Architecture of Leeds - Pre 1600

Pre 1600

The earliest evidence of civilisation in the area of Leeds is at Seacroft and dates to 3500 BC. The oldest existent man-made structure in the Leeds metropolitan district is the earthworks of the Iron Age fort at Barwick in Elmet. Leeds is thought to have been the site of the Roman town of Cambodunum, abandoned when the Romans left Britain in around 400 AD. The first church in Leeds is thought to have been built around 600 AD.

Leeds, like many industrial cities, has little remaining medieval architecture. The lack of Medieval architecture in central Leeds may be attributed to the small size of the town during the majority of the period, the population usually being around 1,000. At the time there were several larger settlements in Yorkshire such as Wakefield and York.

The Church of St John the Baptist at Adel is one of the earliest remaining buildings in Leeds. It was built between 1150 and 1170. It has been described as "one of the best and most complete Norman village churches in Yorkshire".

Kirkstall Abbey is the most noteworthy piece of architecture from this period in Leeds. The abbey, which is a Cistercian foundation, was begun on the banks of the River Aire in 1152. The abbey was disbanded and the buildings ruined during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. Although Cistercian abbeys were numerous in England, many were located in remote areas and, unlike several Benedictine and Augustian abbeys, did not survive the Dissolution by being reused as parish churches. At Kirkstall Abbey, the ruins are particularly well preserved and show an austere form of Norman architecture with some later Gothic additions and embellishments. The remnants of most of the monastic buildings are sufficiently intact to display the domestic arrangement and function of the monastery. The Abbey House Museum keeps records and displays artefacts from the abbey as well as from other eras across Leeds. Paintings of the Abbey have come from artists as renowned as J. M. W. Turner and Thomas Girtin. In 1889 the abbey was purchased by Colonel John North and presented to Leeds City Council. The council restored parts of the abbey and made it safe for public enjoyment before opening it in 1895.

Although central Leeds has few buildings from the Middle Ages, there are examples within the City of Leeds boundaries, including two at Wetherby. Wetherby Bridge dates from the Medieval period, but has been considerably altered, the pointed Gothic arches of different heights being replaced by semi-circular arches. It is said that the Bishop of York granted absolution of sins to local residents in return for building the bridge.

The building of a castle was commenced in Wetherby in 1140, but it was demolished in 1155, because it was the King had not granted permission for its construction. The remains of its foundations can still be seen, and it is remembered in the street name "Castle Gate". Harewood Castle is a 14th-century stone hall house and courtyard fortress, in the grounds of Harewood House. It is a Grade I listed and is currently undergoing conservation.