Leeds in 19th Century

Published: 05/29/2010

By 1801, the year of the first census the population of Leeds had reached 30,000. By the standards of the time it was a large town. By 1851 it had reached 101,000.

Leeds grew rapidly but many of the new houses built were dreadful. Overcrowding was rife and streets were very dirty. As a result there was a cholera epidemic in Leeds in 1832 which killed over 700 people. A second epidemic in 1849 killed more than 2,000 people.

In the 1850s the council built sewers but very many of the houses in Leeds were not connected to them. Many dwellings continued to use cesspits or buckets which were emptied at night by the 'night soil' men. Not until 1899 was it made compulsory for dwellings to be connected to sewers.

Nevertheless there were some improvements in Leeds during the 19th century. From 1819 the streets were lit by gas. In 1834 Leeds was connected to Selby by rail. In 1848 it was connected to Derby. The first modern police force was formed in 1836. Beckett Street cemetery was opened in 1845. The Town Hall was built in 1858.

In 1863 a corn exchange was built where grain was bought and sold. In 1824 a dispensary opened where the poor could obtain free medicines. Furthermore at the end of the century serious slum clearance began. From 1872 horse drawn trams ran in the streets of Leeds. After 1894 they were replaced by electric trams.

In 1872 the first public library in Leeds opened. Roundhay Park also opened in 1872. Grand Theatre was built in 1878. City Varieties Music Hall was built in 1885. Then in 1888 the first moving pictures were taken of traffic crossing Leeds bridge.

In 1884 Marks and Spencer opened their first penny arcade in Leeds. Several new shopping arcades were built. Thorntons Arcade was built in 1878. It was followed by Queens Arcade in 1889 and Grand Arcade and Victoria Arcade in 1898. Meanwhile in 1891 Leeds gained its first electricity supply. In 1893 Leeds was made a city. Leeds United was founded in 1864.

In the early 19th century the wool industry continued to boom. So did making linen. However in the late 19th century textiles became less important. But tailoring for a mass market flourished. So did a leather industry and there were many boot and shoemakers. Tetleys brewery was founded in 1822.