These remarkable photos chart the changing face of Leeds throughout the Victorian era of the 1880s. It was a decade the first telephones were established and the first fish and chip shop opened in Leeds. The middle of the 1880s saw Michael Marks open a stall in Leeds market and the end of the decade witnessed Louis le Prince takes some of the world’s first moving pictures from Leeds Bridge. Enjoy this fascinating glimpse into a decade of change for your city and its residents. The images are published courtesy of photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. They also run heritage blog The Secret Library Leeds, which provides a behind the scenes look at the Central Library and highlights from its special collections, including rare books hidden away in the stacks. READ MORE: Amazing pictures show life in Leeds during the 1920s LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook
1. Leeds in the 1880s
Enjoy these memories from around Leeds in the 1880s. PIC: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
2. Leeds in the 1880s
Albion Street at the junction with Bond Street in 1882. The gated entrances to the Yorkshire Post offices are on the right. Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
3. Leeds in the 1880s
Crowds gather outside Leeds Town Hall to hear the results of the General Election in April 1880. A board has been put up to the right of the Town Hall steps. Votes for candidates were as follows; Gladstone: 24,622, Barran: 23,647, Jackson: 13,331 and Wheelhouse: 11,965. This engraving was first published in the Leeds Graphic. Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
4. Leeds in the 1880s
Tram lines being laid on Roundhay Road in May 1889, near to the junction with Gathorne Street, seen on the left with the United Methodist Free Church in the background. This tramway would have formed part of the line from Sheepscar to Oakwood, on which the first steam powered trams in Leeds operated from May 1891. Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
5. Leeds in the 1880s
His Imperial Majesty, Nasir-ed-Din, KG Shah of Persia arrived in Leeds on July 26, 1889 and was escorted from Central Station by Yorkshire Hussars. The procession of 25 carriages made its way through the streets of Leeds to the Town Hall where a welcoming ceremony took place in the Victoria Hall. The party then arrived at the newly opened Leeds City Art Gallery via Calverley Street beneath an awning and pathway covered in crimson cloth. Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net