★ Potternewton ★ Pudsey ★ Quarry Hill ★ Rawdon ★ Richmond Hill ★ Rothwell ★ Roundhay ★ Scholes ★ Scott Hall ★ Seacroft ★ Shadwell ★ Sheepscar ★ Stanningley ★ Swarcliffe	★ Swillington ★ Swinnow ★ Temple Newsam ★ Tinshill ★ Weetwood ★ West Park ★ Whinmoor ★ Whitkirk ★ Woodhouse ★ Wortley ★ Wykebeck ★ Yeadon

Prior to the 1974 reorganisation of government, the city of Leeds was defined as including the former parishes of Armley, Beeston, Bramley, Chapel Allerton, Farnley, Headingley/Burley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Leeds, Osmondthorpe, Potter Newton, Seacroft, Temple Newsam (covering the areas of Halton Moor, Halton, Whitkirk, Colton and Austhorpe) and Wortley^[8].

Crime

Like many other cities, the crime rate in Leeds is well above the national average.^[9]^[10]
In July 2006, the think tank Reform calculated rates of crime for different offences and has related this to populations of major urban areas (defined as towns over 100,000 population). Leeds was placed 11th in this rating (excluding London Boroughs, 23rd including London Boroughs).^[11]

Tourism

Recently Leeds has received accolades in the field of tourism; including being voted by Conde Nast Traveller magazine Readers' Awards as the "UK's favourite city" and also "Visitor city of the year" by The Good Britain Guide. Leeds has excellent transport links with the rest of Yorkshire and the UK.
Tourism is big business in Leeds, and supports more than 20,000 full time equivalent jobs. On average Leeds attracts 1.4m people annually who stay overnight, plus a further 18.4m who visit on day trips. Visitors to the city bring in nearly £735m into the local economy each year and Leeds' vibrant and cultural scenes are some of the key reasons that visitors from across the UK and Europe come to Leeds. Major national and regional attractions include the Royal Armouries, Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the award winning Harewood House, which was voted one of the best large visitor attractions in the Excellence in England Awards for Tourism 2003.^[12]
Additionally, in the Good Hotel Guide 2004, four Leeds hotels were named as top choices for places to stay in the UK.
See the ''Transport'' section above for information about Leeds' transport connections.

Culture

Sport

The city has a strong sporting heritage, with Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Football Club and Leeds Carnegie Rugby Union Football Club playing at Headingley (cricket and rugby grounds are adjacent), Hunslet Hawks Rugby League Footbal Club, based at the South Leeds Stadium, and Leeds United Football Club playing at Elland Road. Unlike many other large cities such as Manchester, London, and Liverpool, Leeds only has one league football team. However, recently Farsley Celtic a team based in west Leeds were promoted to the Football Conference, which was their third promotion in four years.
Leeds United were formed in 1919 (in Salem Chapel just south of Leeds bridge), due to the bankruptcy of a previous club, Leeds City. Their first major trophies came in 1968 when they won the League Cup and the European Fairs Cup under the management of Don Revie. They won two league titles and an FA Cup before Revie left for the England team job in 1974. Their only major success since then was winning promotion to the top division in 1990 and then top division champions in 1992. Between 1982 and 1990 Leeds United were in the second tier of the English league, and returned to this level in 2004 following a financial crisis which almost resulted in bankruptcy. They narrowly missed out on a return to the Premiership in 2006, when losing the Championship play-off final 3-0 to Watford. However, following a poor season which culminated in administration and a resultant 10-point deduction they are to be relegated to the lowest position of their history - Football League One. Farsley Celtic and several other non-league clubs also represent the city.
Hunslet Hawks are based in the working class area of South Leeds. The Hawks play their home games at the South Leeds Stadium, and they are known as 'the Parksiders' after their former ground Parkside. Hunslet's greatest achievement was being the first club to win All Four Cups, which they did in the 1907-08 season. They were captained by Albert Goldthorpe, who operated in the back line. Hunslet’s forward pack of that season was equally (in)famous, going by the name of "The Terrible Six".
Hunslet did not the top the championship table at the end of the season, coming behind Oldham, whom they defeated 10-12 in a championship replay after the first match was drawn 7 apiece. They ran out 14-0 winners in the Challenge Cup Final in front of 18,000 spectators at Fartown, Huddersfield. They took the Yorkshire Cup by virtue of a 17-0 victory over Halifax.
Leeds Rhinos ("The Loiners") were crowned Super League champions on 16 October 2004 after defeating arch rivals Bradford Bulls (formerly Bradford Northern) 16-8, at Old Trafford, Manchester. They then went on to be crowned world champions, after a victory over the Australian team Cantebury Bulldogs, in the Carnegie World Cup Final, the following February. Unfortunately they lost the Grand Final to Bradford Bulls in 2005. Hunslet Hawks, Bramley Buffaloes and Leeds Akkies are other Leeds-based rugby league teams.
Leeds Tykes, now known as Leeds Carnegie, won their first ever trophy in 2005 with battling performance to defeat favourites Bath in the Powergen Cup final. In the 2005-06 season the Tykes were relegated from the Guinness Premiership. However the Tykes won promotion back to the Premiership the following season. The club's name changed to the current Leeds Carnegie shortly after the 2006-07 season when Leeds Metropolitan University took a majority stake in the club (Carnegie College is the University's sport department).
Leeds City AC is amongst the biggest and most successful athletics clubs in the north of England and has had the most successful men's harriers section in the country in the 21st century. Since the turn of the millennium the team has never been out of the top 4 in the National Cross Country Championships, winning in 2003, 2006 and 2007. In 2006 and 2007 the team achieved the 'Grand Slam' of wins - Yorkshire, North of England and English National Champions.
Leeds City Vixens L.F.C. are a womens football team in Leeds. They play in the Northern Combination Women's Football League and last season the finished 2nd in the league. They moved ground from Adel Memorial to The Bracken Edge the same ground as Yorkshire Amateur A.F.C..
Leeds has a wealth of sports facilities including the 45,000 capacity Elland Road football stadium, a host stadium during the 1996 European Football Championship, the Headingley Carnegie Stadiums, world famous for both cricket and rugby league, Leeds International Pool (50 m), South Leeds Stadium used for rugby league (Hunslet RLFC), athletics, bowls, football and tennis. Other facilities include the Leeds Wall (climbing), Yeadon Tarn sailing centre. Nearby, in Castleford, is Xscape (real snow indoor ski and snowboard slope with ice climbing wall).

Media

Leeds has bases for some media activities for the UK. Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd, owned by Johnston Press plc, is based in the city, and produces a daily morning broadsheet, the Yorkshire Post, and an evening paper, the Yorkshire Evening Post, as well as other publications such as Leeds Express and the weekly freesheets of the Leeds Weekly News, Wharfe Valley Times and Pudsey Times.
There are also a number of regular dedicated lifestyle magazines based in Leeds, most notably including 'The Leeds Guide' and 'Absolute Leeds', which both include regular nightlife listings and pages on Food & Drink, Shopping, Fashion, Property, Travel, Clubbing, Film and Rock & Pop in the city. Both magazines reflect the diversity of cultural life in Leeds and Yorkshire, with areas such as Art, Literature, Cinema, Comedy, Dance, Gay Scene, Classical Music, Opera, Jazz and Theatre all regularly represented.
Regional television and radio stations also have bases in the city; BBC Television and Yorkshire Television both have studios and broadcasting centres in Leeds, but there is concern over the future of regional independent television with the consolidation of Independent Television franchises in the UK. There are a number of independent film production studios, including the not-for-profit cooperative Leeds Animation Workshop, founded in 1978; community video producers Vera Media and several small commercial production companies.
BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Aire, Magic 828, Galaxy 105, Real Radio and Yorkshire Radio all broadcast from the city. In the 1980s, pirate radio stations including Rapid City Radio (RCR), amongst other shorter-lived stations broadcasting a mainly reggae playlist from Chapeltown, later diversifying into hip hop and house. Later, Dream FM was one of the biggest pirate radio stations in the country, but folded soon after getting a license to operate legally. Leeds is the UK's third largest media city, behind London and Manchester.
A recent development in industry (particularly the boosting of the British Film Industry), Yorkshire will host the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2007, where Leeds and Sheffield will play core parts in this, being the two keys cities during the ceremony. The IIFA Awards are Bollywood's (the Hindi film industry) equivalent to the Oscars in Hollywood. The four-day event is expected to generate around £10 million in inward investment to the economy and Leeds will be responsible for nearly half this amount.

Museums and the arts

A new Leeds City Museum is expected to open in August 2008^[13] in the building of the former Mechanics Institute, more recently used as the Civic Theatre, in Millennium Square. The previous city museum was in the Central Library building, and closed some years ago.
Abbey House Museum is housed in the former gatehouse of Kirkstall Abbey, and includes walk-through Victorian streets and galleries describing the history of the abbey, childhood, and Victorian Leeds.
Armley Mills Industrial Museum is housed in what was once the world's largest woollen mill, and includes industrial machinery and railway locomotives.
Thwaite Mill Museum is a fully-restored water-powered mill on the river Aire to the east of the city centre. A fulling mill was built on the site in 1641, and it was extensively rebuilt in 1823–25.
The Thackray Museum is a museum of the history of medicine, featuring topics such as Victorian public health, pre-anaesthesia surgery, and safety in childbirth. It is housed in a former workhouse next to St James's hospital.
The Royal Armouries Museum opened in 1996 in a dramatic modern building when this part of the collection was transferred from the Tower of London.
Leeds Art Gallery reopened in June 2007 after a major renovation project, and houses important collections of traditional and contemporary British art.
Leeds boasts the Grand Theatre (where Opera North is based), the City Varieties Music Hall (which has hosted performances by Charlie Chaplin and Harry Houdini plus being the venue of TV's "The Good Old Days") and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
The Leeds Festival takes place every year in Bramham Park, having moved from Temple Newsam after pressure from some local residents. It features some of the biggest names in rock and indie music.
The city is home to the Leeds International Piano Competition, held every three years since 1963, which has launched the careers of many major concert pianists. There is also the Leeds International Concert Season, the largest local authority music programme of any UK city outside London.
The city also has an internationally recognised film festival; the Leeds International Film Festival is the largest film festival in England outside London and shows films from around the world. It incorporates the highly successful ''Leeds Young People's Film Festival'', which features exciting and innovative films made both for and by children and young people^[14].
Some of the first moving pictures in the world were taken in the city, by Louis Le Prince, of a ''Roundhay Garden Scene'' and of ''Leeds Bridge'' in 1888.
Leeds also has a very important dance community; it currently is the home of the world-renowned dance companies the Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance.

Historic houses and parks

The ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, a Cistercian abbey dating from the 12th century, are in an open park alonside the river Aire in Kirkstall, to the west of the city centre. The abbey gatehouse houses the Abbey House Museum. To the east of the city centre, Temple Newsam house dates from the early 16th century and has an extensive estate including gardens and a rare breeds farm. Lotherton Hall, with art collections and a bird garden, lies to the east of the city, Bramham Park to the north-east, and Harewood House to the north. Kirkstall Abbey, Temple Newsam, and Lotherton Hall are owned and administered by Leeds City Council.
To the north lies Roundhay Park with its well regarded ''Tropical World'' hothouse. Other parks in the city include Golden Acre Park which lies between Adel and Bramhope, Hall Park in Horsforth, Woodhouse Moor in Hyde Park, Potternewton Park between Chapeltown and Harehills, East End Park in the location of the same name, Cross Flatts Park in Beeston and Middleton Park in Middleton.

Shopping

Victoria Quarter

Leeds Kirkgate Market

Leeds has a massive and diverse range of shops and department stores, one of the largest in the UK and has become known as the Knightsbridge of the North. The diverse range of shopping, from individual one-off boutiques to large department stores, including Harvey Nichols and Louis Vuitton, has greatly expanded the Leeds retail base. The Victoria Quarter, several existing arcades connected by roofing the entirety of Queen Victoria Street with stained glass, is the jewel in Leeds' shopping crown, located off Briggate, Leeds' main shopping street. Other popular shopping attractions include the Corn Exchange, Leeds Kirkgate Market, Granary Wharf, Leeds Shopping Plaza, Headrow Shopping Centre, The Light, The St John's Centre, The Merrion Centre Leeds, Crown Point, Birstall Retail Park and the White Rose Centre. In addition, there are 2 proposed shopping centres, namely the Harewood/Eastgate Quarter and Trinity Quarter.

Music

''and List of bands originating in Leeds''
;Artists
Leeds has produced many notable acts, some recent examples being the Kaiser Chiefs, The Music, the Pigeon Detectives and Corinne Bailey Rae. Other acts from Leeds include The Wedding Present - who once had 12 new hit singles in the same calendar year, a feat unmatched by any other artist - Chumbawamba and Melanie B, of the Spice Girls.
;Dance music and the clubbing scene
House Music had a big impact on Leeds when it arrived in the late 1980s. Early house nights included Downbeat at the Warehouse, Meltdown at the Astoria in Harehills, and Joy and Kaos at various temporary venues, along with a thriving Shebeen or "Blues" scene in Chapeltown.
Along with Sheffield and Bradford, Leeds was a centre for the Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass scene in 1989-1990, with influential local bands such as LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Ital Rockers, Unit 93 and Juno on Sheffield's Warp Records and Leeds' Bassic Records.
Dance band Utah Saints hit the top ten several times between 1991 and 1993.
The earlier underground house scene developed into the Leeds club scene of the 1990s, when for a while Leeds held the title of Britain's clubbing capital. Both Back to Basics and mixed gay night Vague enjoyed the title of best club in Britain at different points in the decade, whilst The Orbit in Morley was an internationally recognised techno mecca (Orbit closed in the late 1990s and was replaced by a restaurant).
;DIY scene
Leeds is very well-known for its current DIY underground music scene, with all genres well represented from hardcore,post-punk, and noise rock, electronica, indie pop, dub reggae, dubstep and folk. There is a vibrant and active community based around the DIY ethic^[15].
;Festivals
Leeds initially played host to the northern leg of the V Festival between 1996 and 1998 before the event moved to Weston Park, Staffordshire.
In 2000, Leeds played host to the first and as of 2006 the only ever BBC Radio 1 Love Parade at Roundhay Park.
Since 1999 the Leeds Festival, a northern leg of the well established Reading Festival, has taken place on August bank holiday weekend. The event was initially held at Temple Newsam (the venue for the Leeds V Festival) before protests from residents forced a move to Bramham Park.
Leeds is also home to the International Pianoforte Competition which is regarded highly. It was established in 1963 by Fanny Waterman with the 15th competition in September 2006.
West Yorkshire Playhouse and the neighbouring Venue at Leeds College of Music play host to the biennial FuseLeeds Festival showcasing an eclectic mix of more left-field music.
2006 had seen the two-day O2 Wireless Festival take place at Harewood House.
;Venues
Leeds plays host to many venues, currently including Leeds University refectory (where The Who recorded their 1970 live album ''Live at Leeds'' and Motörhead recorded the majority of ''No Sleep 'til Hammersmith''), Leeds Metropolitan University, The Cockpit, Brudenell Social Club, The Faversham, The Hi-Fi club, The Wardrobe, The Irish Centre, Joseph's Well, The New Roscoe, The Vine and The Mixing Tin among others.
Occasional gigs are held in Millennium Square in the city centre (including the Kaiser Chiefs and Fall Out Boy in 2006), Roundhay Park (which was home to Love Parade in 2000 and has hosted gigs by the likes of Robbie Williams, U2, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones), Harewood House has hosted gigs by the likes of James Blunt and The Who, Leeds Town Hall (hosted the Kaiser Chiefs, Morrissey and many classical music events) and Leeds Parish Church.
Recently attempts have been made to build an arena in the city (currently larger touring acts tend to play either Manchester or Sheffield owing to the relatively small capacity of the refectory, Leeds's biggest permanent venue).

Nightlife

Leeds has a very large student population and boasts a large number of pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, as well as a multitude of venues for live bands such as The Cockpit, New Roscoe, Joseph's Well, The Brudenell Social Club and The Wardrobe which combine to generate a vibrant and nationally renowned nightlife. Additionally, there are also a number of smaller venues which cater for underground and DIY gigs, such as Sela Bar, Brudenell Social Club and the Leeds West Indian Centre.
Leeds has gained a reputation as one of the UK's favourite clubbing destinations and is often described as the UK's 'clubbing capital', being a popular 'Stag' and 'Hen Weekend' destination and also the original home of the pioneering club nights Back to Basics, Speedqueen and SubDub. ^[16] Also, until a few years ago, nearby Morley, was home to the legendary Orbit, which for 13 years was known internationally as one of the original and best techno clubs in the country. More recent superclubs to open in the Leeds City Center include: Oceana (Leeds) and Gatecrasher (Leeds) among others.
Leeds also has a well established gay nightlife scene. The Bridge Inn and The New Penny, both on Call Lane, have long been gay night spots. Queens' Court offers a similar experience to its London counterpart Rupert Street. Other more recent additions such as Bar Fibre, on Lower Briggate and Mission offer more contemporary 'straight friendly' environments, along with The Viaduct and Blades just across the road. During the summer months the secluded courtyard that lies between Bar Fibre and Queens' Court transforms into a lively a beer garden. Popular techno nights at Northern Light and Velvet Underground were shut down by the council after police raids in February 2007. The refurbished Warehouse venue is now home of the alternate Saturday club nights Technique/Asylum.
Towards Millennium Square and the Civic or Northern Quarter, is a newly developing entertainment district thriving on both students and weekend visitors. Recently, Jongleurs and Tiger Tiger have opened in the area, alongside various upmarket restaurants. Millennium Square bursts into life during the night with its many bars (including Cocoon, Revolution and Ha!Ha!, to name a few), and large outdoor screen mounted on the side of the Civic Theatre. Millennium Square also plays host to many large seasonal events such as Earth From The Air, Icecube (Europe’s largest outdoor ice rink), Christmas markets, Gigs and Concerts, citywide parties and the world famous Rhythms of the City Festival. Millennium Square is adjacent to the Mandela Gardens, which were opened by Nelson Mandela in 2001. A number of public art features, fountains, a canal and greenery can be found here as an oasis amongst the city centre excitement.
Leeds is home to a number of large 'super-clubs' including Mission, Oceana and Evolution. Nu Bar, My house, Tiger Tiger and Discotheque by Gatecrasher are also prominent clubs in the city.
Leeds is also home to some Bohemian bars that are not aimed at the 'usual' weekend crowd - especially the bars in and around Briggate and North Street (North Bar, Sandanista, Mojo, The Reliance (Reli), Reform, etc), Baby Jupiter on York Place and Milo on Call Lane.

Religious communities

;Christianity
The majority of people in Leeds identify themselves as Christian^[17]. Fairly unusually for a city of its size, Leeds does not have a Church of England Cathedral. Leeds is part of the Anglican Diocese of Ripon and Leeds with the Cathedral for this Diocese being in Ripon. However, Leeds does have a Roman Catholic Cathedral, being the Episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds. The city also has several fairly large contemporary charismatic churches, such as two churches from the Newfrontiers network. These often attract a lot of younger people including students.
;Islam
The proportion of Muslims in Leeds is average for the country. Mosques can be found throughout the city, serving Muslim communities in Harehills, Hyde Park and parts of Beeston.
;Sikhism
The Sikh community is represented by Gurdwaras (Temples) spread across the city. There is also a colourful religious annual procession, called the Nagar Kirtan, into Millennium Square in the city centre around 13th/14th April to celebrate Baisakhi - the Sikh New Year and the birth of the religion. It is estimated around 3,000 Sikhs in Leeds take part in this annual event.
;Judaism
Leeds has the 3rd largest Jewish community in the UK, after London and Manchester. There is a particular concentration around the areas of Alwoodley and Moortown^[18].
;Hinduism
The small Hindu community in Leeds have a Hindu temple at Hyde Park. Herein major Hindu religious festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Dusshera and Diwali are celebrated with gaiety. The temple has all the major Hindu deities and is also dedicated to the Lord Mahavir of the Jains.
;Buddhism
Various Buddhist traditions are represented in Leeds.^[19], including: FWBO, Soka Gakkai, Theravada, Tibetan and Zen. The Buddhist community (sangha) comes together to celebrate the major festival of Wesak in May.

People from Leeds

An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a ''Loiner'', a word of uncertain origin^[20], possibly from ''Loidis'', an early name for the region mentioned around 700AD by Bede. The term is rarely used or understood. The mock-classical adjectives ''Leodensian'' and ''Leodiensian'' are sometimes used by some local sports clubs, and the word Leodensian also features in the lyrics of "I Predict a Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs, although in that context it was referring to John Smeaton, a famous 18th century resident of the city (who resided in Austhorpe Lodge, now the site of Austhorpe Primary School) as a founder of Leeds Grammar School, as a Leeds Grammar School leaver is called an Old Leodensian.
Famous people born in and around the Leeds area include; actor Peter O'Toole, BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, singer Corinne Bailey Rae, former Spice Girl Mel B, comedian Julian Barratt from the duo The Mighty Boosh, comedian Vic Reeves, model Nell McAndrew, journalist Tom Cullimore, former DJ and TV presenter Sir Jimmy Savile and Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman. Playwright Alan Bennett was also born in Leeds. Architect and Town Planner Derek Walker who is well known for designing The Royal Armouries Museum (Leeds). The poet, novelist and translator, Barry Tebb,was born in Leeds. Matthew Lewis, best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter Film Series, was also born in Leeds.

Education

Parkinson Building, University of Leeds

Leeds has a very large number of primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and further and higher education establishments, with Education Leeds having responsibility for statutory education for young people in the city. There is a partial list of state and independent schools, colleges and universities in Leeds.

Higher education

Leeds has two universities, the University of Leeds, with around 31,500 full-time students (and a further 52,000 on short courses), and Leeds Metropolitan University with around 26,000 ''(according to UCAS; the LMU website claims 37,000)''. It also has several higher education colleges: Leeds College of Art and Design (formerly Jacob Kramer College), Trinity & All Saints College, and Leeds College of Music, which is the largest music college in the UK. This gives Leeds one of the largest student populations in the country. Indeed recently it has gained accolades as the Best UK University Destination in The Independent newspaper.

Further education

The city is home to several further education colleges, such as Park Lane College Leeds (the largest further education college in Leeds with over 38,500 students), Leeds College of Technology, Leeds College of Building, Joseph Priestley College and Thomas Danby College. Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College is a very large college for A-level students close to the city centre.

Schools

The city is home to 47 high schools such as Abbey Grange Church of England High School, Allerton High School, Benton Park School, Boston Spa School, Brigshaw High School, Garforth Community College, Lawnswood School, Morley High School, Primrose High School, Prince Henry's Grammar School, Rodillian School, Roundhay School, Royds School and St. Mary's School, Menston.
The city's main private school is The Grammar School at Leeds, which was legally created in 2005 following the merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School. Both schools had long histories, dating back to 1552 and 1857 respectively. There are several other private schools.
OFSTED reports are available for all schools and further education colleges in Leeds.^[21]
Under the Government's targets for better schools for children, Education Leeds has been given several £billion to help towards the cost of refurbishing or rebuilding primary and secondary schools in Leeds.

Location grid

References

1. Leeds City Council - History of Leeds
2. OMIS Research
3. Leeds City Guide
4. Leeds Economy Handbook 2007 - Sectors
5. Leeds Tram Scheme - statement by Alistair Darling, Transport Secretary
6. Leeds Supertram - Closing down arrangements
7. Skyscaper News
8. A Vision of Britain Through Time: Relationships / unit history of LEEDS
9. Crime figures in Leeds
10. Crime Statistics for Leeds Apr 2005 - Mar 2006
11. Urban Crime Rankings
12. Leeds City Guide: Leeds is booming
13. Leeds City Council ''A new museum for Leeds''
14. Leeds Film
15. Cops and Robbers
16. Leeds City Guide: Clubbing & Nightlife in Leeds
17. Leeds Census 2001
18. Leeds Jewish Community
19. Leeds Buddhist Group
20. BBC piece about "Loiner"
21. Leeds LEA OFSTED reports

External links

★

★ Leeds City Council Leeds City (Metropolitan) Council.

★ Leeds City Guide Leeds City Guide.

★ 'Leeds, Live it, Love it' Official city website, for visitors, business, students and residents.

★ 'Leeds Initiative' Leeds Initiative city partnership.

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