With a rare spare Saturday available to us, we decided to venture out for the day and, with cheap LNER tickets available, a trip to Leeds was decided on. Whilst Leeds is a city I’ve travelled to by train numerous times (read about those trips here, here & here) I’ve never actually stepped outside the station and so was excited to see what Yorkshire’s largest city had to offer.
Exiting the station via the cavernous 1930s North Concourse, now home to a number of fast-food restaurants but thankfully retaining its charm and grandeur, our first view of Leeds was City Square and its numerous statues. Across the north-west side of the square are statues of James Watt, James Harrison, Dr Hook and Joseph Priestley, however the most prominent of the statues, in the centre of the square, is that of Edward, the Black Prince. Grade II* listed, this statue had to be cast in Belgium as it was too large for any British foundry and arrived in Leeds via barge from Hull.
As we made our way from City Square toward the Leeds City Museum, we were impressed by the city’s 18th and 19th century architecture, as well as the amount of it that has survived through 20th century modernisation. In City Square itself the most prominent building is the former General Post Office which is Grade II listed, and also has Grade II listed Telephone boxes standing outside.
As we reached the junction of Park Row and The Headrow, we caught our first sight of the grand Leeds Central Library and Leeds Town Hall. Both of these mid-19th century buildings are listed, Grade I and Grade II* respectively, with the Town Hall being a model for civic buildings across the then British Empire, being one of the earliest and largest constructed. Adjacent to the Library is the Henry Moore Institute, a large sculpture gallery and education centre located in what appear to be a row of 19th century town houses.
Having paid a very quick visit to the Roman Catholic Leeds Cathedral, cut short owing to a baptism taking place, we continued up Cookridge Street until we reached Millennium Square and the former Leeds Institute. The latter is now home to Leeds City Museum, whilst the former was hosting the Yorkshire Integration Festival, something we’d never heard of but decided to check out.
With the backdrop of Leeds Civic Hall, the 20th century replacement of Leeds Town Hall, the Yorkshire Integration Festival is a celebration of the positive impact made by migrants and refugees in Yorkshire and showcased the diverse range of cultures and customs that call the region home. With music, food and craft stalls, we thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the square and enjoying the atmosphere. Its not been announced if there’s a festival in 2023 yet, but if there is I’d certainly recommend visiting if you’re in the area.
The reason we had headed up to Millennium Square was to visit the Leeds City Museum, entry to which is completely free. Spread across four galleries plus a special exhibitions area, the Leeds City Museum showcases local history, world cultures, natural history and archaeology as well a collection of fine art. We spent most of our time exploring the local history, covering all the way from the earliest settlements in the area to the Industrial revolution and modern day.
Having had a busy morning learning all about Leeds, its history and its people we were ready for some food. Meeting up with some local friends, we ended up at Almost Famous, a restaurant that serves some of the most extravagant burgers I’ve ever seen! I opted for the Butter, Blood & Bleu burger, made up of a double cheeseburger, 4oz steak, chorizo and both peppercorn and creamy blue cheese sauces. I just about managed to finish it, but lets just say it was a good job it had been a while since breakfast!
With full and happy stomachs, our friends headed off and we headed across the city centre to another of Leeds’ historic buildings that I wanted to see, the Corn Exchange. Constructed in the 1860s, The Corn Exchange was built for just that purpose, the trading of corn. Having been restored in 2007, it is now a shopping centre for boutique independent traders and has been described as “one of only three remaining Corn Exchanges still functioning as a centre for trade in Britain”. The building itself is stunning and well worth a visit, and with the wide range of shops and a café, could occupy you for a while.
With the city centre starting to ramp up for a Saturday night and with us having a couple of hours until our train back to Peterborough, we decided to head out of the city and see some of Yorkshire’s stunning countryside so headed back to the station to catch a train to the town of Ilkley. Situated on the edge of Ilkley Moor and the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Ilkley is connected to Leeds by a half-hourly train service with the journey taking approx. 30 minutes. There’s also an hourly connection to the city of Bradford.
With about an hour to wander around the town centre, we headed down towards the River Wharfe and the Riverside Gardens. From the road adjacent to All Saints Church we were able to look up the town’s main street and onto the Moor, a view which is absolutely stunning and genuinely jaw dropping. After a brief exploration of the limited remains of Olicana Roman Fort, we headed down to the river itself, enjoying the fresh air, before heading back to the station and the train back to Leeds.
Leeds is a great place for a day out or a weekend away, with there being plenty of museums that we didn’t get chance to visit, including the Royal Armouries, Armley Mills Industrial Museum and Thackray Museum. It’s also a hub for rail connections, with lots of other beautiful Yorkshire towns and cities within a 30-45 minute journey, so you could easily make Leeds your base for a week or two’s Yorkshire adventure.
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