I have passed the bear pit so many times in my life in Leeds I thought it was about time to learn a bit about it. As a child I thought it was the remains of a huge castle built in Leeds to house all the brave knights and wizards. I soon came to realise that it used to be a bear pit here in Leeds, but I could not work out why we had one. I have only managed to piece little bits about it and if anyone knows more or I have got it wrong please let me know, I would love to learn more of this little bit of magic hidden in Leeds.

Not much of the bear pit is left apart from two of the castellated viewing towers which were used by the Victorians to look down in safety at the brown bears housed in the pit. They used to climb the spiral staircases housed inside the towers. What's not clear is what the bears did as some say they were fighting bears and others say the bears climbed poles to receive food thrown by the crowd.

 

This Victorian bear pit is the only part remaining of what used to be the Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens which opened in 1840. It has been said crowds of people went to the opening ceremony to see a hot air balloon launch. It was later renamed as the Leeds Royal Gardens in 1848 and closed in 1858. Apart from the brown bears other animals were housed in the Leeds gardens from monkeys to eagles and also beautiful gardens with a fountain and exotic plants. The Leeds Royal Gardens closed due to financial problems and in 1966 the Leeds Civic Trust did some restoration in 1966. I went to the Leeds Civic Trust to find out more but they couldn't help me (strange don't you think they restored it you would think they would have information on it?). A nice woman in Leeds Library was much more helping bringing me pictures of the bear pit and references to newspaper articles. Turns out the Leeds bear pit is one of two remaining in the country as there used to be quite a few? We also used have brown bears in Britain. Back n January 1984 there were plans to spend £17,000 and turn it into an amphitheatre. It would have been nice for Leeds to have this as an open air theatre with seating for 100. Later that year rejection from residents stopped it happening. Sadly it is starting to get run down with rubbish around and looks like people have slept there. I hope it gets the tender loving care it deserves as this is a wonderful treasure of Leeds. I'm happy to say since I wrote this the bear pit has been cleared up and I managed to get these pictures and some others in the picture gallery. It's all fresh again and looks great and a credit to Leeds.

Leeds Civic Trust / Blue plaques of Leeds

On my lunch hour I often escape from my dull job to wander around Leeds and try to learn a bit more about it. One of the things I noticed was on some of the buildings around town there were blue plaques upon them. Each blue plaque has a brief piece of history about the building or area it is in. The Leeds Civic Trusts Blue Plaque Scheme to honour the some of the people and buildings that have shaped the city of Leeds. One of the buildings a Blue Plaque is on is the Leeds City Varieties. Charlie Chaplin and Houdini have performed in this music hall and has been home to many a great performance. At the moment The Leeds City Varieties is undergoing a major refurbishment due to be completed at the end of 2010.

Golden Acre Park also has a Blue Plaque and in 1932 used to be an amusement park with a miniature railway one and a half miles around the park. There are over a hundred Leeds Civic Trust Blue Plaques so look out for one.

Kirkstall Abbey

I had to go to a health and safety course and spend a whole day getting bored senseless so what better way to start than getting up a hour early to walk round the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds. As I walked towards it through the build up of the traffic in rush hour heading to Leeds city centre. It was a great beginning to the day and really peaceful as I walked around gazing upon this major part of Leeds history.

Built between 1152 and 1182 this was home to many a monk. The monks and their community disbanded in 1539 but the abbey still remains attracting many a visitor to enjoy its charm. The grounds are beautiful and sit by the River Aire and are a perfect place to watch the world go by and have a picnic or read a book.

Kirkstall Abbey sits on Abbey Road in Leeds.

Abbey House Museum

Another little gem of Leeds is this museum which sits across from the Abbey. Has a cobbled street in it with old shops full of their wares and a cafe to sit outside and view Kirkstall Abbey and watch the world go by. I found it was more suitable for children and walked round it very quickly but it was fun.

Shopping in Leeds

Leeds city centre is full of places to shop. From the shopping arcades spread around the city to the big chains, you will find everything you need. The corn exchange used to be full of little independent shops but to Leeds loss it changed to more of an eating place so all the shops are now dotted around or lost forever. It was a lovely place in Leeds was the corn exchange. I remember as a child my school taking me there before it was revamped into a shopping place. You could still see a few of the stalls where people bought and sold corn and there was some corn still trapped in the groves of the tables. Leeds has a great and long history and a lot is hidden behind new shop fronts and change. At the moment there is a lot of work going on in Leeds building new places to shop to bring more people into Leeds. The trouble is while this is happening Leeds has lost its heart as to much change at once isn't always a good thing. Another place Leeds lost was Granary Wharf by the dark arches. You went under the railway tunnel into a new world leaving the rush of Leeds into a quiet escape. There was little market stalls selling such different wares from handmade items to chairs made from scrap metal including massive cogs. From the darkness there came light with entertainment and brightly lit shops and loads of places to lose you. As you walked out of an arch you could come out onto the Leeds canal and watch the boats sale by. At the moment it's also closed down as Leeds changes another thing that didn't need fixing. I hope when all this work in Leeds gets finished our beautiful city is allowed to be herself again, a chilled out place to relax or fast paced and full of life. Leeds market is another part of Leeds not to be missed full of market sellers competing against each other. Leeds also has lots of places to stop of and recharge while you decide your next purchase. Lovely place to eat and drink with lots of big names finding their way into Leeds. You will love shopping in Leeds and finding your own special places. I love watching Leeds grow but always try to remember how it used to be as well.

Leeds Library and Leeds Art Gallery

The Leeds Library and Leeds Art Gallery are right next to each other. I remember as a child that the Leeds museum used to be in the library. It was great in there as it seemed all secretive and mysterious holding secrets everywhere. Every turn held something new and each visit I found another treasure to capture my imagination. Many happy moments I had in there especially collecting the crystals from the shop at the end. The Leeds library is now bigger and a great place to look at old newspapers and find out things that aren't on the internet. The Leeds Art Gallery is free to get into and such a peaceful place to walk around and lose yourself into for a while. I often go in my lunch hour when I'm having a really bad day at work. With pictures and sculptures to wander around and take in everywhere and did I mention it was free? Outside there are huge chess boards painted on the floor played with huge pieces its fun to watch?

The Leeds Museum

The Leeds museum is now near the Millennium Square in a new building. It's free to get in and packed out with things to see and do. There is a great seating area with screens and music showing the sights and people of Leeds to enjoy. Sometimes little events are shown there. Special exhibits are held in the museum as well along with many wonderful exhibits you can spend hours walking around enjoying everything it has to offer.

Statues around Leeds

I have walked past so many statues is Leeds without really paying attention until recently. They really are beautiful and there are so many scattered about the place they just blend in. They are part and parcel of Leeds and bring life to the city when darkness falls and the city of Leeds is empty. I have included some pictures of some of the statues in Leeds but there are so many to find you will enjoy looking.

Leeds has everything you want in a city it's full of life and history. I've not even began to find what Leeds has to offer. I hope I've give you a taste of Leeds it has so much.