old archways

polo · Post by **polo** » Wed 23 Jan, 2013 6:26 am

can anyone shed any light on these two archways i spotted you have to be pretty eagle eyed to even notice themhttp://goo.gl/maps/PHUAE

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Wed 23 Jan, 2013 6:59 am

The Victorians did that a lot with retaining walls. It kept the thickness and strength of the wall. But saved a lot of money by using less bricks.

polo · Post by **polo** » Wed 23 Jan, 2013 7:38 am

Once again phil the fountain of knowledge that u are thankyou.Nice simple explanation.

johnnyg · Post by **johnnyg** » Wed 23 Jan, 2013 11:44 pm

Are these arches at the side of Costco then? They are a plain example of a buttress in the form of a blind arcade. A buttress is, as Phil says, a means of reinforcing a wall that uses fewer bricks that just making the wall wider and also saves work. (It is a simple relation to the Flying Buttress often found on Gothic churches.) St Augustine's church in Harehills has nice simple v-shaped buttresses.A blind arcade is a row of arches that has no actual openings and is usually purely decorative. In the ones in the photos the loadbearing is done by the buttresses and the arches are there in effect just to make it look nice. Are the ones in your shots in Leeds Phil? They are nice ornamental examples of buttresses in the form of a blind arcade.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Thu 24 Jan, 2013 12:10 am

johnnyg wrote: Are the ones in your shots in Leeds Phil? They are nice ornamental examples of buttresses in the form of a blind arcade. No they're not in Leeds Johnny. I got them from a few sources about Victorian railway structure building. One of the most impressive railway cuttings you can see I would think is coming out of Liverpool up to Edge Hill. A good view of it from the cab of a loco can be seen herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhXDkz46niM

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Thu 24 Jan, 2013 11:22 am

Phill_dvsn wrote: johnnyg wrote: Are the ones in your shots in Leeds Phil? They are nice ornamental examples of buttresses in the form of a blind arcade. No they're not in Leeds Johnny. I got them from a few sources about Victorian railway structure building. One of the most impressive railway cuttings you can see I would think is coming out of Liverpool up to Edge Hill. A good view of it from the cab of a loco can be seen herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhXDkz46niM I like that approach to Liverpool too. There are even real street signs down there, showing which streets you are passing under, e.g. Brownlow Hill, Great Newton Street, Copperas Hill. The first time I noticed them, I wondered what it all meant! I couldn't see any on that Youtube film but they are covered in dirt and soot and you need to know where they are to spot them.