ReDiscover Leeds with our Family Friendly Trail this Winter

Leeds City Centre Management and Child Friendly Leeds are proud to present the ‘ReDiscover Leeds Family Trail’.  The trail highlights lots of unknown stories, hidden wonders and amazing pieces of art, all of which make Leeds city centre a great place for families to visit. 

The ‘ReDiscover Leeds Family Trail’ shines a spotlight on treasures including the beautiful stained glass roof at Victoria Leeds, the Robin Hood themed Potts clock in Thornton’s Arcade and the River Aire as it makes its way under Leeds Station. In addition the Christmas lights are up on Briggate and the magical Christmas tree on City Square is decorated for all to see and enjoy.

Families can download the map, walk the trail and together take a closer look at Leeds city centre.  As Leeds has been placed into Tier 3 restrictions from 2 December 2020, visitors to the city centre are encouraged to keep a safe distance from people outside their household bubbles and wear a face covering on public transport and in enclosed spaces.  Further information on the latest restrictions can be found here.

Child Friendly Leeds is committed to working with our partners and ambassadors to make Leeds city centre more child and family friendly in keeping with our ambition to be the best city for children and young people to grow up in.

Download the #RediscoverLeeds Family Trail via the button above or alternatively save the images below and tick off each item when you discover it.

#ReDiscoverLeeds Family Trail Locations

• Leeds Town Hall Lions – Leeds Town Hall took 5 years to build, and the Lions have been there since the start. Did you know, the hall was the tallest building in Leeds for over 100 years! https://www.leedstownhall.co.uk/explore/details/discover-the-secrets-of-the-town-hall
• The Reclining Woman : Elbow -The reclining woman was made by famous Yorkshire sculptor Henry Moore, and has been outside Leeds Art Gallery for nearly 40 years. 
• Bumpman – How many bumps do you think the Bumpman has? Can you count them?
• Millenium Square Golden Owls – Can you spot the owls on the top of Leeds Civic Hall?  More information here: http://www.leedsowltrail.com/
• Mandela Gardens – These gardens celebrate Leeds’s link with the city of Durban, South Africa. Children from both cities were involved in making hand and footprints for it. How many hands and feet can you see? https://secretlibraryleeds.net/2020/09/13/hidden-nature-mandela-gardens/
• Petanque Players – The statue shows a man demonstrating the French game of Petanque to a family and is next to a court.
• The Barrel Man – Dortmund is a city in Germany famous for its Beer-making. This statue was a gift from them in 1980.
• Thornton’s Arcade Clock – This clock features four famous characters from history: Robin Hood in green, Friar Tuck in black, Richard the Lionheart in red, and Gurth the Swineherd in grey. If you were making a clock today, what four characters would you want to include?
• Minerva – Minerva was the roman goddess of wisdom, also called Athena by the Greeks. Her symbol is the Owl, just like Leeds. The Greek Capital city of Athens is named after Minerva/Athena and used to print Owls on their silver coins.
• Stained glass roof – At 120m this amazing stained glass roof at Victoria Leeds is longer than a football pitch!  The roof was completed in 1990 and was designed by Brian Clarke. http://www.brianclarke.co.uk/work/works/item/120/5
• Animal armrests – These creative creatures were designed by artist Lucy Casson in 2019. If you were designing arms for a chair, what animals would you include?
• Kirkgate words in the stone – Kirk’ is an old word for Church, and ‘Gate’ for Road – so Kirkgate means the Church Road. 
• Kirkgate Market entrance – This street entrance is named after the original York road which connected Leeds and York for hundreds of years. Read about the history here: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/leedsmarkets/about/history-of-kirkgate-market
• Rainbow mosaic: Seagulls – The Rainbow of hope was created by local traders and the public – over 500 people placed a tile!
• The River Aire under the Dark Arches – Soapy Joe Watson used to store soap and glycerin down here. One day the glycerin caught fire and exploded, bringing down the station. More details here: https://dnaire.org.uk/connecting-people-and-communities-to-their-river/focus-points/leeds-city-centre/
• Leeds Christmas Tree – Instead of electrical lights, Christmas trees used to have candles and oil lamps on them instead! Can you spot other #ChristmasTrees in Leeds?
• Legs Walking! – Kenneth Armitage was born in 1916 and attended the Leeds College of Art between 1933 and 1937. If these feet needed shoes, they would be humongous!  The biggest feet ever recorded belonged to  Robert Wadlow who wore a size 36.  Robert was also the tallest man ever to have lived at 8ft 11inches!

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Instagram Twitter