A lot of travel blogs will tell you about the many great sights of the UK, and a lot of them can be found in London. Although London is a great city to visit, don’t forget that there are other great and growing cities in the north of England, which are definitely worth a visit too.
Leeds
The city of Leeds was founded in 1207, although there are mentions of Leeds in its old from as “Loidis” dating back to the 5th century. In the 17th century Leeds became famous for its wool trade and production, which later led to it becoming an important industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution. Wool remained the main industry of the area, but other industries such as print, flax, engineering and iron foundries were also relevant within the town. Why is this important information for you to know before visiting the city?
Because it gives you a great introduction to the variety of interesting buildings and architecture, which you can find in Leeds. The main shopping drag of Leeds is Briggate, which has buildings from the 19th and 20th century standing side by side. It also has some great shopping arcades, such as the County Arcade and the Victory Quarter which not only have some good shops to browse, but also require you to look up every now and then to admire the detail and effort put into their design.
If, like me, you enjoy connecting history with your travel destinations, then consider taking a look at the University of Leeds. Again you will find stark contrasts of building styles and centuries side by side creating an interesting balance between old and new. For example, the modern Marjorie and Ziff Building built in 2008 compliments the image set by the Parkinson Building of Leeds Uni which was built in 1938 in the art deco style. These two buildings are just the beginning to the vast history of the university, whose roots started with the Leeds School Of Medicine founded in 1831.
Manchester
Now any history fan will know that Manchester like Liverpool used to belong to the county of Lancashire until 1974 when a boundary reform took place, and they will also know that there’s a “bit” of a rivalry between Yorkshire and Lancashire. Any football fan will know that there’s a large rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds United (still going strong on the Leeds end, not sure about Manchester).
Nevertheless, Manchester is a great city to visit with an equally vast history. Manchester began as a Roman fort called Mamucium in 79 AD. The Industrial Revolution played a very important role in the history of Manchester, too, with Manchester turning into an important industrial city through its textile manufacture. It became the first industrialised city of the entire world. The architecture of Manchester has an interesting mix between modern buildings and Red Brick architecture, which was mainly popular during the Industrial Revolution.
Attractions of Manchester include Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, the Museum of Science and Industry, and a reconstructed part of the Roman Fort Mamucium. The city is also famous for producing some of the best music acts of current pop culture, including The Smiths, Oasis, and The Chemical Brothers, just to name a few.
This article was written by Sarah Oxley on behalf of One UK, providers of stylish apartments and flats in Leeds and Manchester. Learn more about flats in Leeds. Sarah is a history fan, who enjoys learning about the past of a big city and connecting this past with their architectural present.
