With the completion of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in 1816 and its linking with the Aire & Calder Navigation, the Port of Leeds became a thriving transport centre. By the mid-20th Century the area had become one of the most dilapidated parts of the city and water traffic considerably reduced.
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.