A grade I listed Victorian building built in the 18th century, the Leeds corn exchange has a very romantic presence. It was designed by the same architect who first drew the plans for Leeds Town Hall, a Mr. Cuthbert Brodrick in 1863. Every year since, traders met at the building to celebrate its anniversary on the 28th of July, where 2013 marked its 150th birthday since built, and its 30th birthday since it was transformed into a retailing hub.
The Corn Exchange prides itself for hosting independent retailers, making it a great shopping destination to look for unique items, or if you’re into supporting small and local businesses. It has gained a considerable amount of celebrity attention as well, where it was a stop on Gok Wan’s Fashion roadshow in 2011 and venue for auditions to Katie Price’s The Next Big Thing that same year.
To get to the beautiful dome shaped venue, you could walk from Leeds train station which should take you less than 10 minutes. Exit the station onto Swingate Street heading south east and then turn right onto to Boar lane continuing on Duncan Street when the road splits. You should be able to see the Corn Exchange as you get close, on your right that is.
For a taste of what is inside the Corn exchange, have a look at the carefully prepared list of eateries inside. Go dine has personally spoken to each of the restaurants we host on the website, ensuring that only the best is on offer for you. Go dine lists the restaurants near The Corn Exchange according to proximity in a 15 mile radius. You will notice that with the Corn Exchange a lot of the restaurants are in fact inside the building! How convenient indeed.
Did you know that in the early 1800's there were corn laws set to protect corn growers in the UK from cheaper foreign produce. An imports cap was essentially set up until the price of Corn would go to a sustainable price of 80 shillings a quarter. Such laws in modern economies could be seen as deterring competition and are much less likely to exist.