Leeds Bradford Train

The West Yorkshire city of Leeds can trace its origins back to the Middle Ages where it developed as a market town. Prior to the onset of the Industrial Revolution, Leeds became a coordination centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth and white broadcloth was traded at its White Cloth Hall. In 1770, the city was responsible for one sixth of the export trade of cloth. The construction of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699 and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 spurred on the growth of textiles in Leeds. The next stage of the city's development came with the arrival of the railway network in the 1830's which connected Leeds to markets throughout the north of England and beyond. Specifically it connected Leeds to Manchester and the ports of Liverpool and Hull which improved access to international markets.

Leeds railway station offers passengers services to the suburbs of Leeds and beyond to the rest of the country. It is one of the busiest stations on the national rail network outside London. It also has the largest number of platforms of any railway station in the United Kingdom outside London.

Leeds Bradford Airport also provides passengers with many daily flights to destinations in the United Kingdom, Europe, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan and the USA.

Located in the foothills of the Pennines, the West Yorkshire city of Bradford has a culturally diverse population with many immigrants from County Mayo and Sligo in Ireland and Jewish wool merchants from Germany who came to the city in the 19th century. More recently many immigrants from south Asia, particularly from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, came during the 1950's and 1960's.

Bradford's textile industry has been in decline since the 1950's and many of its mills have been redeveloped. The grandest of the mills no longer used for textile production is Lister's Mill, the chimney of which can be seen from most places in Bradford. It has become a beacon of regeneration after a £100 million conversion to apartment blocks.

Bradford City Park, now home to the Bradford Festival which includes the Mela, is a six-acre public space in the heart of Bradford which contains the largest man-made water feature in any UK city - a 4,000sq m mirror pool featuring more than 100 fountains, including the tallest in any UK city at 30 meters. When the mirror pool is drained City Park is capable of holding events such as carnivals, markets, theatre productions, screenings and community festivals.