SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

The Dark Arches off Neville Street are well known, and at least readily seen inside when its gate is open is the tunnel on the same side near the Queens Hotel (I have though only once ever been in it, quickly a few years back). There is though a gated entry/exit to an underground area on the right of Neville Street going to City Square just before it joins Bishopgate Street. I think the area has arches inside but I've never been in having only had fleeting glimpses when cars are going in/out further down Neville Street at another gated point. I've never seen any cars using the entry/exit near the Bishopgate Street. When walking passed there on September 14 2015 I noticed some work had been going on just inside so I took these 2 photos (plus one showing the view of the entry/exit site across Neville Street). I wonder what the work is for? The metal grid of the gate made it hard to take photos so I just stuck my camera over it and hoped for the best.

If my understanding of old maps is correct then the site is where the Mill Goit used to be, so I wonder if there are any signs of that inside. If anyone has ever been inside perhaps they could say what is there, as it is intriguing me. It may of course just be a car park!

Somewhere on here are a load of pics of the interior of this arch (arch 99) which was an old tram depot at the back of the Queens Hall and it ran into Swinegate. Cannot remember who took the pics but they beat me too it as the arch is now a secure car park and had been left open for a couple of days, I believe for maintenance work.

Heres a pic of todays car park and the 1950's tram depot

The thread buffaloskinner mentions above is "Leeds railway station's lost world", from about page 10 or 11 onwards. Much info and many photos.

As it does not seem to have a direct Leeds connection it probably does not qualify for the 'Signs of old Leodis' thread so I thought I would post here about the sign seen to the right of the gate in the third photo in the first post in this thread. The old (well at least rusty) looking 'Sprinkler Stop Valve Inside' sign caught my eye when I was taking photos on September 14 2014. I needed to do some image manipulation and researching to find that in the bottom right of the sign it states "Mather & Platt Ltd Manchester (I had hoped that may have been a Leeds company). Mather & Platt was formed in 1845 as an engineering and foundry firm and was incorporated in 1899 (in 2005 it became part of Wilo SE. Germany). I wonder though how old the sign is?

jim wrote:The thread buffaloskinner mentions above is "Leeds railway station's lost world", from about page 10 or 11 onwards. Much info and many photos.

That's the one Jim, thanks.

It clearly shows the arch over the goit at the bottom of the ramp in this pic of Cardiarms looking down the ramp

Thanks buffaloskinner for reproducing that excellent photo taken by Cardiarms which shows very well the arch over the Mill Goit.

I wonder what the work is for that is going on which is seen in a couple of the photos that I posted earlier in this thread?

Indeed this is a much explored topic and as suggested, there is a large collection of photographs on here (taken by one of our more mature-minded contributors) identifying the route and what remains of the old channels.

If you can find these you will have a comprehensive picture to visualise the way things were, particularly if you have a copy of the Civic Trust booklet on the King's Mill to hand.

Looking through the gated entry/exit to the underground area on the right of Neville Street going to City Square just before it joins Bishopgate Street I noticed today (Oct 15 2015) that there is still work going on inside the arches there. On asking a workman he said they are constructing a lift shaft for City House that is above the arches. Shame that entry into those arches is not allowed to see and photograph what is going on. Thanks for the workman for his willingness to spend a few moments to talk to me.