It all started on Twitter, as outings are often wont to do these days. A discussion about disused railway lines in Leeds led to a 140-character chat about urban gardens and creative use of derelict spaces. This in turn brought about an expedition to explore the old Holbeck viaduct, 85 arches and 1500 yards long, that runs from the south of Leeds as far as the railway station in the city centre.
Four epic adventurers (ok, nosy people with a penchant for long lunch breaks) climbed a railway embankment and took a stroll along the viaduct, marveling at its beauty, checking out the views, considering what it could be used for and generally getting slightly tetchy to see this exciting and unusual space unused and steadily decaying.
We weren’t the first people to sneak up there. Urbex have checked out it too, as have The Leeds Historical Expedition Society (that is perhaps a made-up name for a society but the video is real). This led us to ponder on why the viaduct is not being used to its full – or indeed, any – potential.
So, like others before us, we discussed the abandoned plans for it to combine a walkway into the city with an urban park. It was earmarked to become a skywalk – or what the architects proposing it called an ‘elevated linear park’ – but somewhere along the line (cuts, cuts, cuts?) the money disappeared.
Shame, because this is a stunning piece of Victorian architecture, an engineering miracle that provided a vital transport channel into the growing city in the nineteenth century. The viaduct once was and could again be a remarkable feature of a city, if Leeds has the sense to show a bit of vision. At the moment, it’s exotically overgrown with randomly seeded local fauna. It’s wildly beautiful but with clear evidence of the region’s incredible industrial heritage. Standing several metres above roads and pavements (it’s a viaduct, that’s what they do) it offers remarkable views of the ever-changing cityscape. It brings the spectacular local countryside into the vibrant metropolis and back again.
But enough of the superlatives – we took pics, plenty of them, so you can see exactly what we’re talking about: Rick’s, Alex’s and mine.
Other cities have done it. Paris has one and New York thinks the idea is so good they’ve done it twice! How’s that for faith in the positive impact of projects of this kind? Mexico City is also working on one that will open in 2012. Is there any reason why Leeds shouldn’t have one too? A draft design exists; how hard would it be to get the project back on track? NB that is not a hypothetical question.
In projects like this, as Alex of Exploring Leeds says, ‘Instead of leaving a redundant piece of grand civic architecture to linger until it is demolished you make it part of the community again and turn dead space into leisure space.’
So, what do you think Leeds? Wouldn’t the city benefit from turning a decaying space into a thing of practical beauty? Would locals use it? Would it be a perfect place for picnics and strolls? Wouldn’t some of the many tourists who visit the city love to sit in a park instead of a pub sometimes?
We know that times are tough (blah, blah) but it doesn’t seem like a good strategy to always let cost obscure benefit. Maybe it wouldn’t even cost that much to have a gorgeous, functional green space close to the city. I guess we won’t know until we ask… Thoughts, anyone?
How about some unusual architecture on the crumbling architecture? http://dornob.com/subway-cars-i-desire-tube-carriages-into-rooftop-offices/ (very quick link so pr’aps not original content) retail/studio? Complimentary, environmentally minded and cute
A great idea, shame that our local rolling stock isn’t quite so iconic as that on the Underground!
Leeds was considered for its own underground. The images of the proposed scheme under City Square are floating around the internet. Leeds and West Yorkshire would vastly benefit from an underground system of its own, but it’s a shame cost is always considered the determining factor: our leaders never want to plan ahead and either patch failing things up or spend money on projects that serve no long-term benefit, only to have to spend even more when that bursts at the seams.
Yes please! Shall we start saving up?
Might have to get myself up there…
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More unsanctioned trespass! Such a unique strip of space, holds so much potential for lovely things, like allotments, cafes, installations… etc
A great write up, fascinating additional research in there. So glad we didn’t opt for high vis jackets, it’s just not my colour…
wow that looks amazing! reminds me a bit of Stand By Me – you didn’t find a dead body did you? I like your ideas, a walk-in to the centre without fighting with traffic is the dream for me. Unfortunately I don’t think the council goes for anything that doesn’t involve shopping centres these days, which is a real shame as the health and wellbeing benefits of urban parks are obvious.
I think this is a great idea. How do you get up there now?
Having visited the one in Manhattan I’d dearly love to see one here. It was an amazing space
Hear hear for more urban exploration and trespassing – people have richer experiences and gems are often uncovered because of it. Much more exciting than a walk down the Headrow.
Reusing the viaduct as public space sounds like a great idea, shame Leeds is too busy building new shopping arcades and painting high rise flats purple.
Maybe the council could save some pennies, get Sony in for a new ad and then develop the viaduct?
It would be amazing to turn it into a park. How much work would be involved in making it accessible, Janey? Are there steps up, and does the structure feel fairly solid?
Is it owned by the council, or by the railway?
Thanks all for thoughtful comments – glad to know that we mildly intrepid explorers are not alone in thinking this is worth pursuing. We’re considering next steps so if you have questions we can pose to people in the know (councillors, architects etc) please let us know…
I do love the idea of this being a walk-in to the city centre.
However I don’t think the issue the council will have will be accessibility or even the landscaping. The structure itself has been like this for a long time now and it would take a large amount of work to ensure its safe, to repair loose masonary, etc. I suspect these more core activities which are going to be pricey are the thing that is stopping the council.
Sadly I have to sharply disagree with most of this. Not about the architecture – it’s pure genius – or the ideas about more people knowing about it and using it . . . but “intrepid urban explorers?” Really!
Sorry everyone but I’m from Holbeck. Every kid around here knows how to get up there. I used to go up there with my granddad who liked to point out where all the factories were along Water Lane (he worked in Vickers, proudly.) Not long ago me and my dad took the dog for a walk up there. I took the ex up there for a picnic last summer. I don’t think I’m the only local who uses the place. So all this rhetoric about exploration makes me a bit queasy . . . I feel a bit like I’m an “indigenous” person, and we all know how explorers tend not to notice those sorts of people.
But the thing that most irritated me about all this is the complete ignorance of context. All those pretty pictures, the wonderful views, the “spectacular local countryside” . . . erm, pardon? The view from up there just shrieks “slum clearance” to me. Not long ago the view would have been dominated by rows of back to back terraces, clusters of council housing and a scattering of high rise flats. Thousands of families have been shifted. Holbeck reduced to rubble. If you really want to know why the viaduct is so quiet and underused maybe that is something to think about. Spare us the twaddle about “making it part of the community again”, that’s just so much middle class handwringing bollocks. Too late. Let’s just be honest. Best thing we can do is sanitise, gentrify, and clear out the local ruffians who are left – mainly hookers and druggies to be honest, who cares about them! and make the place safe for day trippers and intrepid urban explorers . . .
Actually, no. Let’s leave the place alone. It’s a scar on the face of the city. I rather like it how it is. All cities need a bit of rough.
LOL! “… that’s just so much middle class handwringing bollocks” – my people would just blow it up 😉
was that indigent or indigenous?
Totally agree with you I live in Holbeck and since the 1960’s have known the access to the viaduct. I totally agree that all plans for this area are never really done with the consultation of local people but always what “others deem right for our area”.
I am appalled that we live so near the city centre but we are now a wasteland as the council supposedly has no more money to continue any projects. We have no proper shops, banks or sports centre any more. The existing council housing stock needs improvement. We are just forgotten and I dont think a coffee shop on a viaduct will suffice!!
Completely agree with you there, Phil. I’m not from Holbeck myself but am from Leeds. I’m fortunate/unfortunate enough to remember ‘old Leeds’ which began to be eradicated in preference of city-dweller ‘apartments’ around a decade or so ago.
As you mention, the natives are soon forgotten and downtrodden even more as the swish newbies invade because Leeds looks nice on a glossy brochure. It’s a shame to see old Holbeck being reduced to nothing- the back-to-backs, the flats. Ironically what remains of the terraces they’re desperate to get rid of will, as is always the case, be the sought-after homes in a few decades’ time fetching more than they would ever have imagined.
Sadly, Leeds is receiving its own influx of Islington-ite muesli-munching, twitter-indulging, latte-sipping city-slicker yuppies. I know that Clapham in London is pronounced, by these people ‘Claaam’. It won’t be long before they pronounce rough-around-the-edges ‘Holbeck’ as ‘Hall-buck’.It’s not jealousy or anything (as I’m in the same age group as that generation but know how Leeds operates despite having lived in numerous other places), just their own brand of what constitutes ‘good’ when they’ve no idea of the fabric of the area. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to making improvements. It’s just that when it’s done to appease others or done such that those to whom it is to appeal (i.e. the outsiders) have the final say so that it suits them and their lifestyle whilst completely forgetting about the natives, then whatever ‘improvements’ are made become nothing more than a sad gimmick.
Just leave the viaduct alone and pay attention to the people who have actually lived around it, not day-trippers and rose-tinted spectacle-wearing utopians!
The idea of Leeds’ own Skyway is a nice one, but it’s a bit fanciful. At the end of the day, it doesn’t overlook an exciting landscape of old brick industrial buildings like the one in New York. No, most of the viaduct overlooks bland low-rise warehouses, surface car parks, retail estates and car dealerships.
Who would want to take a picnic overlooking Anywheresville, UK?
Who cares if the “skywalk” would not be as good as New York – Leeds will never be New York but it’s a city that should be praised in its own right – and making an unused viaduct into something useful and a feature is something that should not be sneered at – even if it is “middle class handwringing bollocks”. Make the most of what we have got instead of building yet more apartments, offices, snore snore, that remain empty for months and months……
I do think Leeds could do with more parks (and the council could maybe fund it by selling kiosk licenses for indie food karts etc) but I think we should be pressuring for this viaduct to be returned to its original use and use it as part of an urban light railway, maybe linking into a Leeds Underground connection to the Leeds Rail Station to take the strain off the roads and give FirstBus some real competition.
Sadly, this is possibly the most expensive solution you can imagine for the viaduct meaning it involves 2 of the things LCC are deathly allergic to – forward thinking and spending money on things that don’t end up in their own/friends pockets 🙁
Great to see so many comments on this post – there might be disagreement but there’s also passion, which in my book is always a good thing! I’m optimistic that things can change for the better; bad changes in the past and politics that don’t seem to drive in a hopeful direction are things that we have to live with. For me, it doesn’t mean that we can’t *try* to make interesting new things happen…
At the moment, the viaduct serves no useful purpose whatsoever. Trying to make it a green, healthy, useful space for Leeds can only be a good thing, can’t it? Thanks for all of your contributions to the debate. Please keep ’em coming.
I for one am very glad to see that Jayne’s been up there. It’s been a place I’ve spied from trains, and through the ubiquitous google maps too.
While I understand Phil’s unease with the “exploration” aspect of the trip, I think that it’s exactly that feeling of exploration that stumbling upon or seeking out this kind of space that makes it attractive. Even if every man and his dog can get up there, this kind of off-the-beaten-track trip out feels exclusive, secretive even.
So, you’re both right.
😉
xR
Thanks, Rich. I’d love to see a policy of ‘managed neglect’ up there, the approach they use at the gloriously overgrown Highgate Cemetery, where aim is to make and keep things safe and accessible, nothing more, nothing less. It doesn’t need to be sanitized, to my mind; it just needs to be loved…;)