County Arcade - Victoria Quarter, Leeds

This photo shows the Briggate entrance to the County Arcade in Leeds city centre.

The area where the County Arcade now stands was a warren of yards and courts housing mostly slaughter houses and butcher shops. In 1881 on Briggate itself there were butchers operating from..
No 103 Thomas Myers - Butcher
No 108 Robert Lamb - Butcher
No 110 James Biggs - Butcher
No 111 Robert Stead - Butcher
No 118 Thomas Harland - Butcher
No 119 William Crampton - Coffee House
No 119 Benjamin Smith - Butcher
No 120 Alfred Jefferson - Butcher
No 121 Thomas & Geo Wildblood - Butcher
No 122 John Smith - Butcher
No 122 1/2 Joseph Marsden - Coffee Rooms
No 123 Richard Johnson - Butchers

The above is just a selection to give an idea of this area of Briggate, Leeds in the 1880's. This was all to change with the growing prosperity of this great Northern city with the building of the arcades mostly off Briggate.

County Arcade was completed in 1903 and is quite grand when compared to the other arcades. Featuring marble floors, intricate stonework and elegant iron domes, it makes up part of the modern day Victoria Quarter complex. The architect was Frank Matcham (22 November 1854, Newton Abbot, Devon – 17 May 1920, Southend-on-Sea, Essex) who was a famous English theatrical architect. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery, London.

This area was redeveloped again in 1989-96 and became the Victoria Quarter comprising the County Arcade, Cross Arcade, Queen Victoria Street and King Edward Street.

Today the County Arcade is home to many upmarket brands with shops dedicated to lifestyle living.