Douglas and Benjamin in front of the Royal Armouries
One of the best opportunities afforded by living in Europe for two years is the chance to travel. One such opportunity presented itself this past week as Kelly was asked to travel to Leeds, West Yorkshire, U.K. Because the boys had not yet started school, we decided to make it a family trip, with a stopover in Northern Wales as well. Although the title of the blog may be “2 years in Madrid”, these next few entries would be more aptly titled, “6 Days in the U.K.”.
The city of Leeds, England is located in north central England. Unlike a lot of the old towns in England, Leeds does not have a great deal of older architecture, museums, monuments, etc… Although it’s a college town, it looks a great deal more like a business or manufacturing center. With a population of 788,000, Leeds has risen to become the economic center of West Yorkshire if not Northern, England. Along with this type of growth comes many new buildings and a modern skyline. For those of us who end up in the region as tourists (especially American tourists) this does not mesh well with our image of the quant English town. Despite its modernity, Leeds is not without its charms.
One of these charms I discovered on a run near the Leeds riverfront. Running from just below the Leeds Rail Station is the beginning of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal. The Leeds-Liverpool Canal greatly improved the economy of Yorkshire as it linked one of the regions greatest business centers with the port of Liverpool. Begun in 1770, the canal took nearly 40 years to complete. The primary cargo on the canal in those early years was coal and limestone. It is made up of 91 locks and runs 127 miles. Unlike many other canals, the Leeds-Liverpool canal was constructed with wide locks that allowed it to better compete with the railway.
A canal boat docked at the Leeds riverfront.
While today the canal is used primarily for leisure boating, it was recognized as a shipping resource into the 1970’s. As late as 1972, coal was still being shipped to the power station at Wiggan via canal. In additional to the leisure boats that traverse the canal today, the old towpath running alongside the canal has become a favorite of walkers, runners, and those on bicycle. The current towpath runs the entire way from Granary Warf in Leeds where the canal empties into the River Aire, to Liverpool. The canal provides a great resource for those in Northern England as the entire distance can be covered by foot or by boat using the lock system that is still operational.
Display Case at the Royal Armouries Musuem
The other top notch attraction the boys and I discovered in Leeds was the Royal Armouries Musuem. Opened in 1996, the Royal Armouries sits on the bank of the River Aire. It is a modern building complete with three floors of exhibits, a central tower, gift shop, theaters, and an outside interpretation area. At the time of its construction, the museum was originally designed as an overflow site for the extensive collection of the Tower of London. The Armouries is a national museum operated by the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport. Like all national museums, there is no general admission charge. In addition to the main collection, the museum also hosts special exhibits and interpretations that charge a minimal amount.
Once inside, the Armouries there are three floors of exhibits. They are organized into the Hunting Gallery, Oriental Gallery, Self Defense Gallery, Tournament Gallery, War Gallery, and the Hall of Steel and Street. The majority of these galleries are filled with polished examples of days gone by. Suits of armor are displayed alongside a multitude of weapons. The exhibits are so well done and displayed that one almost forgets exactly what it is that these shiny works of art were used for in the first place.
Hall just outside the Oriental Gallery
In addition to the armor, there are great exhibits on the evolution of hunting and big game hunting, modern weaponry, law enforcement and the weapons Asia. One of the exhibits that really caught my kid’s attention was a short video showing the process by which a Samurai sword is made. Immediately behind the video was a beautiful display case showing many different Samurai swords as well as swords in different states of assembly. If there is one thing you are sure to notice about the Royal Armouries, it is that they are very well funded and that they work very hard to make the museum and its interpretation one of the finest in the U.K..
Along with the Samurai Swords, our other favorite artifact was the parade armor helmet fashioned for England’s King Henry VIII. The helmet was given to the King by Emperor Maximilian I.
Parade Helmet that belonged to King Henry VIII
Outside of the permanent collection, the museum also has some wonderful hands-on areas that were very engaging for the kids. Among these were the crossbow range and the police dog demonstration. The police dog demonstration was put on by the Leeds Police Department and featured two different dogs that were raised and trained for police work. The demonstration took place in the Tiltyard which is an outdoor area attached to the museum. Admission for this “extra” was six pounds for all of us and it was definitely worth it.
Police Dog Demonstration
In addition to the various demonstrations, the Tiltyard is also home to jousting contests during the summer. Two of the larger of these are held during the weekend of Easter and at the end of the summer. The end of summer jousting contest attracts competitors from all over the world who ride for the chance to bring home the H.M. Queen’s Golden Jubilee trophy.
While I wouldn’t describe Leeds as a destination vacation spot, there are some things to recommend it. The river walk, towpath, and city hall were very nice, and the Royal Armoury is probably the most well presented and interpreted museum I’ve visited in three trips to the U.K.
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