Neville Street and the Dark Arches

Neville Street and Dark Arches: Past

In 1864 most of the smaller railway companies had merged into larger companies and, in response to this, it was decided to build a station adjacent to the south side of Wellington Street. In 1866 construction commenced and the station was built upon arches which bridged the Leeds-Liverpool canal and a weir from the River Aire.

The building of the station led to the creation of the 'Dark Arches' on Dark Neville Street formed by effectively putting a roof across all of the existing arches. Over 18 million bricks were used during their construction, breaking records at the time. Although the arches appear to be part of one masonry structure, closer inspection reveals that it is a series of independent viaducts two or four tracks wide.

Neville Street as it stands today has the original tracks running across forming the dark tunnel that is the gateway to the city centre and start of the Leeds loop road. With the recent expansion of the railway station some of the platforms also stand on this bridge.

Neville Street and Dark Arches: Present

In the early 1990s the pedestrian walkway underneath the bridge on Neville Street was upgraded and included a mural on both walls. This has now worn significantly and the old lighting systems have been poorly maintained. There are also problems with the levels of noise pollution caused by the sounds of traffic echoing throughout the arches and the rumble of the trains overhead.

Neville Street and Dark Arches: Future

In order to improve connectivity between the city centre and the surrounding communities a major scheme using sound engineering and light installations is proposed. The scheme uses new technology to provide some sound insulation in the area and new materials such as porous asphalt to absorb noise pollution.

There are also plans for major new art installations involving light and sound from world renowned artist Hans Peter Kuhn, who is based in Berlin and has worked on projects in New York and Adelaide. The light installations will add to the attractiveness of the area improving the lighting and enhancing this important access route into the city centre.