Possible Tunnel???

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Tue 16 Oct, 2007 8:22 pm

Na then, I've long seen these entrances to a "suspect" tunnel entrance. OK, so it may not be a tunnel system, but it does go further than can actually be seen from the slatted entrances and windows.Does anyone have an answer to these.. They are at the very start of the canal, near to the basin and dark arches.Anyway, take a look..

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 16 Oct, 2007 11:23 pm

I was always under the impression that these were either stables or for storage...

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 8:42 am

Yeah, they look like that sort o thing, but I took ages t'other day to try to see how far they go. They seem to go much further than you can actually see though and given the structure they are in I would suspect a long way. Just a guess mind!!

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 9:00 am

This google earth image shows that they do go well far back.....

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 9:26 am

Thing is, that wall they are in goes back to the Railway bridge along the canal, much further than your elipse, yet even further back away from the canal. These could be quite extensive???

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 11:03 am

mmmm. I've had a peep through there before but you can't see much can you? Certainly looks interesting. The area above was deffinately a loco stabling point with water tower, The stabling point was still used untill the early 80's. It could be worth getting in touch nicely with network rail for a behind the scenes tour if you fellas fancy giving it a go with me! Not far from there to the left is where the great fire started where the canal basin used to run through. There was a vast area underneath where a wick & tallow manufacturer was untill it caught fire, burnt all night long & brought the whole western approach to the station crashing into the canal.

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 11:10 am

I'd be up for a bit of scrabbling in the muck! Phil, are you saying that the canal basin was the collapsed bit of the old station?

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 11:14 am

Yes do you know the bit of dry dock next to the new developement. It runs nearly up to the arches. Well that used to run all the way under the railway, You can still see the open arch on the city square side, It's well hid from view & overgrown but you can still see it. Have a look at the arches on the Bridgewater place side, There a lot smaller in newer brick! You can see them herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/tpreece01/20273957/in/set-473755/

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 11:22 am

It would have been part of that pretty extensive storage & works that didn't catch fire i should think..The fire info hereJanuary 1892 Leeds New Station was built in 1869. It was situated off New Station Street, roughly occupying the area where platforms 9 to 17 of the present Leeds Station are situated. At the time New Station was built, the Dark Arches were created to carry the train tracks over the canal. The gaps beneath the arches were rented out by the railway companies as storage areas. One of these areas was used by Watson and Sons, soap manufacturers. In the early hours of the morning on 13th January 1892, a fire broke out in Watson's warehouse, igniting around 1,700 tons of highly flammable resin, tallow and oil, the raw materials of soap. The ferocity of the fire caused the supports holding up part of the station to give way. As this view shows, a significant amount of track and most of platforms 1, 2 and 3 collapsed. In the centre of the view are a number of burnt out waggons. These were attached to a long line of carriages when they caught on fire. The burning wagons were cut loose and shunted into the hole in a bid to halt the progress of the flames.

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Wed 17 Oct, 2007 11:35 am

Ahhhhh, cheers. I see said the blind man. Even though I have read the thread about it, I never fully understood where it exactly was! Back to the gated entrance. The more I think about it the more those things COULD be part of the old networks. Thye only go up hill slightly to the older dark arches sections and there looks from the aerial photo's that could run for a long long way westwards from the basin! Having said that, they could only go as far back as the back wall!! That'd be a pain in the bum. Get access to find it only goes back 20 feet or so!!