Leeds Freedom Quarter

Lower Briggate, Call Lane and The Calls, under the rainbow Freedom Bridge, next to Leeds station.

At a glance

• Where: Lower Briggate, Call Lane, The Calls, Bridge End, Blayds Yard, Queens Court (yard off Lower Briggate), Heaton's Court, Wharf Street (LS1 6ER, LS1 6LY, LS1 4AD).
• Status: Not formally designated; named and supported in the council's LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds work.
• Getting there: Leeds railway station; Leeds Bus Station.
• Pride: Leeds Pride, usually in July (August in earlier years, e.g. 2006, 2018, 2022). Next: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2027.
• Venues listed: 10, checked in October 2026.

How official is it?

What has actually been done

• Commissioned 16 Pride Progress flag paving slabs on Lower Briggate (laid February 2022, LGBT History Month) and permanent rainbow lighting (lit before Leeds Pride, August 2022), via Connecting Leeds works by contractor John Sisk & Son; Lower Briggate businesses chose the designs from a list of options.
• Connecting Leeds also gave Lower Briggate wider pavements, more outdoor seating, improved crossings, trees and a segregated cycle lane.
• Collaborated with Network Rail and campaigner Thomas Wales on the rainbow repaint of the Lower Briggate railway bridge (Freedom Bridge), completed February 2017.
• Runs the LGBT+ Hub, part of the Equality Assembly: a hybrid consultation/challenge forum where LGBT+ communities give feedback to council, partner and business services; meets four times a year, 5:30-7:30pm.
• Reports progress on the LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds plan annually in its equality annual report (from 2025).
• Provides accessible viewing areas (Millennium Square and Lower Briggate), an access bus and accessible toilets for Leeds Pride.
• Night Safe Leeds: street marshals, a Women's Night Safe Space and a CCTV link; lists Angels of Freedom support in the Freedom Quarter most Fridays until 11pm.

Key dates

1. 28 March 2012Full Council debated a motion to officially recognise Lower Briggate as the Leeds Gay Quarter; an amendment was carried that noted LGBT businesses in Lower Briggate and aimed to make Leeds an LGBT-friendly city, but did not formally designate a gay quarter.
2. 19 October 2016Civic Trust blue plaque unveiled at The New Penny by Cllr James Lewis.
3. February 2017Freedom Bridge rainbow repaint completed.
4. June 2018LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds plan 2018-2023 / Current and Future Work report.
5. 15 February 202216 Pride Progress flag paving slabs laid on Lower Briggate.
6. 2 August 2022Permanent rainbow lighting switched on, Lower Briggate.
7. 2024LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds plan 2024-2029 launched.
8. 10 November 2026Next LGBT+ Hub meeting (5:30-7:30pm, hybrid); then 16 March 2027.

Venues in the Freedom Quarter

Pins are placed by postcode, so they are close to, but not always exactly on, each door.

The streets

Lower Briggate

Viaduct Showbar (11), Queens Court and Glamorous (167-168), Fibre (168); Pride Progress paving slabs and permanent rainbow lighting; the Freedom Bridge railway bridge; Leeds Pride's Saturday Freedom Party and the parade finish. Southern end of Briggate running to Leeds Bridge, the oldest crossing of the Aire. Queens Court is a yard behind an 18th-century cloth merchant's house (1714). Remodelled by Connecting Leeds, with wider pavements, seating, trees and a cycle lane.

Blayds Yard

Blayds Bar (3-7 Blayds Yard). Georgian warehouses and cottages near Leeds Bridge, with a blue plaque to notable printers; in the 1930s the Pelican Social Club was here.

Call Lane

The New Penny (57-59), among many cocktail bars and late clubs; included in Leeds Pride festivities. The New Penny has operated here since 1953 (as the Hope and Anchor).

The Calls

Riverside street where the Pride parade ends at the foot of Lower Briggate. With Lower Briggate, the traditional LGBT pub and bar area.

Bridge End

The Bridge (1-5 Bridge End), closed in 2026 and to let. Campaigners asked for Bridge End and The Calls to be recognised as part of the gay quarter (2011-12).

Heaton's Court

Railway arches, former home of Club Mission and Tunnel (8 Heaton's Court). Club Mission closed in 2020.

Wharf Street

Wharf Chambers (23-25), a co-op venue popular with the LGBTQ+ community.

Getting there

• Nearest station: Leeds railway station
• Nearest station: Leeds Bus Station
• Leeds has no tram. Many city-centre bus routes pass nearby; during Leeds Pride 2026 Lower Briggate was closed from 5am Sat 18 July to 5am Mon 20 July and many services (e.g. 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 16, 40, 47, 51, 52, PR1, PR3) were diverted.
• Park & Ride services PR1 and PR3 serve the city centre (named in Pride 2026 diversion list).
• Parking: Hunslet Lane (council, open-air) - about a 3-minute walk from Leeds Bridge.
• Parking: West Street (council, open-air) - about 10 minutes' walk from Leeds station.
• Parking: Woodhouse Lane (council multi-storey) - near the arena/LGI/City Museum, further from the quarter.

More about the Freedom Quarter

Sources

• LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds (plan 2024-2029, page) (2024 (plan period 2024-2029))
• LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds - Current and Future Work (Appendix 1) (June 2018)
• White Paper Motion (Cllr Golton) - Gay Quarter, Full Council (March 2012)
• No shade: Lower Briggate lights up for the LGBTQ+ people of Leeds (press release) (2 August 2022)
• LGBT+ Hub page (meeting dates) (2026)
• Leeds City Council looks forward to celebrating 20 years of Pride (15 July 2026)
• People reminded of safety initiatives as city centre gears up for Christmas (Night Safe Leeds) (15 December 2025)

Last checked 10 October 2026. Venues change, so check with them before you travel. Something wrong? Tell us.

Other rainbow quarters