SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Well not so much the arches as the main tunnel, Seems that things here may be changing to bring a cover-up to the structure which we see and perhaps look at with some admiration for those who built it.Not that it wouldn't benefit from looking more amenable, but this looks like a complete change to what we see.http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/arti ... ture.shtml

How does changing from diamonds to squares cost millions of pounds?

chameleon wrote: Well not so much the arches as the main tunnel, Seems that things here may be changing to bring a cover-up to the structure which we see and perhaps look at with some admiration for those who built it.Not that it wouldn't benefit from looking more amenable, but this looks like a complete change to what we see.http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/arti ... ture.shtml Why does the BBC describe it as a tunnel ?It's a railway bridge over a road in my book . It may be a wide railway bridge with an unusually long stretch of road beneath it but it remains a bridge .Surely a tunnel is burrowed through earth or rock ?    

roundhegian wrote: chameleon wrote: Well not so much the arches as the main tunnel, Seems that things here may be changing to bring a cover-up to the structure which we see and perhaps look at with some admiration for those who built it.Not that it wouldn't benefit from looking more amenable, but this looks like a complete change to what we see.http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/arti ... ture.shtml Why does the BBC describe it as a tunnel ?It's a railway bridge over a road in my book . It may be a wide railway bridge with an unusually long stretch of road beneath it but it remains a bridge .Surely a tunnel is burrowed through earth or rock ?     You would think so wouldnt you,but the bridge that goes over the main line just south of Doncaster station is actually a tunnel,even though it quite clearly is one brick built construction.Its called Balby bridge tunnel..... no dont ask ive never been able to figure that one out.It clearly is not a tunnel its a "Rail over Road" bridge,that just happens to be on the long/wide side.I would not be surprised that this facelift,which is despeately needed,will also benefit Holbeck and Bridgewater place etc,and possibly it is also being tarted up with the arena in mind (ok calm down those hum bugs who dont like the arena) of which one of the possible locations could be on sweet street,roughly where Halfords and the closed car showroom is now.It would certainly make any pedestrian journey from town to Holbeck and back a lot more comfortable.Its an eyesore,lets do something about it instead of some big blue diamonds painted ona wall

I do and always have referred to it as 'the Dark Arches' - never even thought of it as a tunnel either, nor rarely a breidge though I know it is. When directing visitors to work, it's 'off the motorway and under the Dark Arches.... to be met with confused silence!Yes a clean-up, better lighting and pedestrian safety, but can't this be done in a way which will retain a little of the original character to look at rather than hiding everything behind aluminium cladding and soundproofing?

I agree. These sort of jobs always look like they were designed by someone who isn't a designer on the back of a fag packet in their lunchtime. What's the stone work like behind there? Surely that would look better cleaned up, than some boards with a boring geometric pattern slapped on? What about a competition (either between the general public, or Leeds design companies) to come up with something?