Leeds Information
Find Leeds information and reviews written by local people who love to share their experiences and provide useful tips. Discover local history, read reviews on the theatre, and information on local towns and places to visit in and around Leeds. In this section you will also find information about annual events in the city.
Browse through our information guides and reviews written by local people.
Watch Leeds Rhinos at Headingley rugby stadium
Written by Jon Howe
Inside Headingley rugby stadium – home of the Leeds Rhinos
Headingley’s Rugby ground is one of the oldest sporting arenas in the country and is deeply entrenched in the history of the game of Rugby League. The ground is also unique in that it is physically joined to the home of Yorkshire County...
Experience Yorkshire cricket at Headingley Carnegie
Written by Jon Howe
The Carnegie Pavilion at Headingley cricket ground. Home to Yorkshire cricket.
The home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) has undertaken a huge metamorphosis in the last ten years. The fact that the ground is now officially known as ‘Headingley Carnegie’ tells you something about the influence...
Northern Ballet Beauty and the Beast review
Written by Louisa Parker
Beauty and the Beast at Leeds Grand Theatre. Photo: Bill Cooper.
My young son is a fairly nifty mover when strutting his stuff to the Michael Jackson Wii game, but he’s never taken a dance class in his life. However, he has developed the ability to balance on one leg for quite a long time due to his...
The tales of haunted Leeds
Written by Richard Smyth
Keep a look out for the Blue lady… boo! Photo attribution: Simon Grubb
Leeds, has its share of shadows and secrets, its forbidden history of black deeds, dark doings and blood-curdling devilry; there’s no shortage of skeletons a-rattling in the city’s cupboards. What’s more, some say that,...
The history of Leeds in the Industrial Revolution
Written by Richard Smyth
Steam train on the Middleton Railway
The Industrial Revolution was a good time to be a genius. And, if you were a genius, there was no better place to be than the north of England. As the manufacturing industry took flight, hereditary privilege and high-society connections lost much of their value;...
Review of Café 164 in Leeds
Written by Darren Cronian
Inside Café 164 opposite Leeds bus station.
I love places that have a good atmosphere where you can relax, read a newspaper or work. Having visited Café 164 on numerous occasions recently I thought it was time to write up a review of the cafe, with its comfy leather seats and artwork from local artists...
History of Leeds: Life in Victorian Leeds
Written by Richard Smyth
Inside the Victoria Quarter
What – to steal a gag from Monty Python – did the Victorians ever do for Leeds? Anyone who lives in the city today owes a massive debt to the innovators and entrepreneurs of the nineteenth century. Going shopping? You’ve got the Victorians to thank for Thornton’s...
Guide to what’s on in Leeds theatres
Written by Dick Bonham
Inside the impressive City Varieties
The Leeds theatre scene is in particularly rude health at the moment. There’s an ever-expanding range work across the different theatres in the city. And with increasing co-operation between those venues, there’s a growing and vibrant community of theatre-makers...
Leeds History: Life in Georgian Leeds
Written by Richard Smyth
Whitelock’s (licensed as the Turk’s Head in 1784)
Briggate, in the centre of Leeds, is one of the north of England’s most iconic thoroughfares. It also has quite a history; it’s been the bustling hub of Leeds since before the Georgian age of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Georgian Briggate...
Preview of Leeds International Film Festival
Written by Louisa Parker
Gala opening at the Leeds Town Hall. Photo attribution: Rick Harrison
Leeds International Film Festival (3rd to 20th November 2011) is the biggest UK film festival outside London. It has a varied programme of commercial and independent, experimental, international and documentary films. The 25th LIFF...
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