The Headrow
Encyclopedia
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It holds many of the city's premier shopping, civic and cultural attractions including Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 on Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick.-Background:...
, Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds, located on the Headrow in the city centre. It houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection, as well as hosting an art gallery in the adjoining building....
, Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is a museum whose collection of 20th century British Art is recognised by the British government as a collection "of national importance". Its collection also includes 19th century and earlier art works. The gallery opened on 3 October 1888 as...
, The Henry Moore Institute and The Light. Some of the largest retail floorplates in the city are on The Headrow, particularly between Park Row
Park Row (Leeds)
Park Row is an important street in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It divides the main financial districts from the main retail districts and forms a spine between City Square and The Headrow, two of Leeds' most sought after addresses. The street forms the western flank of the Public...
and Briggate
Briggate
Briggate is one of the pedestrianised principal shopping streets in central Leeds, England. Most of Leeds' department stores are on Briggate, including the Harvey Nichols branch. It is home to a number of major high street retailers as well as banks, restaurants and cafes. Recently there have been...
, where major chains have opened flagship stores. The Headrow is part of a longer axis that includes Westgate, Eastgate and Quarry Hill
Quarry Hill
Quarry Hill is the name of several places in the world:*Quarry Hill, Leeds, England*Quarry Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong*Quarry Hill, Bendigo, Australia*Quarry Hill, Riverside, California, United States.*Quarry Hill Creative Center, Rochester, Vermont...
, which also host significant civic and cultural destinations such as Leeds Combined Courts Centre and the West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
.
The Headrow forms a spine across Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
between Westgate and Eastgate and is approximately 700 metres (½ mile) long. It was widened between 1928 and 1932 with the redevelopment designed by the architect Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...
primarily as a way of improving traffic flow through Leeds city centre. The area is extensively pedestrianised and has an advisory speed limit
Advisory speed limit
An advisory speed limit is a speed limit that is recommended by a governing body, but is not enforced. Advisory speed limits are often set in areas with many pedestrians, such as in city centres and outside schools, and on difficult stretches of roads, such as on tight corners or through roadworks...
of 15 miles per hour (6.7 m/s). The section between Park Row and Briggate
Briggate
Briggate is one of the pedestrianised principal shopping streets in central Leeds, England. Most of Leeds' department stores are on Briggate, including the Harvey Nichols branch. It is home to a number of major high street retailers as well as banks, restaurants and cafes. Recently there have been...
is also reserved for buses only and cars are not permitted to use it.
History
Appearing on maps as long ago as 1560, the Headrow once formed the northern edge or "head" of medieval Leeds' boundary, hence the street's name. To the east the street crossed Sheepscar Beck, a tributary to the River Aire now tunnelled below ground, where it continued on to York known only as "The Street". In the 17th century it was renamed Parke Lane, Burley Bar, Upper head Row and Lower head Row. Renamed again in the 19th century, at the junction with Albion Street the street ran to the east as Upperhead row and Lowerhead row and to the west as Park Lane and Guildford Street - once home to St Anne's CathedralLeeds Cathedral
Leeds Cathedral, formally The Cathedral Church of St Anne, commonly known as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
which was demolished in November 1904 and relocated a short distance to Cookridge Steet. More recently, running east-to-west, the street became Eastgate, the Headrow and Westgate, though portions of Park Lane remain at the far end of Westgate.
Developments had included the construction of Permanent House, the headquarters of the Leeds Permanent Building Society
Leeds Permanent Building Society
The Leeds Permanent Building Society was a building society founded in Leeds, England in 1846 and was commonly known in a shortened form as The Leeds...
, Lewis's
Lewis's
Lewis's was a large department store in Liverpool city centre. It was formerly the flagship of a chain of department stores under the Lewis's name, that operated from 1856 to 1991, when the company went into administration. Several stores in the chain were bought by the company Owen Owen and...
department store and the Odeon Cinema
Odeon Cinema Leeds
The Odeon Cinema was located at The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.-General History Of The Main Leeds Odeon:Located at the junction of Briggate with the Headrow, the Odeon first opened as the Paramount Theatre with a showing of The Smiling Lieutenant, starring Maurice...
which was originally opened as the Paramount Theatre
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. Headrow House was constructed in the 1950s. The redevelopment is noticeable for being designed in a uniform neo-baroque
Neo-baroque
The Baroque Revival or Neo-baroque was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture which displays important aspects of Baroque style, but is not of the Baroque period proper—i.e., the 17th and 18th centuries.Some examples of Neo-baroque architecture:*...
style which is similar to the better known Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
in London that was also designed by Reginald Blomfield. However there are differences in that the cladding is a mixture of Red Brick and Portland Stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
as opposed to the Portland Stone only that is seen on Regent Street. Also the development as it was a road widening scheme had meant only one side of The Headrow has been constructed in this uniform style with the other side having a mixture of buildings from the 1800s to the present.
Retail
The Light (Leeds)
The Light is a leisure and retail centre in central Leeds, England. It is located along The Headrow. The building was constructed in 1930–31 as Permanent House, the headquarters of the Leeds Permanent Building Society; the society moved to new premises in at Lovell Park in the 1990s...
, houses numerous high end stores on the north side of The Headrow. There is ground floor retail in Direct Line
Direct Line
Direct Line is part of the RBS Insurance division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services over the phone and internet....
House (originally known as Headrow House) on Dortmund Square. The St. John's Shopping Centre and The Headrow Centre are shopping centres that flank opposite sides of Dortmund Square, on The Headrow. Broadgate, formerly Lewis's
Lewis's
Lewis's was a large department store in Liverpool city centre. It was formerly the flagship of a chain of department stores under the Lewis's name, that operated from 1856 to 1991, when the company went into administration. Several stores in the chain were bought by the company Owen Owen and...
and later Allders
Allders
Allders is an independent department store in Croydon, established by Joshua Allder in 1862. It is the fourth-largest department store in the United Kingdom.The Croydon store was the flagship of a large chain of department stores in the UK...
, now houses flagship branches of TK Maxx, Argos, Clas Ohlson
Clas Ohlson
Clas Ohlson is a Swedish hardware chain store and mail-order firm that sells amongst other things, hardware, electrical, multimedia, and home and leisure products. It is the biggest of its type in Scandinavia, with a total number of Clas Ohlson stores is 121 as of July 2010. Stores also exist in...
and Sainsbury's. The former Odeon is now home to a major Primark
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
store, at the junction of Briggate
Briggate
Briggate is one of the pedestrianised principal shopping streets in central Leeds, England. Most of Leeds' department stores are on Briggate, including the Harvey Nichols branch. It is home to a number of major high street retailers as well as banks, restaurants and cafes. Recently there have been...
.
Attractions
The LightThe Light (Leeds)
The Light is a leisure and retail centre in central Leeds, England. It is located along The Headrow. The building was constructed in 1930–31 as Permanent House, the headquarters of the Leeds Permanent Building Society; the society moved to new premises in at Lovell Park in the 1990s...
houses a 13 screen multiplex cinema operated by Vue, as well as an Esporta Health Club, Radisson SAS Hotel and many restaurants and bars. There are several art galleries on The Headrow axis, including the major Leeds City Art Gallery and New Briggate gallery. On the south side is Leeds City Varieties
Leeds City Varieties
The Leeds City Varieties is a Grade II* listed music hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.It was built in 1865 as an adjunct to the White Swan Inn in Swan Street and the original interior is largely unaltered. Along with Hoxton Hall and Wilton's Music Hall , it is a rare surviving example of the...
, the world's oldest surviving music hall. The theatrical offering is balanced by The Grand Theatre, home of Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
, just off The Headrow on New Briggate, on the north side. At the eastern end of Eastgate is the West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
, the biggest producing theatre outside London.
Victoria Gardens
At the western end of The Headrow is a large public space, Victoria Gardens. It is Leeds's Speakers' CornerSpeakers' Corner
A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London, United Kingdom. Speakers there may speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful, although...
, although it is best known for being the location where war memorial services are held, and where justice and anti-war rallies both gather and later terminate. The area is surrounded by some of the city's most important buildings including Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 on Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick.-Background:...
, Leeds City Art Gallery, The Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds, located on the Headrow in the city centre. It houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection, as well as hosting an art gallery in the adjoining building....
. The Light
The Light (Leeds)
The Light is a leisure and retail centre in central Leeds, England. It is located along The Headrow. The building was constructed in 1930–31 as Permanent House, the headquarters of the Leeds Permanent Building Society; the society moved to new premises in at Lovell Park in the 1990s...
shopping centre is on the eastern side.
Dortmund Square
In 1980, the area between Headrow House and Lewis store was converted to Dortmund Square. To celebrate the 10 years of twinning the people of DortmundDortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
presented the people of Leeds the bronze statue, sculpted by Arthur Shulze-Engels, of the Dortmund Drayman which now stands in the square.
In the Late 1980's to mid 1990's Leeds Sculptor Robert James White was granted special permission through his small family business The Robert James White collection consisting of family members, his wife Marion and son Anthony to reproduce monuments in miniature. The Drayman in Leeds Dortmund Square was reproduced and presented to visiting dignitaries and some years later when Leeds and Siegen were twinned Robert James White was commissioned to produce a special statue as a presentation piece to the city of Siegen. More significantly The Black Prince statue in leeds were reproduced in bronze. These were presented around the world to visiting dignitaries and to each Lord Mayor in office. Later Robert James White went on to do many other monuments and statues including one presented to HRH The Queen of the Queen trooping the Colors. The Black Prince statue was also presented to HMS Ark Royal.
The future
Eastgate Quarters
Eastgate Quarters, formerly known as the Harewood and Eastgate Quarters, is a planned €650 million retail development in Leeds, England which is planned to open in 2015. It is a project development by Hammerson....
a shopping centre to the East of The Headrow that is expected to open in 2011 which will include a John Lewis
John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
department store, over 100 new shops, bars and restaurants, cinemas, a gym, offices and flats. It could see Eastgate (the continuation of The Headrow eastwards) pedestrianised.
Cavendish House, adjacent to The Headrow Centre has been reclad and rebranded as Basilica. The tower comprises apartments and offices, while the podium is home to PC World
PC World (retailer)
PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
, a name usually to be found on out of town retail parks.
There is one remaining unit to be occupied in Broadgate, opposite Primark, while Cex has recently opened in the old JJB unit in Direct Line House.
The Headrow Centre is currently in process of being refurbished to become known as The Core which is expected to be complete for 2009.