The fire insurance plans produced by Charles E. Goad Ltd. are among the most detailed, but under-utilised, maps available for studying the urban, commercial and industrial development of British towns and cities during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This talk examines the surviving Goad plans for Leeds, drawing on research undertaken across multiple archives and libraries. It explores how successive surveys and revisions, dating from 1886 to 1971, provide a unique record of changing buildings, occupancies, fire risks and patterns of urban development.

The talk uses two historic Leeds city-centre fires as case studies: the destructive fire beneath Leeds Station in 1892 and the Wellington Street warehouse and hotel fire of 1906. Through these examples, it demonstrates how the Goad plans can be used to reconstruct the built environment, identify fire hazards, and understand the challenges faced by firefighters and insurers alike. More broadly, the talk highlights the value of the Goad plans for urban, architectural and business history and offers practical guidance on how local historians can use these remarkable sources in their own research.

Shane Ewen is Professor of History at Leeds Beckett University and co-editor of Urban History journal. He is a Trustee of the Historic Towns Trust and is leading on producing a historic map of Leeds.

Part of the Leeds Libraries' programme for Leeds 400

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