Leeds five

You might not guess but this is in the centre of Leeds, just beside Holy Trinity Church (after which the adjacent Trinity shopping centre was named). The tree was turning autumnal, with such bright yellow leaves that it almost looked like blossom. 

I spent an afternoon shopping in the city. The light seemed quite nice so I found myself snapping a few phone shots as I walked. 

The pedestrianised street above is Briggate, home to some of the major stores, though the make-up of the shops changes constantly.  (Much to my annoyance when I think I'm going to a particular shop and find it has closed or moved. I don't really go often enough to keep up to date!)

I had to look up the significance of the statue on the plinth, erected when the Trinity Centre (mall) was opened. She is Minerva, goddess of both commerce and weaving. She is wearing an owl mask, the owl being the symbol of Leeds. She appeared to be having a little conversation with the starling that had landed on her arm. 

Along Briggate, several shopping arcades branch off to left and right. The oldest of them is Thornton's Arcade, shown below. 'The Victorian Web' website says this was 'designed by George Smith, a Leeds architect in the mid-Victorian period 1877-78; and restored in 1992-94. From medieval times, a series of yards had linked Briggate to parallel streets, and Charles Thornton, a local entrepreneur, had the idea of constructing a shopping arcade along one of them. He commissioned George Smith, who had previously designed his City Varieties Music Hall for him in Swan Street, for the task. Developed on what was previously the old Talbot Inn and its coachyard, and going through to Land's Lane, Thornton's Arcade was the first of several such arcades. These, along with the grand City Markets, transformed the centre of Leeds.'