Kelly's Directory

In the reading room I pull out a 1947 edition of Kelly’s Directories of Leeds (some of which go back to the 1880s). The directory boldly claims it is ‘the oldest and largest directory publishers in the world’. I’m fascinated by the A-Z list of entries in the directory, aldermen, allotments, Analyst for the city, Clerk of the Peace, Treasurer for the City, Vice-Consuls. The advertising section of the directory refers to Dictaphone Co Ltd., coal and coke merchants and a grease manufacturer. Even a brief reading these entries provides insight into changing roles and technologies in Leeds.