Leeds City Centre

Friday, 15 September 2012

Located in West Yorkshire, Leeds is the UK's fourth largest city after London, Birmingham and Manchester. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Leeds was a major centre for the production and trading of wool. During the Industrial Revolution, the city developed into a major industrial centre. Today, it is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside of London.



Leeds Town Hall:
made from Millstone grit, the Town Hall was opened by Queen Victoria in 1858. It is named 'Town Hall' because Leeds was then still a Town, becomming a City only in 1893.



Leeds City Museum.



Leeds Art Gallery:
opened in 1888,  it houses England's best collection of 20th century art outside of London, including collections of contemporary British sculpture, prints, watercolors,drawings and French post impressionist paintings.



Henry Moore Institute:
named after the greatest British sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986), a Yorkshireman. Set up in 1977, the institute hosts a year-round programme of exhibitions, conferences and lectures.



Briggate:
The main pedestrianized shopping street and heart of the City's shopping area.



King Edward Street:
another pedestrianized shopping street perpendicular to Briggate.



Victoria Quarter:
one of Leeds' many shopping arcades that run perpendicular to the Briggate.

County Arcade:
another one of Leeds' shopping arcades.



Leeds City Kirkgate Market:
a covered market that sells things any 'wet' market would. There is also a open-air market outside and it's here where Michael Marks first opened his Penny Bazaar in 1884 which eventually lead to the founding of Marks and Spencer in 1890.



Leeds Corn Exchange:
designed by Cuthbert Brodrick and completed in 1864, Leeds Corn Exchange is one of Britain’s finest Victorian buildings.
In recent years, the Corn Exchange has undergone a major redevelopment into a fabulous shopping mall.

Leeds Train and Metro Station.




                                                                                                                          

These are again but some of the places in the City Centre that I had visited.

 

The City Centre is actually quite compact and you can pretty much walk anywhere, even at a leisurely pace, within 15-20 minutes.

 

In fact, it takes no more than 25 minutes to stroll from the University, at the northern end of the City Centre, to the train station, at the southern end.

 

The only thing you have to bear in mind is that the topography of the City is on an incline, starting with the train station at the bottom, all the way up to the University at the top. So, walking from the University to the train station is going to feel relatively easier than the reciprocal journey.

 

It's actually quite ideal for people like me, ones who are never disciplined enough to get in any 'real' exercise. I get a considerable work-out simply by walking to and from the Morrisons in town to buy bottles of 2-litre drinking water once every few days.

 

...who needs gym membership?