Leeds Corn Exchange

Jake Davies

The Corn Exchange in Leeds city centre is not only an excellent piece of Victorian architecture and engineering, but also a unique shopping mall with a wide range of independent retailers and eateries.

Cuthbert Brodrick was the architect of the impressive building. — Cuthbert Brodrick was the architect of the impressive building in central Leeds

History

Corn Exchanges were dedicated buildings where traders and merchants met to trade corn which in England meant cereal grains.

As a major city Leeds first built a corn exchange in 1825, however it soon became too small for purpose and so a new, larger one was built.

The domed roof is the building's most striking feature. — The domed roof is the building's most striking feature

Architecture

The architect Cuthbert Brodrick was chosen following his impressive Leeds Town Hall completed in 1858.

The Corn Exchange took two years to build and opened in 1863. Looking circular in design from outside, it is actually oval, and its most striking feature is the domed roof which was modeled on the Bourse de Commerce in Paris.

Looking like the upturned hull of a boat, the longitudinal ribs of the roof support two large glazed areas that allow in plenty of natural light, but no direct sunlight.

Leeds Corn Exchange is now home to a variety of outlets. — Leeds Corn Exchange is now home to a variety of outlets

Shops

The traders would meet on the lowest floor overlooked by two floors of small offices arranged around the perimeter with balconies looking down on the action.

Until the twentieth century the exchange would be open 6 days a week but gradually openings were reduced to just one day a week by 1969.

The property fell into disuse and disrepair and there was talk of demolishing it, but it was taken over and redeveloped into a retail mall.

The building went through several owners until the current operator who leases to a wide range of retail outlets and several food vendors.

There is a bakery, a humus and pita cafe, numerous small fashion outlets offering unique, vintage, and hand-made clothing, jewelry, crafts, music and musical instruments. There is also a barber, hairdresser, tattoo studio, and opticians, with more vendors being added all the time.

Access & Hours

Call Lane
Leeds LS1 7BR
Tel: 0113 234 0363
www: leedscornexchange.co.uk

Monday to Wednesday 10 am to 6 pm; Thursday 10 am to 9 pm; Friday to Saturday 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.

Call Lane is a 10 minute walk from Leeds Station (aka Leeds City Station) along Boar Lane. Several local buses run to the Corn Exchange including numbers 4, 16, 19 and 40. The Leeds Marriott is a nearby hotel.

Trinity Leeds is a 2-minute walk away.

Access - Getting to Leeds

Leeds City Station is the city's main station and one of the busiest stations in England outside London with intercity and local Metro trains. Leeds Station is located just south of City Square.

There are First TransPennine Express trains to Newcastle, Manchester Piccadilly Station in Manchester, as well as Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street. Other connections include trains to Hull and Middlesbrough.

Northern has trains to York Station in York, Blackpool North, Bradford, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Selby, Sheffield, Carlisle and Ilkley.

East Coast has trains to King's Cross Station in London, Waverley Station in Edinburgh, Glasgow Central in Glasgow, Peterborough, Hull and Darlington.

There are CrossCountry connections to Nottingham, Birmingham New Street Station in Birmingham, and from there to Cardiff in Wales, and Exeter in Devon.

The National Express bus station in Leeds is behind Kirkgate Market.

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