Public can now learn about top Leeds landmarks using an interactive map created by Leeds Beckett University students

The Monument Map project is a collaboration between BA History students from Leeds Beckett University and the Leeds Civic Trust and provides historic context to statues and other commemorative sites in Leeds City Centre. The interactive map went live earlier this month, to mark Local and Community History month.

The project, commissioned by Leeds City Council in the wake of Alison Lowe’s 2020 review of statues in Leeds, aims to address the lack of knowledge of who is commemorated - and where - across the city. Leeds Beckett University students have worked on the project as part of their Public History Project module, mapping historic sites in Leeds and providing information for public knowledge in the shape of an interactive online map.

The Monument Map covers key Leeds landmarks from the Queen Anne statue at Leeds Art Gallery to the Rob Burrow mural on the Leeds Beckett University Student Union Building on Woodhouse Lane. The final project webpage will include an interactive map, showing where each monument or mural is located and providing background information on the landmarks themselves but also on who they are commemorating.

Dr Simon Morgan, Head of History at Leeds Beckett’s School of Cultural Studies and Humanities, said: “It has been a pleasure to watch the students work on the Monument Map as part of their Public History Project module.

“They have shown dedication and enthusiasm in collating the information, making sure each landmark’s story is told in a complete but concise fashion so everyone interested in exploring Leeds can use the map as a resource.”

Martin Hamilton, Director of the Leeds Civic Trust, said: “We are delighted to lend our support to this important project, and I would like to thank the students for their hard work in producing such a fantastic resource which I know will be of interest to many people in Leeds and beyond.

“Who we represent in physical form, and the historical context that led to this representation is a vital piece of the historical jigsaw that leads to a better understanding of the development of our city.”

The Monument Map project is the most recent contribution of BA History students from Leeds Beckett University to the public knowledge available about the city of Leeds. Last year, they created an interactive map of the Leeds Blitz bomb sites, complete with witness testimonies and a cohesive historic context, to tell the story of the heaviest air raid in the history of the city.