12 Things you didn’t know about Leeds

Leeds is a beautiful, historical city filled to the brim and overflowing with great things! But did you know there are some surprising, utterly unique and bizarre things that you may not know about Leeds?

1). Flying for over a century: did you know that the oldest flying aeroplane in Britain was in Leeds? It’s true! The Blackburn Type D was an aircraft pioneer with it’s one engine and single seat. This plane was known as a monoplane.

The aircraft was built by Robert Blackburn for Cyril Foggin in 1912, only 10 years after the first flight of the Wright Brothers. One more fact you may not know is that the plane is still flying these days! It lives at the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire.

2). Hippos once lived in Leeds: you read that correctly! Hippos once lived in the area where Leeds now resides and there’s proof to support this wild claim!

Back in 1984, the bones of hippo from 130,000 years ago were discovered during construction of the Armely Gyratory. These ancient hippo bones are now on display at Leeds City Museum.

3). X-ray pioneers: x-rays were first discovered in Leeds by William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg. Using this amazing tech, the father and son team discovered the structure of crystals and more. The discovery was made at the University of Leeds.

4). Leeds man helped build iconic buildings of the US: who would have thought that man from Leeds would leave his mark on American architecture! The neoclassical architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, created some of his best work in the US: the United States Capital Building and the White House Portico. These were designed when he was a Chief Engineer in the US Navy.

5). Leeds had the first county maps of England: a Royal cartographer to Elizabeth I, Christopher Saxton, was given high tech (for back then) surveying equipment to draw each and every county in the county for the first time. His maps were made into double page spreads in the Atlas of Counties of England and Wales, which was published in 1579.

6). Grazing rooftop sheep in Leeds: who could invent that story? Back in 1836, Temple Works, now a Grade I building, was a flax mill that was famous for it’s ancient Egyptian design. It was also well known for having the largest single room in the world when it was built.

However, one of the most unusual facts about the build is that it had a problem with low humidity. As a result, it was decided that in order to maintain the grass more easily it would be necessary to put sheep on the roof. Believe it or not, to get the sheep up on the roof, the very first hydraulic lift was created! Who would have thought!

7). Oldest surviving film was made in Leeds: in 1888, Louise Le Prince created one of the first, still surviving film that was recorded in Leeds! The camera used was the Le Prince single-lens camera made in 1888.

In the surviving clip from 1888 was filmed at the Whitley family home in Oakwood Grange Road, Roundhay, which is suburb of Leeds. The date of filming is set on October 14, 1888.

8). Houdini almost died in Leeds: Houdini, the famous illusionist and escape artists was set to perform at The Tetley in 1911, where he almost died. One of his most famous escape tricks was with the milk can escape. For this trick, Houdini was handcuffed, and then sealed in the milk can that was filled with water. He usually managed to escape just fine.

At the Tetley, Houdini was going to do the same trick, but instead he used a barrel of Leeds’ famous Tetley’s bitter ale. During the stunt, when he was sealed into the barrel of bitters, Houdini couldn’t get out of the barrel, and eventually passed out.

The problem was that Houdini never drank alcohol and was overcome by the ale and fainted. Thankfully Houdini’s chief assistant, Franz Kukol, saw there was a problem and tore the barrel open and dragged Houdini out! This was Houdini’s only known defeat—ever. 

9). First ever Ryder Cup event in Europe: it’s a fact—Leeds was once host to the Ryder Cup golf competition! Back in 1929, the event was held at Moortown Gold Club. The committee in charge of the event spent months getting the gold course up to speed for the event.

The two teams involved in the contest were the British and the American cup teams. The event was watched by the largest ever crowd that had ever attended a golf tournament in the UK. Who do you think won the Ryder Cup that year? The British, of course!

10). Leeds Arena designed with perfect line of sight: did you know that every seat in the Leeds Arena has perfect line of site? It’s true, no matter what you sit in the arena, you’ll have a perfect view of the stage.

The arena is the UK’s only arena with this wonderful feature! You can see artists from every seat, so no need to shell out big bucks for tickets close to the stage. Any seat will do just fine!

11). A famous author was not fond of Leeds: a world-famous literary giant, Charles Dickens, once visited Leeds on a tour around the country. He made a stop in Leeds but didn’t have a very good impression of the city. He said the city was “an odious place.” At least his negative comment truly sounds as if it was written by a literary great!

12). Leeds was home to the last flat cap manufacturer: back in the 1920s, JW Myers was the largest manufacturer in the world of the famous, classic the flat cap. This cap was so popular it would literally fly off the store shelves!

However, when it became too expensive to produce the cap any longer, the manufacturing of these classic Yorkshire caps was sent off to China.

Now, you know some very unique, and bizarre facts about the city of Leeds! Go share these with your family and friends and see if they know about these bits of information about this lovely city!

13). Leeds Impressive Library Collections: The Leeds Library was established in 1768, and is one of the oldest subscription libraries in the UK. As a subscription library, it’s owned and run by its members. The library is home to an amazing collection of over 140,000 books, including rare and historical volumes. The library has been a hub for literary and intellectual pursuits in Leeds for centuries.

14). Burial Ground Discoveries: during the construction of the Leeds Arena in 2012, archaeologists made a fascinating discovery. They unearthed the remains of a Roman settlement and a mediaeval burial ground dating back over 1,000 years. This once-in-a-lifetime find included the remains of 60 men, women, and children from Roman times. The find shed light on the city’s ancient past and provided valuable insights into its early history.

15). Iconic Victorian Arcades: if you love to shop, you’ll love the city of Leeds. This beautiful city is known for its stunning Victorian arcades, which are a testament to the city’s architectural heritage. These covered shopping passageways, such as the Grand Arcade and the Victoria Quarter, are adorned with beautiful mosaics, intricate ironwork, and ornate facades, creating a unique shopping experience. And we have to mention that you’ll find some lovely shops in the midst of these fascinating Victorian arcades!

16). Green Spaces: despite being a bustling city, Leeds is a city that boasts an impressive amount of green spaces. The city has more parks and green areas per square mile than any other city in the UK. From expansive parks like Roundhay Park to hidden gems like Hyde Park, these green spaces offer residents and visitors a peaceful retreat within the urban landscape. You’ll find parks that are perfect for walks with the entire family, parks that offer playgrounds for kids, and so much more. Nature is all around you in Leeds!

17). Fizzy drinks invented in Leeds: over 250 years ago, carbonated water was discovered in Leeds. The inventor’s name was Joseph Priestly, and it’s thought he discovered carbonated water by accident at a brewery in Leeds. The discovery went on to produce fizzy drinks on a large scale in 1781.

18). JRR Tolkein was a professor at the University of Leeds: best known for his fantasy works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; not many people realise that he was a professor at the University of Leeds. He became the Reader of English language at the university, making him the youngest professor there at the time. Many academics believe the wild Yorkshire landscapes were a huge influence on the creation of Tolkein’s fantasy worlds.

19). Leeds is Home of M&S: the British retailer Marks & Spencer’s began in 1884 in Leeds as a penny bazaar! The company Archive contains over 70,000 items from the retailer’s long history, which are stored at the University of Leeds.

20). The first steam locomotive was made in Leeds: the first commercially successful steam locomotive, the Salamanca, was built in 1812 by Matthew Murray. The train brought coal along the Middleton railway, between Middleton and Leeds. This modern invention helped shape the modern train as we know it!