Part thirteen of a series exploring the history of Leeds, using books and other stock resources held in the Leeds Libraries collections. For all the entries in this series, see our dedicated page.
Many of the themes identified at the start of this history – innovation, Leeds’ place in national and international networks of trade and ideas, the city’s powers of dynamism and self-renewal, often driven by new arrivals into the region – come together in our final section, which brings the story right up-to date, with an item so contemporary it isn’t even officially part of the Central Library’s collections yet, though it will be once we get back to normal.
That’s the can of craft beer below which represents something of the city over the last 10-20 years: the focus on hospitality and the city’s creative sector, often driven by non-native graduates, allied to a strong DIY ethos and a sense of community that connects people in the city to local, national and international networks.
Beginning in 1997 with the opening of North Bar on New Briggate, often called Britain’s first craft-beer bar, and the legendary Beer Ritz bottle shop in Headingley, Leeds is now recognised as a major player in modern beer culture. As one informant has suggested, part of the reason for this is that Leeds has “everything in one place” – that is, production – breweries; distribution – bottle shops; and consumption – pubs and bars; all within a few miles of one another, all feeding off one another and sparking new creativity. Not just those directly connected to the beer itself, either – the sector draws in and collaborates with graphic designers, artists, other food and drink producers, writers, bloggers, musicians, photographers; a whole community of largely independent creatives.
That description is broadly reminiscent of the environments that helped Leeds to flourish during the 17th-century, the industrial revolution, and during the peak years of the tailoring sector; indeed, the beers you can see here were brewed by Northern Monk, who, perhaps more than any other brewery in Leeds, play with their place in Leeds’ and West Yorkshire’s heritage in a creative way, framing themselves quite self-consciously as the heirs to industrial innovators such as John Marshall, in the Flax Store of whose former Mill they are currently based in Holbeck; for instance, their 2017 beer City of Industry, which you can see in the image to the right, pays tribute to both John Marshall and the men and women who worked in his Mill. That lineage is woven with a very modern, very cutting-edge commitment to the latest styles and ingredients, an international network of New World hops and a growing community of local, national and worldwide customers.
Another successful craft brewer in the Leeds area is Kirkstall Brewery, whose company name harks back to a 19th-century brewer of the same name, and whose flagship beer Dissolution pays tribute to the brewery installed at Kirkstall Abbey’s foundation in 1152. In this sense, Leeds’ craft brewers are merely the latest in a long line of local innovators with a central place in similar networks of commerce, community and creation – bringing us full circle and to a conclusion (of sorts).
The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog 