Late Victorian and award-winning brutalist and modernist architecture house the classes and students of Leeds’ namesake university, established in 1904.
Renowned for its research and teaching, the University of Leeds is also set apart by its campus, which unites a variety of divergent architectural styles in a celebration of British architecture throughout the 20th century. Grouped on well-manicured lawns just outside the Leeds city center, it welcomes more than 30,000 students each year from a variety of backgrounds. The university was the first in the region to accept women, Catholics and other disadvantaged groups. Go on a walking tour of its many striking buildings and have a picnic on the grass, as you watch the students go past.
Start at the Parkinson Building, the impressive historically listed art deco building, with a distinctive campanile. The bell tower decorates the university’s logo and communications. Watch the enormous hands of the clock on the tower as they move slowly around the dial, reminding students of their obligations. Continue on to the 19th-century Great Hall, whose redbrick and Gothic collegiate trimmings are similar to the buildings of universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Go on a tour of the university’s modernist and brutalist institutions in 2010 they were recommended to become historically listed. The Edward Boyle Library is a brutalist masterwork that shelters the science and mathematics portion of the university’s impressive 2.8-million-volume book collection spread over five locations.
Pick up a copy of The Gryphon, the university’s award-winning newspaper, which gives a glimpse into the issues occupying the student body. Bring it with you for a relaxing read on one of the benches overlooking the bustling campus.
The University of Leeds’ campus is located northwest of Leeds city center, a 23-minute walk or 13-minute bus ride from the main train station. Drive from anywhere in the city center in less than 20 minutes. There are a few metered parking lots nearby. The main multi-story car park is open to the public only in the evenings. Several buildings on campus are restricted to student access only. Check online for the opening hours for publicly accessible buildings. The campus itself is open to visitors all day year round.
