Walks Themes
Each year Leeds Civic Trust offers a series of guided supper walks open to members of the public on a 'first come, first served' basis covering different eras and areas of the city.
Click here to view the dates for our 2010 Supper Walk series.
In addition, there is the possibility of arranging tailor-made walks or supper walks for your group or organisation. Please contact us for details.
The walks cover the following themes:
Medieval Leeds
A map of Leeds in the late Medieval period
This explores the medieval streets of Leeds - Kirkgate and Briggate with their historic yards - and visits the sites of the medieval manor house and corn mill, and the town boundaries.
Georgian Leeds
Boar Lane in Georgian times
This walk explores the Leeds of the gentlemen woollen merchants, when the town was the woollen cloth marketing centre of the West Riding. The famous cloth halls, merchant houses of Park Square and its associated streets, and Georgian churches and chapels are the focus of this walk.
Victorian Leeds
The Shambles, Leeds
This walk explores the great Victorian buildings and streets of the city centre - the Corn Exchange, Boar Lane, City Square, Park Row, the Town Hall, Municipal Buildings, the Civic Theatre, the Victorian Arcades and the City Market.
Edwardian Leeds
Kirkgate Market elevations
Edwardian Leeds saw a building boom comparable to the property boom underway in Leeds today. This walk will show you the city centre's wonderful heritage of Edwardian buildings recently highlighted in the Trust's book Edwardian Leeds in Postcards.
Holbeck Urban Village - Cradle of the Industrial Revolution
Architect's drawing showing Tower Works in Holbeck Urban Village
This walk shows you the wonderful industrial heritage of Holbeck - the famous Egyptian Temple Mill, the Italianate Tower Works, and Matthew Murray's Round Foundry - and its imaginative transformation into an 'urban village'.
Leeds Waterfront
Outdoor life at Leeds Waterfront
The regeneration of the city centre riverside and the Calls is one of the most astonishing achievements of the last ten years. This walk introduces you to the regenerated warehouses and docks, the splendid new footbridge, the new flats, offices, restaurants and visitor attractions.
Musical Leeds
Leeds Town Hall
This walk takes a sideways look at the musical associations of the city centre. Splendid balls held in the Georgian Assembly Rooms: the Singing Room at the Scarbrough Hotel tried out acts for City Varieties: Franz Liszt gave a virtuoso performaance at the Music Hall in Albion Street. The Leeds Musical Festivals at the Town Hall boasted Sir Arthur Sullivan and Dvorak. Did you know it was planned to turn the Corn Exchange into a concert hall?
"Leeds Personalities" - A Blue Plaques Walk
(this does not form part of this year's (2010) supper walks series but may happen at another time. Keep looking at the Events Diary)
Joseph Priestley - Minister and Scientist
This walk tours the city centre blue plaques which commemorate people who have had a major impact on the life of Leeds and the wider world, including Ralph Thoresby, Joshua Tetley, Louis Le Prince (the inventor of cinematography), E J Arnold (the educational stationer and printer), John Barran (the pioneer of the Leeds ready-made clothing industry), William Hey (one of the founders of Leeds General Infirmary), Joseph Priestley and Joseph Aspdin (the inventor of Portland Cement).