Leeds’ DIY culture was the Pennines’ best kept secret – until now
New industries of finance, technology, broadcasting and retail have made the city one of the best paid locations to work outside of London
November 20, 2023 6:37 pm
Children playing football on the streets of Leeds in England, 1997 (Photo: Graham Chadwick/Allsport via Getty)
For a brief period in the early 80s, my father owned a corner shop near Hudson Road, overlooking Burton’s factory in Harehills, which in its heyday, employed 10,000 workers and was the largest of its kind in the world. Each lunchtime, sandwich orders would be placed, as my father lined up boxes of barmcakes, split and buttered, awaiting their fillings for hungry production line mouths: tongue or ham, cheese and pickle, or mouth-watering mucky fat in deep midwinter.
Months after opening up, the factory announced its closure, and with that, his business evaporated. I can still recall the energy as workers flooded out onto its pavements after shifts ended, and the various languages – often Yiddish, Urdu or Ukrainian – that filled the air.
It attracted seamstresses and tailors from far and wide. Back in the 20th century, Leeds was renowned for its cloth trade and brewing. Before that, its pottery (much of the Burmantofts area is built on clay). Now, in 2023, new industries of finance, technology, broadcasting and retail have made the city one of the best paid locations to work outside London[1].
But beyond its employment opportunities, what is it about this West Yorkshire city that still attracts new residents?
Often the butt of jokes, Leeds was commonly known as the Motorway City of the Seventies. Harry Enfield’s much spouted line, “Don’t talk to me about sophistication, I’ve been to Leeds!” reflects the idea of it having a clueless, bland corporate landscape, yet this isn’t correct when presented with the evidence of its rich DIY culture.
Goth, Acid House and Post Punk all had roots here, and there still is a strong independent spirit, exemplified by internationally renowned music venues: Brudenell Social Club, Irish Centre, City Varieties, or even smaller, but equally well curated haunts such as Wharf Chambers.
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Leeds Playhouse is the largest regional repertory theatre in the UK outside London and Stratford, and the litany of writers with local roots (Alan Bennett, Tony Harrison, Jake Thackray, Kay Mellor, Barbara Taylor Bradford, David Peace, Caryl Phillips) gives a sense of how deeply creative, original and self-sufficient Leeds really is. It’s just that it doesn’t tend to shout about itself, unlike “the other place” across the Pennines that is certain of its own mythology and never lets us forget it.
There is a prestigious art college, alongside a network of galleries and studios including Leeds Art Gallery, the Henry Moore Institute, and East Street Arts that support emerging artists. Damien Hirst, its most notorious son, once said to the Yorkshire Post, “I wanted to question everything I was presented with and prove it wrong. Not for any reason – just being awkward.” It is a sentiment that somehow encapsulates a pugnacious element of this small city’s character, one which is multi-faceted: in some parts conservative, in others radical and revolutionary.
There are endemic problems in the conurbation, as in most Northern cities and towns – poverty, poor transport links, crime and homelessness – yet beyond this there are still numerous reasons that attract many to the area. Property is relatively affordable and work premises can be rented at reasonable rates. It is possible to buy a small back-to-back house in the streets near my father’s old corner shop for £65,000, and live close enough to walk into the centre without too much trouble.
Add to this the plethora of glorious pubs[2], Victorian shopping arcades[3], the best indoor market in Northern England[4], fine restaurants[5], well-kept parks[6], and independent cinemas[7] and the enduring appeal of Leeds is obvious. With three universities, an airport, the nearby British Library North and a quietly self-assured confidence, what it lacks in braggadocio it certainly makes up for in determination, resilience and unpretentious attitude.
As the old saying goes, “Where’s there’s muck, there’s brass.”
Adelle Stripe is a writer and journalist. Her latest book Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure is published by White Rabbit
References
- ^ one of the best paid locations to work outside London (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ glorious pubs (whitelocksleeds.com)
- ^ Victorian shopping arcades (leeds-list.com)
- ^ the best indoor market in Northern England (www.leeds.gov.uk)
- ^ fine restaurants (salvos.co.uk)
- ^ well-kept parks (www.visitleeds.co.uk)
- ^ independent cinemas (hpph.co.uk)