And it's all thanks to the stops on our Blue Plaque Trail.
Leeds holds a wealth of history, you don't need to tell us that twice. From building the first steam locomotive to bringing the world inventions like Cluedo, housing the UK's last remaining gas-lit cinema and not to mention founding major UK supermarkets...
Thanks to new research from the UK’s largest delivery service, Evri, Leeds has been recognised as one of the most 'heritage rich cities' in England.
The research analysed the amount of heritage plaques in each city across the UK, and naturally with 180 blue plaques around the city, Leeds has been revealed as one of the places with the most.
Placing a respectable fourth place, Leeds only lost out to the likes of Norwich, Liverpool and (unsurprisingly) London, who held the top spot with an incomparable 987 blue plaques.
The top ten cities, according to the study, were as follows:
CITY
NO. OF HERITAGE PLAQUES
London (Incl. Westminster)
987
Liverpool
295
Norwich
260
Leeds
180
Brighton + Hove
151
Coventry
142
York
135
Newcastle Upon Tyne
125
Wolverhampton
98
Birmingham
96
To decipher these numbers, the study counted the number of heritage plaques from official sources of every city across the UK, such as civic society websites and city council websites. Where these sources weren’t available, plaques were taken from the website, Open Plaques, which lists every heritage plaque within the city postcode. Duplicates were then emitted and cities were ranked highest to lowest to reveal the ranking.
The study from Evri noted that the original blue plaque scheme started in the capital by English Heritage, placing plaques honouring the likes of actor, Charlie Chaplain, novelist, Charles Dickens and prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill but since then, heritage plaques have been dotted across the country. They're known to highlight historical landmarks and give passersby an insight to the famous faces and historical moments that happened in the same spot they're standing, years ago.
Leeds has a grand total of 180 heritage plaques, honouring the likes of Sir Charles Wilson MP, J R R Tolkien CBE and Leeds Corn Exchange, many of which feature in The Hoot's series Short Stuff, where we uncover some of the best hidden gems in the city, or pay homage to important bulidings, faces and inventions that have made Leeds the cultural city it is today.
To find out more about Leeds blue plaques and see for yourself why Leeds has been named as such a heritage rich city, visit the Leeds Civic Trust website.
UK singer-songwriter Tom Odell is set to play a huge outdoor Leeds show this summer.
Sounds of the City is making a triumphant return this summer and we couldn't be more excited.
Being added to the already star-studded lineup is Tom Odell, a Chichester-born singer-songwriter known for his heartfelt piano ballads and distinctive tone.
You may also know him from a certain John Lewis advert which made sure there were no dry eyes in the house.
The announcement follows a huge year for Tom Odell, who released his latest album A Wonderful Life and completed a major UK arena tour.
Known for his emotionally charged, piano‑led anthems, Tom Odell first rose to prominence after winning the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award in 2013 and has since become one of the UK’s most successful contemporary artists, with massive global hits like “Another Love”, which has now surpassed three billion streams on Spotify.
The ‘Another Love’ singer will perform on Saturday 4 July and will be supported by Matt Maltese.
Already announced for Sounds of the City are Dylan Gossett, Alabama Shakes, Wet Leg, The Human League and The Cribs.
The Millennium Square gigs are always fantastic fun, with previous acts including Blossoms, McFly and Mika bringing huge audiences to the city.
Tickets go on sale this Friday 6 February at 10am and you can get your tickets here.
Pre-sale starts this Thursday 5 February which you can access by signing up to Millennium Square's mailing list here.
Award-winning Leeds restaurant announces shock closure just months after opening
Clementine Hall
Emba in Leeds will be closing its doors with the owner blaming rising costs and pressure on the hospitality sector.
Back in April last year, one of Leeds' top restaurants The Owl closed its doors.
Run by renowned Chef Liz Cottam, The Owl was reimagine into Emba - a trendy restaurant tat bridged 'the gap between cosy bar and vibrant dining room'.
To open Emba, Cottam opened a Crowdfunder where supporters would be awarded with prizes such as VIP dinners and merch depending on how much they donated.
But sadly just months after opening, Emba is to close permanently.
Cottam confirmed the sad news with a statement shared with customers over the weekend, saying she was completely "heartbroken".
She said: “This is no longer the right time to own independent restaurants like Emba,” she said. “Under the current conditions they cannot survive and the recent budget confirmed what so many of us already knew: no meaningful help is coming for hospitality.
"The experience of being here and the harsh financial reality of running a business here no longer stack up.
"Being award winning, popular, admired and loved no longer means profitable and as an industry if we’re honest most of us have not truly been okay since Covid."
She signed off the statement promising to return to the restaurant world, she said: “What I do know is this, I am not done. I will keep cooking, keep creating and keep finding ways to do the thing I love.”
Sophie Smith -
15th September 2022 
