SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Inspired by drapsey's Merrion subway thread I'd thought it would be interesting to have a look at some of the other disused pedestrian subways in Leeds. It doesn't take into account ones that are little used or about to be shut. These are the ones that have been shut and/or sealed for many years. For the ones that are sealed who knows what eerie silent world lies beyond their doors?? There are more, I suppose they're the sort of things that come and go in a city. But these will do for a start.I guess many people will remember the subways the other side of the Merrion Centre. They had some handy toilets in them, and dark spaces and corridors disappearing into the gloom. Now, one entrance is gone under new flooring and shops, all that remains of the other entrance is this:Not too far away are old subways that ran under Claypit Lane, at least one entrance has been earthed over, but other entrances are just bricked up. The pipes for ventilation suggest there could still be a space there. Here's the one on the downside;and the one on the upside;There also used to be subways and toilets at the Briggate Boar Lane junction. There are plenty of photos on leodis showing the entrances.Going back in time a lot further this subway ran underneath a railway embankment. Now the houses it served are long demolished, the footpaths and rights of way have gone, and it's isolated by factories and fences. A fine old thing it still is though;and not too far away it has a companion, once again barricaded from view by factories, this one has been partially earthed over;inside these are fairly cheerless places, not visited and not the sort of place you'd want to stay long, unless you're looking for some cold, damp peace and quiet.Here's some other little subways. Now fenced off and trapped between new developments and railway lines they seem to run from an old factory site to possibly some air raid shelters.This subway has a companion, just as disused, and just as dank.And, saving the best to last, these lovely gothic entrances were a couple of the ways in to the sadly missed Holbeck Low and High Level Stations. The first one should be fairly familiar;and the final one is probably glimpsed only by drivers or passengers as they wait at the lights. It's still pretty impressive these days, it must have taken a real act of will to enter there in its heyday.Hope you've enjoyed a brief swansong for the disused pedestrian subways of Leeds, probably the only one they'll get.

Do you think there is anything behind all those bricked up entrances?I mean, anything substantial. Where do they go, and why were these ones closed? (the merrion ones were quite useless).

Nothing no more Mike.. There just filled in.. The last one was a long ramp going to Holbeck low level.. The bricked up arch above was the other entrance on Whitehall road. The 1st part of the ginnel was still there untill 1993 but you couldn't get to it from the street. The station closed in 1958.

The ones outside the Merrion Centre under Woodhouse / Claypit Lane are, apparently, now used to store the big stage for Millennium Square when it is not in use.

It would make sense if they were filled in...Phil, just took a lot at your new photo's of the Queensbury Tunnel - Fabulous! I might try to check it out even! (once I pass my driving test!)

A great explore that Queensbury.. I'm going back tommorow to have another look at the flooded end. Be warned Mike that place isn't to be taken lightly. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS even for the most hardened explorers. Big drain sumps in the floor to fall down, plenty of collapses with only one way back out. Total Pitch black inside so no micky mouse torches in there mate..

I must remember to take some photos of the inside of the merrion centre one on wade lane side for here - if we can make the club a success we may eventually expand into is as it's just empty space (some of which we use for storage) and no one else really has access to it.

Cheers for that Sarah. I'd wondered if it had, or was going to be used by a club there. Good luck with the club. Photos would be great, or if you need anyone to take them.........

taking them is no problem but I'm crap at getting round to getting them off the camera and on the internet. if you're in town this saturday afternoon between 2 and 5* then pop in and I'll show them you and you can photo them - unfortunately the really interesting bit - the stairs up to ground level on the merrion centre side - is shut off - although a couple of our staff had a dark wander around in there once when the merrion centre people had opened it.*we open like a pub so you can just wander in. I'm the one with the silly hair.

I hope you're prepared to get three hundred people with big boots who are used to living in total darkness descending on subculture on Saturday.Oh no, hang on... that applies to your normal clientelle anyway.Haha!