Colton

Leeds War Memorial

Arena Quarter · 4.3 miles

A marble obelisk topped with a bronze Angel of Peace dominates Victoria Square on the Headrow, positioned between the Town Hall and the Leeds City Art Gallery. The monument, listed as a historic memorial on the OpenStreetMap database, forms a focal point of the city centre and can be approached directly from the surrounding pedestrianised streets. Its four sides bear the inscriptions Invictis Pax, Ovr Gloriovs Dead, Honovr to the Fallen and Pro Patria, while the north-west and south-west corners record the dates 1914–1918 and 1939–1945. Flanking the shaft are sculptural groups titled Peace releasing a dove and Saint George and the Dragon, and each corner is embellished with owls, the heraldic emblem of Leeds. Designed by Henry Charles Fehr and unveiled on 14 October 1922, the memorial was originally sited in City Square before being moved to the newly created garden of rest in Victoria Square in 1937. It suffered a crack in 1940, leading to removal for repair and storage throughout the Leeds Blitz, with reinstatement in 1946. Subsequent storm damage saw the original Angel of Victory taken down, and after a period without a crowning figure, a new Angel of Peace by Ian Judd was dedicated on 10 November 1991. Today the site hosts the city’s Remembrance Day ceremonies, with three flag-pole mountings set up for the occasion, and remains accessible to visitors as part of the public square.

Farnley Hall Park

Farnley · 7.5 miles

Farnley Hall Park is a park in Farnley, Leeds, England, approximately four miles from the city centre. Sixteen hectares in size, it lies in the grounds of Farnley Hall and hosts the main base of Leeds City Parks.

Bramley Park

Bradley Hill · 8.1 miles

Bramley Park is a community park situated near the centre of Bramley, four miles west of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England.

Rodley Nature Reserve

Newlay · 8.7 miles

Wetland habitats on the north bank of the River Aire near Rodley, West Yorkshire, offer a refuge for a variety of birds and insects. The reserve occupies the former site of a sewage works, a transformation that began after Yorkshire Water proposed a nature reserve in 1992. Following discussions with local wildlife groups, planning and fundraising led to the opening of the reserve in 1999, with an official inauguration by the Minister of State for the Environment the following year. Subsequent development added a series of ponds between 2004 and 2009, creating additional water, marsh and ditch features that enhance the site’s ecological value. The area lies on a migratory route used by waders and waterfowl, complementing the habitats provided by the River Aire and the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. Woodland, grassland and scrub accompany the water bodies, supporting breeding populations of frogs, toads and newts, and recording fifteen species of dragonfly. Avian life includes little grebe, tufted duck, kingfisher and dipper throughout the year, with winter visitors such as snipe and pochard, and summer or resident songbirds like linnet and willow warbler. Visitors can reach the reserve via the carpark situated beside the gate, and a visitor centre provides disabled parking and toilet facilities.

Pontefract Museum

Pontefract · 8.7 miles

A former Carnegie library now serves as Pontefract Museum, occupying an Art Nouveau building in the centre of Pontefract, West Yorkshire. Designed by George Pennington and opened as a library in 1904, the structure was repurposed for museum use in 1975 after a new library was erected elsewhere. The conversion retained the tiled entrance hall and original furnishings, and the building was entered on the Grade II listed register at the time of its reopening in March 1975. The museum is managed by Wakefield Museums & Castles, offers free admission and provides step-free access throughout, with toilets available on the premises. The displays focus on the town’s archaeological, artistic and social heritage. Exhibits include material from Pontefract Castle and the nearby St John’s Priory, notably the Ackworth Hoard of almost six hundred Civil War-era coins. The collection also illustrates the local liquorice trade, featuring packaging from the famous Pontefract Cakes factories and the sealed ballot box from the country’s first secret ballot in 1872. Additional highlights trace the town’s mining past, decorative and applied arts, fine art, photographs and printed ephemera. Three permanent exhibition spaces house these items, while a separate area accommodates temporary shows, and a reference room preserves archival documents relating to Pontefract’s history.

Thornes Park

Thornes · 8.7 miles

Thornes Park is a large public park situated close to the centre of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Along with Clarence Park and Holmfield Park it forms a large parkland to the south west of the city.