Leeds

This article is about the city in England. For other articles subjects named Leeds, see Leeds (disambiguation).

Leeds is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, in the north of England. It is the main settlement in the City of Leeds, and the River Aire runs through the town. It has a population of 426,242 according to the 2001 census, making it the 5th biggest city in England (by Population)

An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, although such terms are rarely used or understood. However, the mock-classical adjectives Leodensian and Leodiensian are sometimes used by some local sports clubs.

History

The city was originally an agricultural market town in the Middle Ages, and received its first charter in 1207. Industry came to the city in the 14th century when Flemish migrants introduced wool manufacturing. The city's industrial growth was catalysed by the introduction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the railway in 1848.

Industry & Economy

Leeds today has an extremely diverse economy with the service sector now dominating over the city's manufacturing industries. The city is served well by its canal, by the rail network at Leeds station and, with the M1 and M62 intersecting at Leeds, it is one of the principal northern hubs of the motorway network. Leeds Bradford International Airport is located to the North West of the city which has scheduled flights to destinations within the U.K and Europe. These good transport links have been a major factor contributing to the growth of Leeds, and it has led to the city becoming a major centre for distribution, as well as banking, financial and legal services. Retail is another major service and employer in the city centre, with a retail economy which has experienced a recent boom resulting in several shopping centres and department stores, and most notably a branch of London-based Harvey Nichols.

Culture

Sport

The city has a strong sporting heritage, with the Yorkshire County Cricket Club as well as Leeds Rhinos, the Rugby League team and Leeds Tykes, the Rugby Union team playing at Headingley, and Leeds United F.C. playing at Elland Road. Leeds United had a turbulant 2004, narrowly avoiding bankruptcy, and dropping from the Premier League into Division One.

Media

The city is the centre of media activities for the Yorkshire region. 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. Regional television and radio stations are also based in the city; BBC Television and Yorkshire Television both have studios and broadcasting centres in Leeds, albeit there is concern over the future of regional independent television with the consolidation of Independent Television franchises in the UK. BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Aire, Magic 828, Galaxy 105 and Real Radio all broadcast from the city. In the 1980s, Pirate Radio stations including Rapid City Radio (RCR), amongst other, shorter lived stations broadcast a mainly reggae playlist from Chapeltown, later diversifying into hip hop and house. In the 1990s Dream FM was one of the biggest pirate radio stations in the country, but folded soon after getting a license to operate legally.

Museums & Arts

The city has a large number of museums, being the home of the Royal Armouries Museum North (the main museum is at the Tower of London), the Leeds City Museum about the history of Yorkshire, the Museum of Leeds, being devoted to the city's industrial heritage, and Thackray's Medical Museum as well as the City Art Gallery. Leeds also boasts the Grand Theatre (which is where Opera North are based) and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Temple Newsam House and the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, dating from the 12th Century, are on the outskirts of the city. The Leeds Festival takes place every year in Bramham Park (having moved from Temple Newsam after pressure from some local residents), on the outskirts of the city, and features some of the biggest names in rock and indie music.

Music

Though not as prolific as its neighbours Manchester and Liverpool across the Pennines, or indeed Sheffield in South Yorkshire, Leeds has still produced some notable bands. The Mekons and the incredibly influential Gang of Four came out of the 1970s punk movement, whilst in the early to mid 1980s the city was home to a large goth scene, famous local bands including The Sisters of Mercy. The avant-garde art scene centred around Leeds Metropolitan University's (then Leeds Polytechnic) Fine Art course led to the formation of early 80s electronic pioneers Soft Cell. Later 1980s and 1990s rock bands include The Wedding Present, Chumbawumba and Cud.

Like most major northern cities, 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 Roundhay, 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 1990-1991, with influential bands such as LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Ital Rockers, Unit 93 and Juno on Sheffield's Warp Records and Leeds's Bassic Records.

This early, underground 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 and still is an internationally recognised techno mecca.

Present Day Nightlife

The city has a very large student population and boasts a large number of bars and nightclubs, as well as venues for live bands such as the Cockpit and The New Roscoe, which combine to generate a vibrant nightlife.

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) as well as various higher education colleges, giving it one of the largest student populations in the country. The main campuses of both universities are near the city centre. Leeds Grammar School, situated on the outskirts of the city at Alwoodley Gates and dating back to 1552, is the principal public school.

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