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Corn Exchange, Call Lane, LEEDS, LS1 7BR

Leeds Corn Exchange is one of Britain’s finest Victorian buildings and a Grade 1 listed structure. Designed by Cuthbert Brodrick and completed in 1864, Leeds Corn Exchange holds tremendous significance both as an architectural masterpiece and cultural icon.After falling into disrepair it emerged again to champion creative, innovative and independent retail enterprises, and the building’s striking features provide the backdrop for a unique shopping experience. Now just one of three Corn Exchanges in the country which still operates in its traditional capacity as a centre for trade, Leeds Corn Exchange sits at the heart of the local community.

Interior view of the Grade 1 listed Corn Exchange building of 1864.

The blue plaque is inside Leeds' Corn Exchange, where Alice, who was the first female MP for a Yorkshire constituency, held her surgeries. A current Leeds MP, Rachel Reeves, has written her biography, "Alice in Westminster".

The Corn Exchange was designed by Cuthbert Brodrick, an architect from Hull, who also designed Leeds Town Hall and the Guildhall in Hull. In recent years the Corn Exchange seemed to be thriving with a range of small shops aimed at various styles of fashion in clothing and jewellery. 2 to 3 years ago, there was a change of management, who decided its should go upmarket and become a centre for restaurants and cafes. The shop owners were persuaded to move elsewhere but nobody has taken the opportunity to start catering - the basement in this view was already a restaurant. Now the management are trying to persuade the shops to return, evidently without much success so far. Compare this picture with one 2 and half years earlier Image See the view from the foot of the stairs Image]

See the interior 2 and a half years later Image] Image]

Another building by Cuthbert Broderick, completed in 1864. The design and local convention is such that the building be viewed from Boar Lane / Duncan Street at its main entrance. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2718066 But this eastern view helps to reveal the secret of the lightness and airy feeling of the interior.

A view from the balcony of the interior of the grade I listed building, now a shopping centre. But what's that on the ground floor- a dinosaur? Image

The spinosaurus was in the Corn Exchange. This species lived in the Late Cretaceous, c.95 million years ago and grew to 15 metres, so this is roughly a third-sized model. Was it deliberately placed above the words "We are the creators, dream big" around the perimeter of the stairwell to the basement?