Leeds, Entrance to Briggate, Yorkshire, Hand Coloured Engraving, circa 1849

About this sheet

This hand coloured steel engraving of Leeds, showing the entrance to Briggate from the bridge over the River Aire, was drawn by William Harvey, engraved by Thomas Abiel Prior and published in London by Charles Knight, circa 1849. The plate is lettered "Leeds: entrance to Briggate".

The view looks along the river to the stone bridge and the start of Briggate, the historic main street of Leeds, with its tall houses and warehouses and a church tower rising behind. Barges lie on the water and a timber raft floats in the foreground, a detail that shows how closely the town's trade was tied to the Aire and the canal network in the years when Leeds was growing into one of the great industrial cities of the north.

The lettering reads "W. Harvey, del.", "T. A. Prior, sc." and "London; Charles Knight", with a date that appears to be 1849. The plate is probably from Knight's illustrated survey of Britain, The Land We Live In, which carried Harvey and Prior views of English towns in the late 1840s, although this cannot be confirmed from the sheet alone. It is a finely worked steel engraving to which colour has been added by hand, most likely at a later date, in soft washes of blue, green and brown.

This Leeds engraving is an appealing early Victorian image of Briggate and the Aire, and a natural choice for anyone with Leeds or Yorkshire connections. The gentle colour makes it well suited to framing for a hallway, office or sitting room.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning and a small spot in the lower right margin; the image itself is clean.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.