Grade II listed New York House has always had a beating industrial heart. The characterful Victorian frontage hid warehouses and workshops that supplied textiles to the masses, including the newly formed partnership of (Michael) Marks and (Tom) Spencer. It’s a spirit of commerce that still weaves through the city, and that’s at the heart of the Kirkgate area’s recent resurgence. The nearby First White Cloth Hall is soon to re-open, and the area’s quirky retail, food and drink scene is one of the city’s hidden gems. Kirkgate is part of a city comfortable in its own skin, hosting national theatre and ballet companies, worldclass retail, galleries, festivals and sporting events that rival any outside the capital.