William Lodge’s Prospect of 1684-9. This was drawn from Holbeck on the south side of the town with the tower of the Parish Church on the right and that of St. John’s on the left. The cloth market was still held on the bridge until 1684. The “Brigg End Shots” where a special offer of ale and food which could be purchased in local taverns at low prices. The Brig End Schot was explained by Ralph Thoresby; ‘a clothier may, together with his Pot of Ale, have a Noggin of O’Porrage and a Trencher of Boil’d or Roast-Meat for twopence.’
Over more than a century, the Society has built up a number of special collections, notably its archive, map and image collections, which have recently been re-catalogued to make them more accessible. These collections are housed in the Society’s library, based at the Leeds Library, 18 Commercial Street, Leeds LS1 6AL.