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CultureSportThe city has a strong sporting heritage, with Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Leeds Rhinos (the rugby league team) and Leeds Tykes (the Rugby Union team) playing at Headingley Stadium, and Leeds United F.C. playing at Elland Road. Unlike many other large cities such as Manchester and Sheffield, Leeds only has one football team. Leeds United had a turbulent 2004, narrowly avoiding insolvency, and dropped from the Premier League into The Championship. They finished 14th during the 2004/2005 season. The following season, they finished 5th to reach The Championship play-offs, losing 3-0 to Watford in the final.Leeds Rhinos were crowned Super League champions on 16 October 2004 after defeating arch rivals Bradford Bulls 16-8 at Old Trafford. Unfortunately they lost the Grand Final to Bradford Bulls in 2005. Leeds Tykes won their first ever trophy in 2005 with battling performance to defeat favourites Bath Rugby in the Powergen Cup final. In the 2005-06 season the Tykes were relegated from the Guinness Premiership. 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 and 2006. In 2006 the team achieved the 'Grand Slam' of wins - Yorkshire, North of England and English National Champions. Leeds has a wealth of sports facilities including the 40,000 capacity Elland Road football stadium, a host stadium during the 1996 European Football Championship, 22,000 capacity Carnegie Headingley Stadium, world famous for both Cricket and rugby league, Leeds International Pool (50m), South Leeds Stadium used for athletics, bowls, football and tennis. Other facilities include the Leeds Wall (climbing), Xscape (real snow indoor ski and snowboard slope with ice climbing wall), Yeadon Tarn sailing centre, and Garforth Jets Badminton Club. Media
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; 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. BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Aire, Magic 828, Galaxy 105, Real Radio 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, later diversifying into hip hop and house. Later, Dream FM 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. 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, with Freeserve and Ananova going on to become part of Wanadoo and Orange within France Télécom. The City's Holbeck area is now home to the 'internet quarter' - an urban village with infrastructure and facilities for digital media and creative companies; at its heart is the Round Foundry media centre facility. Now, over 33% of the UK's internet traffic goes through Leeds, making it the UK's largest internet city. Museums and the artsLeeds has a large number of museums, being the home of the Royal Armouries Museum (opened in 1996 when the collection was transferred from the Tower of London), the Leeds City Museum which is dedicated to the history of Yorkshire, the Thackray's Medical Museum and the Leeds City Art Gallery. Leeds also boasts the Grand Theatre (where Opera North is based), the City Varieties music hall (which has hosted performances by Charlie Chaplin and Harry Houdini) and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.The Leeds Festival 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 Children & Young People's Film Festival, which is organised and put together entirely by people under 18 years old. The first moving pictures in the world were taken in the city, by Louis Le Prince, of Leeds Bridge in 1888, and the world's first traffic light was also installed on Park Row. Temple Newsam House, Harewood House and the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, which dates from the 12th century, are on the outskirts of the city. Shopping
Musicand List of bands originating in LeedsBandsThough not as prolific as its neighbour Manchester across the Pennines, or indeed Sheffield to its south, Leeds has still produced many notable bands. Most recently Kaiser Chiefs and The Music have joined the list of successful bands from the city. ;Dance music and the clubbing scene House music had a big impact on Leeds when it arrived in the late 1980's. 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 1989-1990, with influential local bands such as LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Ital Rockers, Unit 93 and Juno on Sheffield's Warp Records and Leeds' Bassic Records. Dance 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 1990's, 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 an internationally recognised techno mecca (Orbit closed in the late nineties and was replaced by a restaurant). ;DIY scene Leeds is very well-known for its current DIY underground music scene, encompassing the genres of hardcore, post-hardcore, post-punk, and noise rock among others. There is a vibrant and active community based around the DIY ethic, supported in part by Cops and Robbers, a monthly guide to DIY events in and around Leeds. ;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 Leeds Festival, 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 starting in September 2006. West Yorkshire Playhouse (along with several other smaller venues) plays host to the annual Fuseleeds festival showcasing an eclectic mix of more left-field music. 2006 had seen the two-day O2 Wireless Festival take place at Harewood House. ;Venues Leeds plays host to many venues, currently including Leeds University refectory [6] (where The Who recorded their 1970 live album Live at Leeds), Leeds Metropolitan University [7], The Cockpit, Brudenell Social Club [8], The Faversham [9], The Hi-Fi club [10], The Wardrobe, The Irish Centre, Joseph's Well [11], The New Roscoe [12], The Vine and The Mixing Tin among others. Occasional gigs are held in Millennium Square in the city centre (including the Kaiser Chiefs in 2006), Roundhay Park (which was home to Love Parade in 2000 and has hosted gigs by the likes of Robbie Williams and The Rolling Stones), Harewood House, Leeds Town Hall 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). [13] Nightlife
Leeds has gained a reputation as one of the UK's favourite clubbing destinations. Often described as the UK's 'clubbing capital', Leeds is best known as the home of pioneering club nights Back to Basics and Speedqueen. Until a few years ago, 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. Complete listings and reviews of bars, pubs and nightclubs in Leeds can be found online at Leeds City Guide, an extensive online venue and lifestyle guide. Live music events are also listed on Leeds Gig Guide, Cops and Robbers and 'Leeds, Live it, Love it'. In recent years a Gay nightlife scene has developed. The Bridge Inn and The New Penny, both on Call Lane, have long been Gay night spots. Queens Court offers a similar experience to its London counterpart Rupert Street. Recent additions such as Bar Fibre, on Lower Briggate and Mission offer more contemporary 'straight friendly' environments. During the summer months the secluded courtyard that lies between Bar Fibre and Queens Court is a beer garden. Recently opened clubs include the Velvet Underground and The Warehouse, home of the Saturday club night Speedqueen. Towards Millennium Square and the Civic or Northern Quarter, is the newly developing entertainment district thriving on students. Recently, the Hard Rock Café and TigerTiger have opened here, and various upper class restaurants have opened in the Northern Quarter. Millennium Square bursts into life during the night with its many bars (such as Cocoon, Revolution and Haha!, to name but a few), and a big screen mounted on the Civic Theatre completes the Quarter. Millennium Square plays host to many large events such as Earth From The Air, Icecube (a large outdoor ice rink), Christmas markets, gigs, citywide parties and the world famous rhythms of the city festival. Millennium Square is adjacent to the Mandela Gardens, which Nelson Mandela opened 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 'super-clubs' including Creation, Evolution, Majestyk and Oceana. Life Bar, Tiger Tiger and Discotheque by Gatecrasher are also large clubs. Leeds is also home to some Bohemian bars that aren't aimed at the 'usual' weeken 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. Religious CommunitiesLeeds has a large diverse range of communities from various faiths.;Islamic Leeds' Muslim Community is prominent and thriving. Mosques can be find throughout the City, serving the large Muslim community. As well as this, pockets of Muslim-related shops (forming a variety of supermarkets, shops, restaurants to Islamic book shops) can be found in Harehills (Harehills Lane) and parts of Headingley and Beeston. Three of the four men responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings were from Leeds. Mosques in Leeds: *Leeds Grand Mosque, Headingley *Leeds Islamic Centre, Harehills *Bilaal Mosque, Harehills *Makkih Mosque, Headingley ;Sikhism The Sikh community is represented by Gurdwara's (Temples) spread across the City. There is also a colourful religious annual procession, called the Nagar Kirtan, into Millennium Square in the City Centre around 13th/14th April to celebrate Vaisakhi - the Sikh New Year and the Birth of the Religion. It's estimated around 3,000 Sikhs in Leeds take part in this annual event. The main Sikh areas in Leeds are: *The Sikh Centre - Chapeltown Road *Ramgarhia Sikh Temple - Sheepscar *Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha - Beeston *Armley - Tong Road ;Hinduism ;Jewish ;Chinese ;Catholic Historically Leeds has a strong Roman Catholic history. As the see of the Diocese of Leeds, it is one of thirty towns and cities in the UK to have a Catholic cathedral. Famous people from LeedsMany famous people have been born in Leeds including novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, former Spice Girl Mel B and comedian Vic Reeves. Leigh Francis, creator of the TV show Bo' Selecta!, took his stage name 'Avid Merrion' from the Merrion Centre in the city.Artists based in LeedsAxis is an online database listing practising artists within the UK. It was started as a Leeds Metropolitan University project and over the last 15 years has grown to be the Internet based resource for finding artists for commissions.* Kerry Harker [14] * Emma Bolland * Tony Quinn (Photographer) [15] - Photographer based in Leeds specialising in images of the changing face of the City. * Derek Horton (writer) [16] * Peter David Hamilton - (visual artist) * James Wakefield (photographer) [17] 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, including Trinity & All Saints' College accredited by the University of Leeds, giving it one of the largest student populations in the country. Indeed recently it has gained accolades as the Best UK University Destination in the Independent newspaper. The main campuses of both universities are near the city centre, as is that of the similarly revered College of Art. The cities two main public schools are Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School. Leeds Grammar School is situated on the outskirts of the city at Alwoodley Gates and dating back to 1552, is the principal public school for boys. Leeds Girls' High School is an independent, selective school for girls, located in Headingley and consistently ranked highly in education tables. The city is home to several colleges, such as Park Lane College Leeds (the largest FE College in Leeds with over 38,500 students)[18] and Thomas Danby College and also Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, one of the country's top colleges. It is located in central leeds and has approximately 1,400 students. The city is home to many high schools such as Royds School The school is now celebrating 50 years of success (founded 1956). The school was originally a Secondary Modern and is now a non- selective comprehensive serving Rothwell, South Leeds, and the surrounding areas. The school since 2000 has provided strong post 16 education with its sister school Rodillian. The school gained specialist language college status in 2002 and it is hoped the head Mrs Young will lead the school to greater success in the school's second 50 years. Other Leeds High Schools include Rodillian High School, Allerton High School which was started in 1901, Allerton High School which was started in 1901 and Morley High School was founded as a grammar school in 1907, but became a mixed comprehensive in 1975. OFSTED reports are available for all schools and further education colleges in Leeds. Leeds LEA OFSTED reports Under the Governments targets for better schools for children, Education Leeds has been given several £billion to help towards the cost of refurbishing or rebuilding primary and secondary schools in Leeds. One of the first high schools in Leeds to be rebuilt will be Pudsey Grangefield School (Mathematics and Computing Specialist Status). ReferencesFurther reading*Burt S. and Grady K. (2002 â€" 2nd edition) The illustrated history of Leeds, Breedon Books, Derby*Fraser D. (ed.) (1980) A history of modern Leeds, Manchester University Press, Manchester *Unsworth R. and Stillwell J. (eds.) (2004) Twenty-first century Leeds: geographies of a regional city, Leeds University Press, Leeds; Sixteen chapters about the contemporary city; 160 maps, many photos *Wrathmell S. (2005), Leeds, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, London External linksCultural*The annual Leeds festival*Leeds Music Scene - Information about Leeds bands and musicians *Leeds Film Festival *Leeds Music Festival *West Yorkshire Playhouse *The School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds Transport*Leeds Bradford International Airport*Information about public transport in the region *The Trans Pennine Trail Sport*Leeds Rhinos (Rugby League) and Leeds Tykes (Rugby Union)*Leeds United Football Club *Yorkshire County Cricket Club Miscellaneous*Leeds City Council Leeds City (Metropolitan) Council. *'Leeds, Live it, Love it' Official city website, for Visitors, Business, Students and Residents. *Leeds on the BBC *Leeds City Guide - Information about Bars, Pubs, Clubs, Hotels and Restaurants *Leeds Statistics - geographical information and statistics across the district *Leeds Chamber of Commerce (Leeds Chamber) *Leeds Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCI Leeds) * Leeds Initiative - the Local Strategic Partnership bringing together public, private, voluntary and community sectors *Leeds Construction Link Leeds Construction News and Resources *Go back in time with Leodis, find out what Leeds used to look like *Gateway Church Leeds *Hyde Park Picture House *LoveMyTown - City of Leeds civic pride facts *Leeds at Google Maps *Leeds Skyscapers Leeds Buildings, Projects & Skyscapers.
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