Granary Wharf is a mixed-use development that stands next to the brick tunnels beside the

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

, and the

River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

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, England.

Leeds City railway station Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth-busiest railway station in the UK outside London (as of March 2020). I ...

sits above the brick tunnels on Dark Neville Street. The tunnel complex is known locally as the Dark Arches.

History

In 1864 it was proposed to build a "New Station" in Leeds. Construction began in 1866 and the station was completed in 1869. The new station was built on arches which span the

, Neville Street and Swinegate. The building of the station led to the creation of the 'Dark Arches' over Neville Street. Over 18 million bricks were used during their construction, breaking records at the time. Although the arches appear to be part of one single structure, closer inspection reveals that it is a series of independent viaducts two or four tracks wide. The station is situated next to the terminus of the

, but as the station is raised high above ground level it is possible to gain access to the Dark Arches from the

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...

. Developed in the 1990s and advertised as Leeds' best kept secret, the Granary Wharf shopping centre was situated underneath the Dark Arches. There were several established businesses underneath the arches, these included; restaurants, shops, boutiques, cafes, a bakery, exhibition spaces and a 1,000 capacity events venue. The Arches as a shopping centre was in decline for some time, and has now been developed as a car park. In 2009 Granary Wharf was redeveloped with a new hotel (the City Inn, Leeds - now

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) and two apartment blocks: Candle House and Watermans Place. The newly developed Granary Wharf also features several modern restaurants and bars.

Gallery

File:Candle House, Leeds.jpg, Candle House File:Watermans Place, Leeds West Yorkshire, England.jpg, Watermans Place File:The Dark Arches - geograph.org.uk - 352901.jpg, Dark Arches File:The Hop, Granary Wharf, Leeds (19th July 2014) 002.jpg

References

{{coord, 53, 47, 39, N, 1, 32, 53, W, display=title Buildings and structures in Leeds Articles containing video clips