Leeds Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 53°47′38″N1°32′30″W / 53.7939°N 1.5418°W |
| Carries | Bridge End |
| Crosses | River Aire |
| Locale | Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | arch bridge |
| Material | Cast iron |
| History | |
| Opened | 1870 |
| Location | |
 | |
Leeds Bridge is a historic river crossing in Leeds, England. The present cast iron road bridge over the River Aire dates from 1870. [1] It is Grade II listed. [2]
The medieval town of Leeds centred on 13th century burgess building plots either side of a wide road from the river crossing called Bridge Gate, now Briggate. A wool cloth market operated at Leeds Bridge, becoming the centre of wool trade for the West Riding of Yorkshire in the late 17th century. [3]
A medieval bridge was built at the site of a ferry across the River Aire. It was widened in 1730 and 1760. The bridge was rebuilt in 1870–73 by William Henry Barlow to a design by T. Dyne Steel. [1] [2] The iron was cast by John Butler of Stanningley. The cast iron balustrade is of rings and flowers. The east side bears the arms of the Corporation of Leeds (crowned owls and fleece). The western side has the names of civic dignitaries on a plaque. [1] Stone scavenged from the ruined Kirkstall Abbey was used to build steps which led to the river bank. [4] Though five other bridges were constructed between 1818 and 1870, the Leeds Bridge was the busiest, and in 1869 it was used by 4,000 vehicles and 55,000 foot passengers each Saturday. [2]
The bridge was previously part of the A61, a major road through Yorkshire, though this has now been bypassed. [5] [6] It marks the western terminus of the Aire and Calder Navigation which opened in 1700 creating a vital goods transportation infrastructure. [7]
In 2018, major restoration work took place on the bridge, including structural strengthening, and cleaning and repainting to preserve the bridge's appearance and stop it from deteriorating. [8]
On 25 April 2022 a blue plaque commemorating the death of David Oluwale was unveiled on the bridge by Leeds Civic Trust and the David Oluwale Memorial Association. It was stolen hours later in an event that West Yorkshire Police are treating as a hate crime. [9] [10]
In 1875, local inhabitants assembled onto the bridge, Briggate and local streets to watch The Theatre burning down. [11]
In 1888 Louis Le Prince made a pioneering moving picture recording of Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge from an upstairs window of No 19 Bridge End, then Hicks the Ironmongers. This was shortly after making his first film Roundhay Garden Scene . [12] [13]
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, and Lancashire to the west. The city of Leeds is the largest settlement.
Kirkstall is a north-western suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. The area sits in the Kirkstall ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central and Headingley parliamentary constituency, represented by Alex Sobel. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 21,709.
Shipley is a historic market town and civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham. At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.
The Bradford Canal was a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) English canal which ran from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Shipley into the centre of Bradford. It opened in 1774, and was closed in 1866, when it was declared to be a public health hazard. Four years later it reopened with a better water supply, and closed for the second time in 1922. It was subsequently filled in, although consideration has been given to restoring it. There are some remains, including a short section of canal at the junction and a pumping station building, which is now a dwelling.
The Leeds Corn Exchange is a shopping mall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange, is a grade I listed building.
Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many historic buildings, including the oldest in the city, and others from the 19th and early-20th century, including two theatres. It is noted for the yards between some older buildings with alleyways giving access and Victorian shopping arcades, which were restored in late 20th century. The street was pedestrianised in the late-20th century.
Loidis, from which Leeds, Yorkshire derives its name, was anciently a forested area of the Celtic kingdom of Elmet. The settlement certainly existed at the time of the Norman conquest of England and in 1086 was a thriving manor under the overlordship of Ilbert de Lacy. It gained its first charter from Maurice de Gant in 1207 yet only grew slowly throughout the medieval and Tudor periods. The town had become part of the Duchy of Lancaster and reverted to the crown in the medieval period, so was a Royalist stronghold at the start of the English Civil War.
Cottingley is a suburban village within the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England between Shipley and Bingley. It is known for the Cottingley Fairies, which appeared in a series of photographs taken there during the early 20th century.
David Oluwale (1930–1969) was a British Nigerian who drowned in the River Aire in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1969. The events leading to his drowning have been described as "the physical and psychological destruction of a homeless, black man whose brutal, systematic harassment was orchestrated by the Leeds city police force." Oluwale's death resulted in the first successful prosecution of British police officers for involvement in the death of a black person. The legacy of his life and experiences – as well as his death – has shaped the discussion of systematic racism within British legal institutions, police brutality and practice, inequality, and mental health policy. He has inspired artworks, been the subject of several books and documentaries, and a blue plaque in Leeds commemorates his life.
The Leeds Country Way (LCW) is a circular long-distance footpath of 62 miles (99 km) around Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is never more than 7 miles (11 km) from the city centre of Leeds, but is mainly rural with extensive views in the outlying areas of the Leeds metropolitan district. It follows public Rights of Way including footpaths, bridleways and minor lanes, with a few short sections along roads.
Leeds Civic Trust is a voluntary organisation and registered charity established in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in 1965. Affiliated to the national charity Civic Voice, its stated purpose is "to stimulate public interest in and care for the beauty, history, and character of the city and locality, to encourage high standards of design, architecture and town planning; [and] to encourage the development and improvement of features of general public amenity".
The Calls is an area and street by the River Aire in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. This district falls within the City and Hunslet ward of the City of Leeds Council. Formerly an area of industry in Leeds, it has now been regenerated with a mixture of uses: primarily offices, residential and leisure.
The battle of Leeds took place during the First English Civil War on 23 January 1643, when a Parliamentarian force attacked the Royalist garrison of Leeds, Yorkshire. The attack was partly dictated by the need to maintain local support for the Parliamentarian cause; the Earl of Newcastle had recently shifted the balance of power in Yorkshire in the Royalists' favour with the addition of his 8,000-strong army, and sent one of his commanders, Sir William Savile to capture Leeds. The West Riding of Yorkshire relied on the cloth trade, and Ferdinando, Lord Fairfax sent his son, Sir Thomas Fairfax to bolster the defences of nearby Bradford, before agreeing to his request to attack Leeds.
The Nidd Aqueduct is an aqueduct or man-made watercourse in North Yorkshire, England. It feeds water from Angram and Scar House reservoirs in upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire 32 mi (51 km) to Bradford in West Yorkshire. The aqueduct supplies 21,000,000 imp gal (95,000 m3) of water per day to Chellow Heights water treatment works. The aqueduct and the reservoirs it connects to are all maintained by Yorkshire Water.
Bradford Beck is a river that flows through Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and on to the River Aire at Shipley. As it reaches Bradford city centre it runs underground after being built over in the 19th century. It is culverted as it runs from Bradford city centre to Queen's Road after which it runs mostly in an open channel to Shipley. The beck used to be known as the filthiest river in England.
Aire Park is a planned 24 acres (9.7 ha) mixed-use development in Hunslet, south of the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is being developed by the international real estate organisation Vastint, and will mostly occupy the abandoned brownfield site of the former Tetley's Brewery. It is named after the River Aire, which flows nearby.
Newlay is a suburb of Horsforth, in West Yorkshire, England. Originally a hamlet, it is now part of Horsforth parish in the City of Leeds District, and has its own conservation area. Newlay is situated on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, some 5 miles (8 km) north west of Leeds city centre.
Hibiscus Rising (2023) is an outdoor sculpture in Leeds, England, by artist Yinka Shonibare which was unveiled on 24 November 2023 as part of LEEDS 2023. It commemorates the life and death of David Oluwale, a British-Nigerian man whose death in 1969 involved two members of Leeds City Police. Commissioned by LEEDS 2023 and the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA), in partnership with Leeds City Council, the sculpture is, according to academic Dr Emily Zobel Marshall the first public artwork in the city to reflect its cultural diversity.
