Leeds 400 – Time Capsule, Resource & More…
Celebrating 400 years of Leeds
The year 2026 marks four centuries after King Charles 1 officially recognised the city as a self-governing borough. This decision changed the course of the city’s history and laid the foundations for modern-day Leeds. On 13 July 2026, Leeds commemorates a remarkable milestone – 400 years. This historic moment marked the beginning of Leeds’ journey towards self-governance and city status.
At the time, a local goldsmith made a glittering corporate mace, which is still displayed at Leeds Civic Hall and which is carried into each full council meeting. A special seal was also made. This combined a fleece, to represent the wool trade, and owls, which were taken from the coat of arms of the city’s first Alderman Sir John Savile.
On this page, you can find out about how your school, setting or organisation can get involved with this significant anniversary. It will be updated throughout the year.
Time capsule challenge
Time Capsule Resources
The Leeds 400 time capsule initiative invites schools, youth groups, and community settings to capture a snapshot of life in 2026 and preserve it for future generations. It encourages participants to reflect on their daily lives, interests, and local identity, helping people in the future understand what Leeds was like during this milestone year.
The guidance outlines simple steps to create a meaningful and long-lasting time capsule, including what to include, how to store it safely, and how to ensure it can be located and opened in years to come.
How to get involved:
- Create a time capsule filled with items that represent life in 2026, such as photos, letters, newsletters, menus, and everyday objects
- Encourage children and young people to select items that reflect their experiences and interests
- Use an airtight, durable container (e.g. stainless steel, plastic, or glass) to protect the contents
- Choose whether to bury the capsule or store it safely indoors, ensuring it is clearly labelled or documented
- If burying it, get permission from the landowner and record the location carefully
- Register your time capsule with the Leeds 400 team so its details are recorded for the future
- Please register your interest in this challenge by completing this online form. We’re hoping to have an archive of the city, location and where all the time capsules are stored!
Our Time Capsule by Chapel Allerton Primary School
Young people attending schools across the city have been hard at work preparing a series of time capsules on Monday 13th July 2026, the same day Leeds officially received its first royal charter from King Charles I 400 years ago.
Among the schools taking part has been Chapel Allerton Primary School, where pupils have chosen objects which they felt captured life both in Leeds and at their school in 2026, and which will be buried in the playground today to be opened in 100 years. Alongside items related to school, sport and play, they also created eye-catching posters featuring all their favourite things about the area where they live.
Pupils taking part included Nellie Brennan, 11, who chose a FIFA 2026 World Cup sticker book to be buried in the capsule. She said: “I think people in 100 years will be fascinated to know about the World Cup in 2026 and to know that people at school were trying so hard to collect all the stickers. Football might be really different by then and the game could have changed a lot. We might even put a prediction in about how well England are going to do and they’ll find it really funny when they read it and see if we were right or wrong.”
Fellow pupil La-niyah Fuller, also 11, chose to include a lion mask, which children at the school had made for their upcoming end-of-term musical production of Madagascar. She said: “In the future, they might not have school plays like we do now, and it’ll be fun for them to imagine what ours was like.”
Joe Salmond, Maahnoor Rauf, and Ranw Amin, all 11, said they were including pens, pencils and pencil sharpeners in the capsule.
Joe said: “In the future, they might not use pens and pencils anymore, they might not even write things down, so they might think the way we did our school work is really strange. The best thing about Leeds today is all the parks and green spaces and places to play so I really hope they’re all still there in 100 years.”
Maahnoor added: “I think there will be a lot more technology and everything will be more modern in 100 years and maybe some of the old buildings in Leeds will look really different too. Everyone might do all their school work online or on tablets, so they might not even know what pens and pencils are.”
Ranw said: “We had a day at school where we dressed up as Victorians and everything they did was old-fashioned and different to us, so the people in the future will probably think about us that way.”
The Royal Charter resources
The Royal Charter resources
West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS) have created a set of KS1 and KS2 resources for schools which are designed to support teachers to teach about the first Leeds Royal Charter. They include Powerpoint presentations, lesson plans, and notes for teachers and can be downloaded and adapted.
Leeds 400
On 13 July 2026, Leeds commemorates a remarkable milestone – 400 years since receiving its first Royal Charter from King Charles I.
The programme brings together residents, communities, and visitors to celebrate Leeds’ heritage, culture, and future through a wide range of activities spanning sport, learning, innovation, and community engagement.
How to get involved:
- Take part in “What’s your 400?” by doing a personalised challenge (e.g., 400 minutes of volunteering or acts of kindness)
- Attend events across the city via Leeds Inspired listings, many of which are free
- Organise and submit your own event to be included in the official Leeds 400 programme
- Host a street party by applying to temporarily close your road
- Explore Leeds’ history through the Leodis photo archive and other heritage resources
- Get schools or families involved using dedicated educational resources and activities
- Keep updated by following news, stories, and archive content linked to the celebrations
Leeds 400
Four hundred years on, Leeds is a vibrant, culturally rich and diverse city. Leeds 400 is a year-long celebration inviting residents, communities and visitors to come together to celebrate the city’s rich heritage and vibrant future. With themes spanning sport, heritage, culture, learning, communities, innovation, and the future, Leeds 400 will showcase the creativity and diversity of the city and its people. Explore how you can get involved and be part of this historic celebration by visiting: https://bit.ly/4adDSLT
