Leeds

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{{infobox UK place||country = England|official_name= Leeds|latitude= 53.7998|longitude= -1.5482|map_type= West Yorkshire|population = List of English cities by population|metropolitan_borough= City of Leeds|region= Yorkshire and the Humber|constituency_westminster= [Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency)
and parts of Elmet (UK_Parliament_constituency), Leeds_East_(UK_Parliament_constituency), Leeds North East_(UK_Parliament_constituency), Leeds North West (UK_Parliament_constituency), Leeds West (UK_Parliament_constituency)|post_town= LEEDS|postcode_area= LS|postcode_area1= LS|postcode_area2= LS|postcode_district = LS1, LS2 (City Centre)|postcode_district1= LS3-LS19 (city)|postcode_district2= LS20-LS29 (borough)|dial_code= 0113|os_grid_reference= SE297338-->

Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the River Aire and is the urban core of the City of Leeds.It is the third biggest city in England.According to the 2001 UK census the Leeds Urban Area had a population of List of English cities by population while the metropolitan district, City of Leeds had a population of List of English districts by population and is one of England's English Core Cities Group.

History 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, West Yorkshire.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, West Yorkshire 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 University Hospital, Leeds. 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 English Core Cities Group 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. Leeds City Council - History of Leeds

Industry and economy | - Victorian civic confidence|-||-||} 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") OMIS Research. It is also regarded as the fastest growing city in the UK Leeds City Guideand 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 Leeds Economy Handbook 2007 - Sectors. New tertiary industries such as retail, call centres, offices and News media have contributed to a high rate of economic growth since the early 1990s. 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. 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. 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 south and east of the city centre, typical of the large cities in the UK.

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 *.

Transport Rail The rail network is still of great importance. Leeds City railway 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 upon Tyne, 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 railway station Metro (West Yorkshire) 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 St Pancras railway station 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 Leeds 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 for a bus-based rapid transport scheme rather than a tram-based scheme. Prior to this, in the late 1930's the City Council were offered central government funding to construct a sub-surface tramway system which could double as a public air-raid shelter facility. Leeds City Council failed to take up this offer having spent too long debating the issue. Leeds remains the largest city in the European Union without a mass transit system.

Roads Leeds is the focus of the A58 road, A61 road, A62 road, A63 road, A64 road, A65 road and A660 road roads. Nowadays, with the M1 motorway and M62 motorway intersecting just to its south and the A1 road passing just to its east, it is one of the principal hubs of the northern motorway network. There is an Leeds Inner Ring Road with part motorway status and an Leeds Outer Ring Road. 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 FirstGroup plc and Arriva. Harrogate & District provides a service to Harrogate and Ripon. The Yorkshire Coastliner service runs from Leeds to Malton, North Yorkshire, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Filey, Whitby and Bridlington via Tadcaster, York and Malton, North Yorkshire.

Trolleybus plans A business case for a new trolleybus system in the Leeds region is scheduled to be submitted to the Department for Transport towards the end of 2007. This system would broadly follow the route of the axed Supertram project.

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 Passenger Transport Executive 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, West Yorkshire, to the north-west of the city and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt and Turkey. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport, Charles de Gaulle International 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) south of Leeds.

Sea transport Leeds has good connections by road, rail and coach to Kingston upon 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 | taken in September 2007|-||} 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 Skyscaper News. Bridgewater Place recently became the tallest building in Leeds, however this title is anticipated to be shortlived as the Lumiere is expected to be finished by 2010.

Events

The Leeds German Christmas Market is held in Millennium Square (Leeds) 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.
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, Leeds is closed off and traffic diverted). The date of the 2007 Switch On is 8 November; more information can be heard by listening to Real Radio from 1 November 2007, when the celebrity guests are revealed.
The Leeds International Pianoforte Competition , 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 Festival is held each summer in Roundhay Park.
Leeds West Indian Carnival takes place in Chapeltown, West Yorkshire each summer.
The Leeds International Film Festival 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.
The Carling Weekend: Leeds Festival takes place every August bank holiday at Bramham Park

Areas of the city (for areas in the metropolitan district, see City of Leeds and also see :Category:Districts of Leeds and :Category:Leeds environs){|cellspacing=2|valign=top|

Adel, Leeds
Alwoodley
Armley
Austhorpe
Beckett Park
Beck Hill
Beeston, West Yorkshire
Belle Isle, Leeds
Blenheim, Leeds
Bramley, West Yorkshire
Burmantofts

Burley, Leeds
Chapel Allerton
Chapeltown, West Yorkshire
Leeds City Centre
Colton, Leeds
Cookridge
Cottingley, Leeds
Cross Flatts
Cross Gates
East End Park, Leeds
Old Farnley

Farsley
Gipton
Gledhow
Halton, Leeds
Halton Moor
Harehills
Hawksworth, West Yorkshire
Headingley
Holbeck
Holt Park
Horsforth

Hunslet
Hyde Park, Leeds
Killingbeck
Kirkstall
Ireland Wood
Lawnswood
Little London, Leeds
Meanwood
Miles Hill
Moor Grange
Moorside, Leeds

Until the 1974 reorganisation of local 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 A Vision of Britain Through Time: Relationships / unit history of LEEDS.

Crime Like many other English industrial cities, the crime rate in Leeds is well above the national average.

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 11th in this rating (excluding London Boroughs, 23rd including London Boroughs).

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 United Kingdom.

Tourism is big business in Leeds, and supports more than 20,000 full time equivalent jobs. On average Leeds attracts 1.4 million people annually who stay overnight, plus a further 18.4 million 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. Leeds City Guide: Leeds is booming

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 and recreation Sport ||-| statue in celebratory stance outside Leeds United A.F.C.'s ground Elland Road|}

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 Stadium (cricket and rugby grounds are adjacent), Hunslet Hawks Rugby League Footbal Club, based at the South Leeds Stadium, and Leeds United A.F.C. football (soccer) Club playing at Elland Road.

Football 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 F.C.. 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 (insolvency) 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.

Women's football Leeds City Vixens L.F.C. are a women's 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.. Another women's football team is Leeds United L.F.C. who play their home games at Tadcaster Albion A.F.C. ground 'The Park'.

Rugby league 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 (Europe) champions on 16 October 2004 after defeating arch rivals Bradford Bulls (formerly Bradford Northern) 16-8, at Old Trafford (football), 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 Super League X. Hunslet Hawks, Bramley Buffaloes and Leeds Akkies are other Leeds-based rugby league teams.

Rugby union Leeds Tykes, now known as Leeds Carnegie, won their first ever trophy in 2005 with battling performance to defeat favourites Bath Rugby in the Powergen Cup final. In the 2005-06 Guinness Premiership the Tykes were relegated from the Guinness Premiership. However the Tykes won promotion back to the Premiership National Division One 2006-07. 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).

Athletics 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.

Many athletic clubs serve the youth of the city, and enter teams in the country's major running events - especially raising funds for local charities in the London Marathon and the British 10K.

Sports facilities 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 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 Logo. Yorkshire Television Studios are on Kirkstall Road in LeedsLeeds 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 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 companies based at The Leeds 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 (Yorkshire) 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, West Yorkshire, later diversifying into hip hop music and house music. Later, Dream FM (Leeds) 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 Academy Award 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 Leeds City Council A new museum for Leeds in the building of the former Mechanics Institute, more recently used as the Civic Theatre, in Millennium Square (Leeds). 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 University Hospital, Leeds.

The Royal Armouries 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 Leeds (where Opera North is based), the Leeds 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 Reading and Leeds Festivals 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 Leeds Film.

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 | in 2005, seen from the garden|}

The ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, a Cistercian abbey dating from the 12th century, are in an open park alongside 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. The house was left to Leeds City Council following the occupiers death in 1922. The house is notable Jacobean architecture.Lotherton Hall, with art collections and a bird garden, lies to the east of the city, Bramham Park to the north-east (this now hosts the Reading and Leeds Festivals, 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, Leeds in Horsforth, Woodhouse Moor in Hyde Park, Leeds, Potternewton Park between Chapeltown, West Yorkshire and Harehills, East End Park, Leeds in the location of the same name, Cross Flatts Park in Beeston, West Yorkshire and Middleton Park in Middleton, Leeds.

The parks of the city are put to good use. Roundhay Park hosts numerous concerts, as does Bramham Park (near Wetherby) and Temple Newsham. Roundhay Park is probably the most notable of the parks in Leeds and certainly the largest (in excess of ). It is one of the largest inner city parks in Europe and visited by almost one million people every year. The car park at Roundhay Park is notable as it contains the only remaining trolley poles from the former tram system in the city. The arena area of Roundhay Park is used for concerts and over the years had seen concerts from The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Simple Minds, Madonna (entertainer), Genesis (band), Robbie Williams and U2.

Shopping ||-||}

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 Arcade (architecture) 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 Leeds Corn Exchange, Leeds Kirkgate Market, Granary Wharf, Leeds Shopping Plaza, Headrow Shopping Centre, The Light (Leeds), 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, West Yorkshire.

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 (band), Nightmares on Wax, Ital Rockers, Unit 93 and Juno (band, Leeds) on Sheffield's Warp Records and Leeds' Bassic Records.

dance music 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 (nightclub) and mixed gay night Vague club, Leeds enjoyed the title of best club in Britain at different points in the decade, whilst The Orbit in Morley, West Yorkshire was an internationally recognised techno music 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 punk,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.

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 Reading and Leeds Festivals, 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 plc Wireless Festival take place at Harewood House.

Venues

Leeds plays host to many venues, currently including University of Leeds 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 (Leeds), 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 (Leeds), New Roscoe (Leeds), 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. Leeds City Guide: Clubbing & Nightlife in Leeds 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 (Leeds), have long been gay night spots. Queen's Court offers a similar experience to its London counterpart Rupert Street. Other more recent additions such as Bar Fibre, on Lower Briggate (Leeds) and Mission (Leeds) 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 (Leeds) 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.

Walking The Leeds Country Way is a waymarked circular walk of 62 miles (99 km) through the rural outskirts of the city, never more than from Leeds City Square. The Meanwood Trail leads from Woodhouse Moor along Meanwood Beck to Golden Acre Park. Leeds is on the northern section of the Trans Pennine Trail for walkers and cyclists, and the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is another popular walking route. In addition, there are many parks and public footpaths in both the urban and rural parts of Leeds, and the Ramblers Association, YHA and other walking organisations offer sociable walks. The Ramblers Association publish various booklets of walks in and around Leeds RA website with walking booklets.

Religion 16.8% of Leeds residents in the 2001 census declared themselves as having no religion, which is broadly in line with the figure for the whole of the UK (also 8.1% "Religion not stated").

Christianity The majority of people in Leeds identify themselves as Christianity. Fairly unusually for a City status in the United Kingdom of its size, L

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