Although part of the Metropolitan City of Leeds since the mid-1970's, Pudsey has a proud history as a separate entity—the recipient of a Royal Charter of Incorporation in 1900, which distinguished it from the metropolitan sprawls of Leeds and Bradford. Pudsey's Owlcoates Centre is an impressive retail park serving the entire area west of the city. Neighbouring Armley is probably best known for Armley Mills, a relic of Leeds' industrial past and once the world's largest woolen mill.