Lingering in Leeds!

The breathtaking ceiling in the Victoria Quarter

The breathtaking ceiling in the Victoria Quarter

I seldom pay more than a flying visit to the city of Leeds, but recently I had cause to wonder why. Never much of a shopper, I’m happy to let life flow around me as I absorb the architecture. Strolling through the city with my son, I was left far behind when we came upon the Victoria Quarter.  Here is just a glimpse of what I saw before I scurried to catch up.

Click on a photo to open the gallery

How about this for a ceiling?

How about this for a ceiling?

Worth getting a crick in the neck for
The detail was fabulous!
I never saw a lovelier glass dome
The wrought iron was spectacular too

The wrought iron was spectacular too

Down at ground level wasn't shabby either

Nor was ground level too shabby

But repeatedly the eyes are drawn overhead
To where the modern intersects with the old
In a dazzling array of glass!

All of the top names in the world of designer clothes are here, so if you are a shopper you will undoubtedly be in heaven.  County Arcade, Cross Arcade and Queen Victoria and King Edward streets were linked together to form the Victoria Quarter in the 1900s. Theatre architect Frank Matcham was responsible for the design, which no doubt accounts for its drama,  lavishly using faience and marble.  The Empire Palace Theatre was originally part of the development, since replaced by Harvey Nichols department store.

Nothing stops in the world of design and Victoria Quarter is currently undergoing a new phase. Me, I was swept on past beautiful Kirkstall Market to the newer kids on the block, Trinity Centre.

Looking up in the Trinity Centre

Looking up inside the Trinity Centre

Are you a tennis fan?  Crossing town we came upon on open air big screen, and my son remarked that if Murray makes the final it would be a great place to watch the match.  Given current weather conditions that would seem like an excellent idea, but my husband, whose birthday it is that day, was less than thrilled with the suggestion.

Federer, wilting in the heat?

Federer, wilting in the heat?

Right on his doorstep, brand new First Direct Arena is eagerly awaited.  A hot venue for summer!

New music venue, soon to be opened
Space age!
A former home- student flats at Opal 3

But I can’t help hankering after the old.  I looked wistfully up at remnants of the old Leeds.

I'd be happy with a home like this

I do hope it will last!

So what did you make of Leeds?  A thriving modern city these days.  I hope that Dawn will enjoy adding it to her collection at A Lingering Look at windows.  This month she looks at windows that aren’t windows any more!

86 comments

  1. Truly magnificent. I remember the arcades from way back, though Leeds is a city I have lost touch with. My sister was at uni there, my husband’s “Red Aunts” lived in back-to-backs in Burley and an old friend used to live there too, so I knew it well at one time. My friend is still in W Yorks but we don’t go into Leeds when we visit. Maybe I’ll request that we change that!

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    1. My son James was living in the Burley area for the past 3 years, in shared housing, but he’s finally graduated to his own space. As I said, my visits are always very fleeting but I do like what I see, Anabel. 🙂

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  5. The old wins hands down, modern shopping malls all look the same and have the same chains. What a pity that the rents are probably so high that smaller and more individual businesses aren’t in there.

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    1. I must admit, I was so blown away by the architecture, Gilly, that I paid very little attention to the shops but those I did notice were all designer ‘names’. 🙂

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  7. Leeds, the financial capital of the north 🙂

    It was booming in the ’90s and I did a lot of IT software training there for various finance and legal companies – and since then the riverside has been developed etc. so it is probably even better.

    As I have mentioned previously, Leeds is a place I knew fairly well as a child and teenager. My mother always took me to Selfridges to buy my winter coat and I spent a lot of money in the boutiques there. I shall never forget my knee high metallic blue platform soled boots o_O

    I almost ended up living there as I went for a couple of jobs in Leeds after leaving school and also in the ’90s (even got offered two jobs but I turned one down and the other was withdrawn which is why I ended up working in Sheffield). It was always my favourite city to shop in. And a cousin once ran a café in the Victoria Quarter, Indigo Joe’s – a lovely place to sup coffee in.

    Thanks for sharing, brings back a ton of memories and makes me want to go back and have another look around 😀
    Though I hate that ring road and one-way system – it’s a nightmare to drive in Leeds!

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    1. Hi Jude! Still in shock from Rafa, though I did have an inkling because I saw the Halle match that Brown won. He earned it, didn’t he?
      Those metallic blue boots would cheer me up 🙂 James has been there for the past 7 years and I have witnessed the city come up a lot in that space of time. The driving’s horrid! I didn’t think we were ever going to get there, but those arcades are the equal of anything I’ve ever seen.

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      1. The Brown/Rafa match was excellent, one of the best matches this year. Some have been quite boring especially the women. You will have to cheer for Murray now!
        Which part of Leeds is James living in?

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    2. I’d have killed for those boots at one time! Though these days I fear they’d kill me. I was at uni in Sheffield and my sister was at Leeds so we share old stamping grounds. Especially in those boots.

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      1. Haha.. I think they almost killed me! One of the heels broke so I had to return them and could only get black suede boots to replace them 😦 I went to Uni in Sheffield too (well, it was the Poly when I went, but Sheffield Hallam University now) but as a mature student so probably many years after you! I went to a lot of concerts at both unis though in the early 1970s. When were you there?

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      3. Sadly not. I had fled England by then and was living in South Africa. Well, except for 1979 when I was back for 9 months, but in Kent not Yorkshire.

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  8. Victoria Quarter…..Oh, I need to be there! I could just look at that for hours! Days maybe! Leeds now on my bucket list!

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  9. Wow!! just wow! How many people pass that glorious overhead and never stop to gaze in wonder and admiration. So glad you paid the artists and architects homage, Jo.

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  13. Absolutely stunning, Jo. This is a destination in itself and your pictures do it justice in capturing detail, perspective and a feeling of airiness. If I read it right, the link said this glass arcade goes on for three blocks. Lucky for Leeds that this was preserved. The outdoor screen was a surprise.

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    1. Yes, it’s a huge space, Lynne, and the juxtaposition of old and new is truly beautiful. 🙂 Leeds was a little downtrodden and shabby for a while but it’s definitely coming back.

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  15. Thanks for the introduction to what looks like a great city. There must have been lots of money there in 1900 for all that fabulous architecture and looks like it’s thriving again.

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    1. The canals brought good business to Leeds, but then the railways pushed them aside and the city was in decline for quite a while. I’m really glad to see it making a comeback 🙂

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  17. Never knew Leeds had such spectacular architecture. Modern and historic architecture side by side. Don’t blame you for craning your neck upwards to get a better look of the glass dome – I would have done the same as it looks manificent. And such a lovely blue sky day on your way. Not many people seem to be watching the tennis under the sun. I take that it must have been pretty warm 🙂

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    1. I was in Leeds to help my son move home, and it was way too warm for that kind of activity! My reward afterwards was a stroll through the city and along the canal. 🙂 The tennis was a surprise! It was around 3.30 so I guess most people were in work. 🙂

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  18. What wonderful windows they give a very light and airy feeling to the building. Do your shopping centres have air conditioning? All ours do and I find they are a good place to go to in the middle of summer… Most have comfy seats spread around and you often see the blokes waiting on them while the Missus shops…

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    1. Yes, same here, Pauline 🙂 It’s not too clear from the photo but there’s a row of fountains along the centre of the arcades and the sound of water makes it feel deliciously cool.

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    1. It’s definitely making a comeback, Gerry, and I’m happy to see it looking so affluent. (especially since job prospects are improving and my son has chosen to live there) Thanks 🙂

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  20. Well this is a real eye-opener, Jo. The Victoria Quarter is simply magnificent, and so wonderful that it has survived when so many arcades have been destroyed. A temple to shopping. But even better, it also seems to be informing/inspiring contemporary architecture too. I must go to Leeds.

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