Leeds City Square
Encyclopedia
City Square is a paved open area in Leeds
city centre in West Yorkshire
, England
.
In 1897, the Leeds city council of the time wanted to improve the open space near to the (Old) Post Office and in 1899 work was completed. The city square was enhanced with the erection of statues, the grandest being the Black Prince
on horseback in bronze by Thomas Brock
. There are other statues of other worthy local people (Joseph Priestley
, John Harrison
, James Watt
and Dr Walter Hook
) and statues of eight nymphs, light standards by sculptor Alfred Drury
.
To the south are the railway station, the Queens Hotel
and the streets of Bishopgate Street and New Station Street. To the west are the former Majestyks and Jumpin Jacks nightclubs which are due to be converted into a casino, the Old Post Office (which closed in 2004 and has been converted into restaurants and serviced apartments that opened in 2006) and the streets of Aire Street, Wellington Street, Quebec Street and Infirmary Street (a bus terminal).
In the south west corner, between Aire Street and Wellington Street, is a current empty plot of land that is due to be the location for the 14-storey City Square House office block. To the east is Mill Hill Chapel, the 19 storey Park Plaza hotel on Boar Lane and the former Yorkshire Banking Company building which latterly became a Midland Bank
is now a "Flare's" nightclub/bar. Park Row
leads north towards The Headrow
from the square with the office blocks of One City Square and One Park Row.
Between the 1960s and 1995, the north of City Square was home to the Norwich Union
building and another office block with an adjoining skyway. This was intended to go across the whole city centre but was never completed. After being voted the ugliest in the United Kingdom, the buildings to the north of city square were demolished and rebuilt.
In 1997, traffic that went through the City Square, mainly buses and taxis, was diverted to the Leeds City Centre "Loop" traffic scheme. The City Square area was refurbished in the early 2000s, which included closing off one side of the square to traffic, rearranging the statues and adding traditional fixtures, fountains to the square.
on Leeds, the Luftwaffe
bombed City Square. City Square was at the time the site of a public air raid shelter, which did not withstand the bombing and was significantly damaged.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
city centre in 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...
.
In 1897, the Leeds city council of the time wanted to improve the open space near to the (Old) Post Office and in 1899 work was completed. The city square was enhanced with the erection of statues, the grandest being the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
on horseback in bronze by Thomas Brock
Thomas Brock
Sir Thomas Brock KCB RA was an English sculptor.- Life :Brock was born in Worcester, attended the School of Design in Worcester and then undertook an apprenticeship in modelling at the Worcester Royal Porcelain Works. In 1866 he became a pupil of the sculptor John Henry Foley. He married in 1869,...
. There are other statues of other worthy local people (Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
, John Harrison
John Harrison (Leeds)
John Harrison was a prominent inhabitant of Leeds, in Yorkshire, England, in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, variously as one of the early woollen cloth merchants, and as a benefactor of the town.-Commercial and municipal life:...
, James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
and Dr Walter Hook
Walter Farquhar Hook
Walter Farquhar Hook , was an eminent Victorian churchman.-Background:He was the Vicar of Leeds responsible for the construction of the current Leeds Parish Church and for many ecclesiastical and social improvements to the city in the mid-nineteenth century...
) and statues of eight nymphs, light standards by sculptor Alfred Drury
Alfred Drury
Alfred Briscoe Drury, was an English architectural sculptor and figure in the New Sculpture movement.Born in London, Drury studied under Edouard Lanteri and Jules Dalou, with whom he worked between 1881 and 1885, and then became assistant to Joseph Boehm.Drury is best represented at the Victoria...
.
To the south are the railway station, the Queens Hotel
Queens Hotel (Leeds)
Queens Hotel is a hotel owned by Quintessential Hotels, located on Leeds City Square in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.It is an elegant Art Deco Grade II listed building. It was constructed in 1937 by architects W.Curtis Green and W.H. Hamlyn for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway...
and the streets of Bishopgate Street and New Station Street. To the west are the former Majestyks and Jumpin Jacks nightclubs which are due to be converted into a casino, the Old Post Office (which closed in 2004 and has been converted into restaurants and serviced apartments that opened in 2006) and the streets of Aire Street, Wellington Street, Quebec Street and Infirmary Street (a bus terminal).
In the south west corner, between Aire Street and Wellington Street, is a current empty plot of land that is due to be the location for the 14-storey City Square House office block. To the east is Mill Hill Chapel, the 19 storey Park Plaza hotel on Boar Lane and the former Yorkshire Banking Company building which latterly became a Midland Bank
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
is now a "Flare's" nightclub/bar. 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...
leads north towards The Headrow
The Headrow
The Headrow is an avenue in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It holds many of the city's premier shopping, civic and cultural attractions including Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Central Library, Leeds Art Gallery, The Henry Moore Institute and The Light...
from the square with the office blocks of One City Square and One Park Row.
Between the 1960s and 1995, the north of City Square was home to the Norwich Union
Norwich Union
Norwich Union was the name given to insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It is the biggest life insurance provider in the United Kingdom, and has a strong position in motor insurance...
building and another office block with an adjoining skyway. This was intended to go across the whole city centre but was never completed. After being voted the ugliest in the United Kingdom, the buildings to the north of city square were demolished and rebuilt.
In 1997, traffic that went through the City Square, mainly buses and taxis, was diverted to the Leeds City Centre "Loop" traffic scheme. The City Square area was refurbished in the early 2000s, which included closing off one side of the square to traffic, rearranging the statues and adding traditional fixtures, fountains to the square.
Bombing
During an air raidStrategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
on Leeds, the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombed City Square. City Square was at the time the site of a public air raid shelter, which did not withstand the bombing and was significantly damaged.