Leeds Bridge

of Leeds on the bridge]] The medieval town of Leeds centred on 13th century burgess building plots either side of a wide road from the river crossing called Bridge Gate, now Briggate. A wool cloth market operated at Leeds Bridge, becoming the centre of wool trade for the West Riding of Yorkshire in the late 17th century. A medieval bridge was built at the site of a ferry across the River Aire. It was widened in 1730 and 1760. The bridge was rebuilt in 1870–73 by William Henry Barlow to a design by T. Dyne Steel. Though five other bridges were constructed between 1818 and 1870, the Leeds Bridge was the busiest, and in 1869 it was used by 4,000 vehicles and 55,000 foot passengers each…