SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

OH is a teacher and wants to take kids on a tour or 'Victorian Leeds' in the city centre. Don't worry about the H&S issues, what could they do bearing in mind they're primary school kids 10 to 11. They'll get off the bus in in City Square. Sugested itinerary? The kids need to see it, not imagine what it was but plan is also to use Leodis to kick start imaginations, old maps etc.Dark Arches, Briggate yards, Corn Excahnge, Kirkgate and markets. Arcades, Town Hall, Park Row, Railway Stations, Bus home?What's your thoughts?Cheers.

city museum. victorian exhibits and shop inside.

Cardiarms wrote: OH is a teacher and wants to take kids on a tour or 'Victorian Leeds' in the city centre. Don't worry about the H&S issues, what could they do bearing in mind they're primary school kids 10 to 11. They'll get off the bus in in City Square. Sugested itinerary? The kids need to see it, not imagine what it was but plan is also to use Leodis to kick start imaginations, old maps etc.Dark Arches, Briggate yards, Corn Excahnge, Kirkgate and markets. Arcades, Town Hall, Park Row, Railway Stations, Bus home?What's your thoughts?Cheers. Get the kids to observe street names (many are 200+ years old) and research them when they get back.Eg, why is Infirmary Street nowhere near the Infirmary?What happened to the Park that gave it's name to Park Lane/Square/Row etc?Ditto the Mill in Mill Hill, and the Vicar in Vicar Lane?

Secret Leeds is a resource often used for things like this although the limited functionality of search does mean some preliminary research by 'Sir' or 'Miss' would be a good thing!Pardon the intusion but this seems like a good time to remind people to be careful about the content of their posts - our audience can be very young

Identify haunted locations - kids love ghosts!

The Victoria Family and Commercial Hotel - one for the teacher there methinks

Cardiarms wrote: OH is a teacher and wants to take kids on a tour or 'Victorian Leeds' in the city centre. Don't worry about the H&S issues, what could they do bearing in mind they're primary school kids 10 to 11. They'll get off the bus in in City Square. Sugested itinerary? The kids need to see it, not imagine what it was but plan is also to use Leodis to kick start imaginations, old maps etc.Dark Arches, Briggate yards, Corn Excahnge, Kirkgate and markets. Arcades, Town Hall, Park Row, Railway Stations, Bus home?What's your thoughts?Cheers. You have two ends of the scale - the grandeur and the poverty and grind of the Victorian age.The monuments are easy - Corn Exchange, Town Hall and don't forget the churches, but reflecting on the hard working class life of the masses may be a bit harder as that has ben generally knocked down but places like high court lane and wharfe street would be good on the way to the parish church? Plus as you say Briggate yards.

There's lots of stuff around Great George St and Millennium Square that's worth a mention. Why there's both a civic hall and a town hall for example, or what a mechanics' institute (Leeds Museum) was for. A tour of the town hall and library would be good, especially if you can look round the old police station in the basement and point out theat the Bridewell name is still in use just around the corner at the magistrates court.Depending on time there's also the (Victoria) university and possibly the old school board buildings around the top of Great George St. You could also cover the building society buildings on the Headrow. Leeds Permanent is now the Light but the Leeds & Holbeck is still there. At the Eastgate/Vicar Lane junction there's also the Barclays, Lloyds and Martins bank buildings if you want to cover banking. Just found the Martins bank archives at http://www.martinsbank.co.uk/ for further reading.

Well I would take them down past the Scarbrough (victorian music hall) then down the dark arches,nice and spooky and going over the bridge to see the old Victorian channels.If they are of a legal age to go in a pub then The grove is an obvious choice with it's intact seperate rooms (cue talk on smoke rooms,difference between lounge and tap etc) then walk back up and go to some of the other suggestions<LOL>!