WORK | WELLNESS | SOCIAL
Leeds Dock is a creative waterside destination where innovation, culture and enterprise collide to create a vibrant City Centre destination. It’s a thriving Creative District, nurturing a diverse and welcoming community hub for residents, workers, and visitors. From the scenic waterfront to dynamic workplaces and leisure spaces, every aspect has been designed to cultivate a sense of belonging and engagement. The blend of residential, commercial, and cultural elements creates a dynamic district where people can live, work, rest and play.
We have a focus on creativity, innovation and sustainability, meaning Leeds Dock is continuously evolving, embracing new trends and implementing new technologies to enhance the quality of life for its community.
Leeds Dock offers an array of dining and socialising options, from the Italian fare of Pizza Express to the waterfront ambiance of The Canary, perfect for sunset drinks on the waterside. In 2023, Department introduced innovative coworking and office suites to the Dock, while Fearns debuted, providing high-quality food, drinks and events in a breathtaking ground-floor setting.
Furthermore, Leeds Dock hosts an active health and wellness programme, featuring activities like yoga, running clubs, swimming, and even paddle boarding on the Dock. Complemented by an annual events lineup, including the Waterfront Festival and Leeds Light Night, it has emerged as the go-to venue for community happenings and public events. This vibrant atmosphere has set Leeds Dock’s reputation as the most exciting waterside neighbourhood in the City.
LEEDS CREATIVE DISTRICT
The Leeds Creative District is designed to promote businesses, services, leisure and entertainment through the innate link between Leeds Dock the place, people in the community and the businesses that call it home. It aims to attract new investment, stimulate the economy of the City, generate movement among creative businesses and individuals, and form a hub of professionals in the creative industries enabling knowledge exchange and opportunities for collaboration.
A PLACE WITH A STORY TO TELL…
Leeds Dock was built in 1843 and stands as an icon of the pioneering spirit of Northern England, igniting the flames of the Industrial Revolution and propelling Leeds to the forefront of Victorian innovation. It served river traffic on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Aire & Calder Navigation to transport goods and commodities to and from Leeds City Centre.
The Dock was primarily used to bring coal from collieries around Rothwell and Wakefield to supply heavy industries in Hunslet and supply business and commerce in the City Centre. In its heyday the Dock was the source of all raw materials for the development of Leeds and the surrounding region, providing essential commodities including, timber, oil, lime, sand, stone, aggregate and coal, thereby shaping the very fabric of commerce and progress in Yorkshire.
The western side of the Dock once had a large crane on tracks along the side of the dock to load and unload goods from canal barges. In the 1990s the surrounding area was made up of Victorian industrial buildings most of which were derelict. Throughout the second half of the 20th Century the area suffered steady industrial decline and the mills and many heavy engineering works began to close, move further out of town or scale down.