The River Aire was a vital resource in the establishment and flourishing of a settlement at this spot in Yorkshire. It is also a barrier. The crossing point here in the middle of Leeds has been in use for centuries.

In the mid-Victorian era, with serious congestion becoming intolerable, the Medieval stone bridge – for centuries the only road bridge in Leeds – was at last replaced with a modern metal bridge.

Learn about the changing economic and water environment, the harnessing of the river, the investment in channels, weirs, wharfs, flood defences and the all-important bridges.

Exact location: https://what3words.com/craft.drank.form

Finishes at Granary Wharf at about 16:30.

Please note that there are some unlevel sections and some steps.

Members of LPLS only. You are welcome to become a member (£25 a year. Free for anyone under 25). A public tour is scheduled for 11:00 on the same day – booking here.

Your guide Rachael Unsworth beside the plaque commemorating the opening of Leeds Bridge on 9 July 1873

Rachael first crossed Leeds Bridge when visiting the city in 1988, just as the waterfront was starting to be rediscovered. She didn’t know then that by the mid-1990s she would be a part-time lecturer at the University of Leeds and starting to draw on the city as an example in teaching about long-term urban development. Since the turn of the millennium she has researched and written about topics relating to the city’s past, present and future as well as being involved in a range of organisations and initiatives.

After 19 years as a lecturer, she left to become freelance. She worked with local historian Steve Burt on ‘Leeds – Cradle of Innovation’ (published 2018) and started Leeds City Walking Tours later that year.