The Calls

Coordinates: 53°47′38″N 1°32′17″W / 53.794°N 1.538°W / 53.794; -1.538

Queens Court and Fibre hold a 'Courtyard Party' this is a major event in the Calls area.

The Calls is an area and street by the River Aire in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. This district falls within the City and Hunslet ward of the City of Leeds Council. Formerly an area of industry in Leeds, The Calls is now successfully regenerated with a mixture of uses: primarily offices, residential and leisure. Coupled with Call Lane and Lower Briggate the area makes up the heart of the Leeds gay village.[1]

The Calls area is the location of the second part of Leeds Pride after the Pride Parade has left the stage and stalls in Millennium Square.

History

Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the area served the docks on the canal.

The Calls area along with neighbouring Clarence Dock served as docks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Aire and Calder Navigation throughout the industrial revolution and the early 20th century.

The areas decline began in the early 20th century when Leeds' industry moved away from the centre out towards Hunslet, Holbeck, Armley and Kirkstall. Leeds' post-war industrial decline spelled the death knell for the area and the area became rundown and suffered from crime and vagrancy. Redevelopment began in the area in the 1990s.

The Leeds Gay Village

Today The Calls, Call Lane and Lower Briggate have become Leeds' main gay district. There are many pubs and bars around the area (such as the Aire Bar, Calls Landing, Elbow Rooms, Oporto, Queens Court and Revolution). The most notable perhaps is The New Penny, which is supposedly the UK's longest running gay pub. The area is also the setting for the post parade street party and stalls at Leeds Pride.[2] many companies have also set up offices in the area. A new footbridge links The Calls to Brewery Wharf, part of the Tetley's brewery. A new footbridge further east, close to Leeds Parish Church, links the area to Clarence Dock.

Village establishments

The Calls area has many LGBT bars, pubs and clubs. The majority of the other local establishments are LGBT friendly and some have gay nights. The New Penny is reported to be the oldest continually running gay pub in the UK.[3]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.gayleeds.com/
  2. ↑ Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth (2005), Frommer's England 2006, John Wiley and Sons, p. 685, ISBN 978-0-7645-9540-0
  3. ↑ http://www.leeds-uk.com/gay/leeds-gay-scene.htm
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