The Headrow

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53°47′58″N 1°32′42″W / 53.7995°N 1.5450°W / 53.7995; -1.5450

The Headrow is an avenue in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England.

It is one of the most important thoroughfares in central Leeds, hosting many of the city's civic and cultural buildings, including

The Headrow forms a spine across the city centre between Westgate and Eastgate and is approximately ½ mile (700 m) long. It was widened between 1928 and 1932 in a redevelopment designed by architect Reginald Blomfield, primarily as a way of improving traffic flow through city centre. The area has an advisory speed limit of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). The section between Park Row and Briggate is reserved for buses and taxis and cars/motorcycles are not permitted to use it between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.

History

Appearing on maps in 1560, the Headrow once formed the northern edge or "head" of medieval Leeds' boundary, hence its name. To the east the street crossed Sheepscar Beck, a tributary of the River Aire now culverted, and continued, known as "The Street", to York. 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 Cathedral which was demolished in November 1904 and relocated to Cookridge Street. 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.^[1]

Developments included the construction of

Today the street is one of Leeds's principal shopping streets. The former Permanent House, now known as

Broad Gate was built in 1932 and occupied by

The Light houses a 13-screen multiplex cinema operated by Vue and a Virgin Active Gym, Radisson BLU Hotel and restaurants and bars. There are several art galleries on The Headrow axis, including the major

Victoria Gardens

At the western end of the Headrow is Victoria Gardens, Leeds' Speakers' Corner, best known as the location of the war memorial, and where justice and anti-war rallies have gathered and terminated. The area is surrounded by Leeds Town Hall, Leeds City Art Gallery, The Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Central Library. The mother church of the Methodist District of Leeds, Oxford Place Methodist Mission, fronts the western side, while The Light 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 ten years of twinning the people of Dortmund presented the people of Leeds with a bronze statue, sculpted by Arthur Shulze-Engels, of the Dortmund Drayman which stands in the square.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Headrow.

• Looking at Buildings - The Headrow Archived 14 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine