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LOCATION

The historic Old School Board building (designed by architect George Corson), immediately opposite the imposing Town Hall in the Civic Quarter of the City of Leeds provides the home for the CTCC. This building was formerly the headquarters and examination centre of the Leeds School Board between 1878 and 1881. Elected by the ratepayers of the City in 1870, following the first Education Act of the same year under the Liberal Government of William Gladstone, the Board built sufficient schools across the City to ensure that for the first time every child in Leeds received an elementary education. The school boards were abolished in 1902 and from this date until 1970s the building housed the Education Department of the City Council.
 
This imposing building has been renovated to its former glory and now provides a fitting home for the CTCC.
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The CTCC is also a neighbour of the Leeds City Art Gallery, home to one of the most outstanding collections of 20th Century British art outside of London, and of the Henry Moore Institute; a centre for the study and exhibition of sculpture, along with collections, reference library and archive.
 
Leeds is the regional centre of Yorkshire with a metropolitan district population of some 725,000. The City, with its two universities, is a vibrant and diverse cultural centre consisting of a main urban area, parklands and countryside, and a number of small towns and neighbourhoods, many of which have their own distinct cultural identities. The City is also close to the Yorkshire Dales National Park; an area of great natural beauty, rich in wildlife and cultural heritage.
 
The history of Leeds dates back to Saxon times, but the City really developed as the wool trade flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries. Daniel Defoe, in his ‘A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain’ (1722) recognised Leeds to be; “a large, wealthy and populous town.”
 
Today the City is able to display a rich and diverse architectural heritage with outstanding Victorian buildings such as the Town Hall, the Corn Exchange, its grand arcades and City Market, but also stylish and challenging new buildings such as Bridgewater Place. Across the City there are some 3,300 listed Buildings, 63 Conservation Areas, 13 Registered Historic Parks & Gardens and 58 Scheduled Ancient Monuments! For further information on the buildings of Leeds go to Leodis.
 
The cultural vibrancy of Leeds is reflected in the presence of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Opera North, the Northern Ballet Theatre, Leeds Met Gallery & Studio Theatre, and the Headingley Carnegie Stadium - home of international test cricket and the Rugby League team, the Leeds Rhinos. Leeds is also the home of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, the Leeds International Concert Season (the largest local authority music programme in the country), and several major international festivals.
 
Understandably, the City is a popular destination for the cultural tourist and amongst its many attractions are:


For further information on Leeds, its history, its culture, its environment and attractions please go to Leeds City Council.