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Leeds made its money from wool, then from tailoring, then from financial services, and through all of it maintained the blunt self-confidence of a northern English city that never needed London's approval. Kirkgate Market, one of the largest covered markets in Europe, has been trading since 1822; Michael Marks opened his first 'penny bazaar' stall here in 1884, which eventually became Marks and Spencer. Harvey Nichols opened its first store outside London in Leeds in 1996, which tells you something about where the city's money actually was.

The Victoria Quarter -- a set of Victorian arcades roofed in stained glass by architect Frank Matcham in 1898 -- is one of the most beautiful retail spaces in Britain, its brass fittings and mosaic floors largely unchanged.

The Royal Armouries Museum, opened in 1996 in a building by Derek Walker on the waterfront, holds the national collection of arms and armor and is free to enter. The Corn Exchange, a Victorian elliptical trading hall with a cast-iron roof, now hosts independent shops. The Leeds City Art Gallery, two minutes from the town hall, has a significant collection of 20th-century British art that is routinely overlooked in favor of the city's nightlife reputation.