If you love travelling, and love exploring new and different places, then Leeds in the UK is definitely worth a look. Especially if like me, you enjoy places with a vast history and interesting architecture to boot. Here are two historical sites of Leeds, which also have some very interesting architecture:


Corn Exchange

Leeds’ Corn Exchange was completed in 1862 by architect Cuthbert Brodrick, who also designed the town hall and whose name you will find a lot around Leeds as the Wetherspoons (great place for food) in Millennium Square is named after him. The Corn Exchange, as the name implies, was built to trade corn. It is one of three corn exchanges still standing in the UK, and the only one of the three which is still used for trade, although no longer in corn.

When trading in corn was no longer needed, the Corn Exchange closed and was subject to deterioration. In the 80s, plans to refurbish and reopen this great building were developed and it reopened in 1990 as a shopping centre for speciality shops, as well as being a useful venue for events like Strut, fashion show, and the Antiques Roadshow ( a popular BBC programme).

In 2007 a new direction for the Corn exchange was developed with it becoming a food emporium and is now home to Piazza by Anthony with the upper levels belonging to a variety of trendy boutique stores. Events are still held at the Corn Exchange with the latest being Gok’s Fashion Roadshow, and the Next Big Thing by Katie Price.

Personally, I love the façade of this building, and the fact that it is a unique dome building of the area.

Corn Exchange

Leeds University

The University of Leeds is known as a British Redbrick university, as redbrick was predominantly used for the original buildings of the Leeds School of Medicine built in 1831. Below is a picture of the Great Hall of Leeds giving
you an idea of what Redbrick architecture of Britain looks like.

Leeds University

The school didn’t receive University status until 1887, and only as part of the Victoria University. It became the University of Leeds in 1904. 

Now, it not only harbours over 33,000 students but also a wide selection of architectural styles. The Great Hall is one of the oldest buildings of the university with one of the youngest (Arnold And Marjorie Ziff building / 2008) buildings greeting students on their way towards the Great Hall.

Yet, the university’s most famous and iconic building is the Parkinson Building, home to the Brotherton Library. Construction of the Parkinson Building started in 1938, but had to be paused due to the Second World War, and the building wasn’t completed until 1951.

The University of Leeds is the oldest university of the city, but by no means the only one, as Leeds is a very influential university city.

But historical buildings aren’t the only interesting sites of Leeds, as shown by the university, Leeds combines old styles with the new to create an interesting balance and mix of modern architecture with historical sites.

About the Author:
This article was written by Sarah Oxley on behalf of One UK, providers of city apartments and flats in the Leeds area. Sarah has lived in Leeds for two years now and is always finding new areas of the town, which she loves to photograph and share.