Leeds Railway Station's 'Lost World'

[BIG N]

jim wrote: but hopefully answers your question and gives more insight into the station's past, Partly Jim, except for the question - where abouts was / is it in relation to todays station ??

[jim]

Oops, sorry Big N, carried away again! Platforms 11 and 12 fortuitously have retained their pre-1967 numbering, and Platform 13 is the remaining "stub" of its "numbersake" which prior to1967 was a through platform. The lift on 12/13 was centrally located measuring north-south, and it's counterpart on 11 was ten or twelve feet further west. 11 lift debouched directly in line with the subway, turn left at the end for 12/13 lift. It's very difficult to assess where the subway was when walking the platforms east-west. My best estimate is in line with the gents on Platform 8, but I could be up to thirty feet out. There is no clue on the ground as to their site location, I assume they made a seriously good job of capping the shafts as sudden pitfalls are unattractive to passengers (I refuse to call them "customers", urrgh!). As an afterthought, the fenced side of Bay 13,facing it's platform, can be identified as the 1877 outer station wall. Nice to see such relicsHope you can decipher this convoluted description and that it adequately answers your question.

[jim]

After further thought I worked out a method of answering Big N's query with greater accuracy so set off for Leeds City (as it remains for me, reactionary as I am). For a change I walked the canal towpath, and enjoyed the recently exposed view of the Leeds Central approach arches south of the canal. Further along I made some brief notes on a couple of mysteries I may enquire about on Secret Leeds in the future.Reaching Office Lock I took the opportunity of a close look at the short arches opposite.There is a plain doorway with a very solidly metal clad door, and six arches all barred and/or gated. As they have kindly been closed off with vertical planks,enabling us to get a good look inside---there isn't anything of much interest! They remain much as I have always known them, down at heel and empty. I believe that the "escape route" down the iron ladder I mentioned in a past post was through the metal clad door, but can't be certain.On to the arches around the closed-off river canal branch and none of the car park attendants seem concerned about the activities of nosey arch researchers, so a venture up the arches to left and right is in order. To the left/west of the canal branch, all the arches are interconnected in some way, and it is apparent that further side arches, seven or eight in number, have connected with the canal/river branch and Wharf. All are now blanked off, some with breeze block indicating that this has taken place in the latter half of the C20th.Moving on to the arch to the right/east of the canal branch, four similarly blanked off cross arches are to be seen, differing in that the first and fourth of these contain a pair each of doorways boarded up with plywood. The furthest has, by the look of the plywood and the screws, suspiciously been done or re-done quite recently. I trust that is not in response to the activities of any over-enthusiastic enquirer from this site. Looks over glasses severely.Down the granary arch and over the bridge at the river arches. Take a look at the two side "bifurcated" arches. The river is flowing strongly. and it is apparent that there is a reasonable flow through these unusually configured arches. This would tend to support my belief put forward in a past screed that the Queens Hotel undercroft road probably bridges Arch Six.On to the exercise for today. Locate the arch (DN4), allow for the fact that Dark Neville Street and the side arches are not joined at ninety degrees (looking north they diverge to the east by about twenty degrees) and pace out the distance from the subway centre to Neville Street west wall. Repeat to check count and record. Next, walk round to the station, pausing on the way for a look at the Queens Hotel goods entrance in Bishopgate Street. It is likely that this was in place for the old hotel which the later Queens Hotel replaced. I believe it was called the Midland (can anyone confirm?) and abutted Bishopgate Street, the then Wellington Station approach road entering City Square more-or-less where the present hotel's main entrance is. Possibly portions of the existing hotel undercroft date back to before the 1930s rebuilding. East down Platform 12. Locate the bridge girders over Neville Street. Note that the twenty degree offset is still evident, work out as closely as possible where the arch/road junction beneath the bridge will register and pace-out down the platform. Check and recheck and, Eureka! the southern end of the subway is directly beneath the cafe doorway from Platform 12, the subway crosses under the track at the twenty degrees mentioned, and the lift shaft on this platform lies some eight to ten feet to the west of the point we have just defined. I feel that this precision location method will be within a gnats clock care of reality.Incidentally, I wonder if the proprietors of the wonderfully-named "Pumpkin Cafe Shop" know of Frank Zappa's preferred use of the word "pumpkin"...........fnarr fnarr!    

[Cardiarms]

Here's Neville Stree/Bishopgate looking East. The gate on the left leads down a modern ramp. The vent on the right has 12ft drop behind it into an empty plant room. Above, New Station Street is on the left the station on the right.        So where's the King's Mill Goit?    

[Cardiarms]

Oh there it is! This is looking down through the gate and down the ramp.

[Cardiarms]

So I walked down Neville Street and turned left, by the arches. I think the first one are some sort of Pole dancing place. You come to this arch which has been a Civil Service carpark for years. It's normally locked. It was used by the trams and you can find a picture on Leodis of this Arch with a tram in it. Note it's different to the other arches.

[Cardiarms]

.

[Cardiarms]

But it wasn't locked. So this is looking North parallel with Neville Street towars the ramp. I think this it the course of the goit that forked south towards the Oil Mill and the river, the flow would have been towards you. A couple things to notice here. The brick work here is set on stone blocks, it's not in the other arches. The triangle bits on the downstream side I think are to prevent eddies undermining and eroding the pier. The straight line of the roof at the back in this land of arches is a whole set of large steel beams.    

[Cardiarms]

So walking up to the far end what can we find?

[Cardiarms]

This is the ramp down. Apologies for the quality. From her you're looking towards the Bishopgate/Neville Street corner. There's lots of 'modern in the corner'. Your back is to the Kings Mill Goit so the water came in from in front of you.