Leeds Libraries is really excited to unveil the new look Leodis!

“Discover the unique history of Leeds through the relaunched Leodis archive and  browse over 62,000 images dating from 1866.

You can delve into thousands of pictures from the past, from WW1 female factory workers at the Barnbow No 1 National Filling Factory, to rare snapshots of the gypsy and traveller community, and residents captured in photographs of ‘slum’ clearances taken by the City Engineers from the 1890s to 1960s.

Leodis isn’t just for finding photos, you can also leave your comments and memories in the comments section. Discover your family history, delve into the unique history of Leeds or see how where you live has changed over the years on our brand new site.

Visit leodis.net to find out more about the website and browse the image collection.

Accessing Leodis is easy (we’ve been told it works best on newer browsers such as Chrome). Once you’re on the site you can search by keyword or date to browse the archive. Feeling lucky? Click ‘pot luck’ for a random selection of photographs and see where you end up!”

This picture captures  “Butch and Mates”,  as they play near terraced houses located in Servia Hill in 1970

And this one from 1894 captures the day Leeds residents constructed an enormous arch from a staggering 1,500 loaves of bread along Commercial Street. Residents built the arch to welcome George V, then Duke of York, to the city and a day later the stale loaves were distributed to the poor.

Pictures and stories of the unique history of Leeds will be shared over the next few weeks on Leeds Libaries facebook and twitter pages