These curious sounds from around Leeds cover the weird and wonderful, some recognisable and some not. The sounds were recorded between 2009 and 2010 around Leeds, as part of the British Library Sound Map, an interactive map of the UK tagged with recorded ambient sounds of people and places across the country.

The sounds are classed as ambient sound, meaning they are background sound rather than direct recordings of people. They are sometimes difficult to decipher and a high quality speaker or headphones will be needed to play these to your class.

The sounds include 60 seconds each of:

• A Big Garden Fire in Leeds
• A Fair on Woodhouse Moor, Leeds
• Distant Fireworks on Bonfire Night
• Leeds City Centre on a Saturday Afternoon
• Leeds Train Station Sounds
• North Bar, New Briggate, Leeds
• Out of the Woods Cafe, Leeds
• Saxophone Player on The Headrow, Leeds
• Skateboarding in Hyde Park, Leeds
• Musical Trailer at Otley Fayre, Leeds
• Windchimes at Leeds Christmas Market

These sounds can be used for building map skills and locational knowledge as well as for more creative activity that builds on students’ imagination, language and written skills.