Briggate, Leeds

Briggate, located in the centre of the city, is one of two principal shopping streets in Leeds, England (the other is The Headrow, but currently all but one of Leeds' department stores are on Briggate, including the flagship Harvey Nichols store).

Briggate is home to a number of major high street retailers as well as banks, restaurants and cafes. Recently there have been some residential developments above the shops. The street is known for the old alleyways that branch off it and are home to a number of public houses such as Whitelocks that have changed little over the years. Other pubs include The Ship, The Packhorse and The Angel Inn. Originally, the back entrances to these alleyways were called 'low ins', or 'loins', which is where the term Loiner (a resident of Leeds) is suspected to originate from. It refers to the people who would 'hang around in the loins'. [http://www.myleeds.net/leeds/community-history.htm] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2005/01/06/voices2005_loiner_feature.shtml]

The northern, non pedestrianised, part of Briggate between The Headrow and Merrion Street is known as New Briggate and is home to some small retailers, bars, pubs, nightclubs, takeaways and the Grand Theatre. There is also a non pedestrianised stretch of Briggate on the south side between Boar Lane and Call Lane known as Lower Briggate. It was home to Dysons Chambers, the Jobcentre Plus office (before it closed), restaurants, small shops, bars, pubs and a small gay enclave.

In 2007, Briggate was decorated in lights to celebrate its 800th birthday.

History

It is one of the oldest streets in the city of Leeds and was founded in 1207 [http://www.leeds.gov.uk/discover/discovery.asp?page=2003218_676159084] when the road began on the north side of the Leeds Bridge over the River Aire. The name 'Briggate' derives from 'the road to the bridge'. It was at Leeds Bridge in 1888 that Louis Le Prince filmed some of the worlds first moving pictures. [http://www.leodis.net/default.aspx]

It was built to be extraordinaly wide so that it could host a market, although this was later moved to a new building on Vicar Lane, Kirkgate Market, that still exists as the City Markets today. [http://www.leeds.gov.uk/discover/discovery.asp?pageno=&page=2003218_676159084&topic=2003218_465999783] [http://www.leeds-uk.com/history.htm]

Briggate was originally the main north-south thoroughfare in Leeds from where the city grew. Trams ran along the street until the 1950s when the tramways closed. For many years the street was open to traffic but it was gradually pedestrianised - in 1993, only public transport vehicles were allowed to use the street, and in 1996 it was closed altogether to all except pedestrian traffic. This was done to attract new retailers to the street and to encourage more shoppers. In phases from 2004 to 2006, Briggate was properly pedestrianised with paving in York Stone, removing the roadway and pavements that remained. It was the first phase of a wider repaving scheme across the city centre that is ongoing.

Arcades

Leeds is famous for its arcades that principally stem from Briggate. There are some modern 1970s arcades on the southern end of Briggate, some of which are under demolition, although the arcades of architectural significance are centred around the northern end of Briggate, which is typically the more expensive end of the street.

*"Grand Arcade" was built by New Briggate Arcade Company Ltd in 1897, with Smith & Tweedal as architects. It is home to a number of small, independent retailers on the non-pedestrianised New Briggate.
*"Thorntons Arcade" was completed in May 1878 and designed by Charles Fowler, a Leeds architect. William Potts and Son designed and made a clock with four life size figures that stands above the western exit onto Lands Lane.
*"Queens Arcade" was opened in 1889, named after Queen Victoria. The Briggate entrance was enlarged in 1895. It is particularly light and airy, and tenants are largely designer or upper-class novelty stores similar to those found on London's Carnaby Street.
*"County Arcade" was completed in 1903 and is particularly 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.
*"Queen Victoria Street" has been arcaded since 1990. The largest expanse of stained glass in Europe was designed by Brian Clark and provides an impressive covering. It is also part of the larger Victoria Quarter, and is linked to County Arcade by Cross Arcade which is of the same design as County Arcade.

Developments

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the run-down County and Cross Arcades, and Queen Victoria Street, were redeveloped to create the Victoria Quarter, which included arcading Queen Victoria Quarter. It was originally intended to be a centre for independent retailers, but its excellence in design has led to it becoming a centre for designer brands.

Following the Victoria Quarter developments, the Empire Palace was demolished to make way for the glass-fronted flagship Harvey Nichols department store that now characterises the street.

In 2004, transformation started on the Grand Theatre on New Briggate. The project will give an enlarged and higher quality home to Opera North, as well as regenerating New Briggate.

In 2008, demolition work started on the 1970s Burton Arcade at the southern end of Briggate to make way for the Trinity Quarter. Marks and Spencer and Topshop will be enlarged as part of the project, which will open in 2010.

Cultural Attractions

New Briggate

New Briggate hosts Leeds' Grand Theatre, famous for Opera North- the only Opera organisation outside of London. New Briggate was previously home to an Odeon cinema which has since closed and been redeveloped as a flagship Primark store.

Briggate

The main stretch of Briggate is known mainly for retailing but also features the City Varieties, the UK's oldest and only surviving Music Hall. [http://www.leeds.gov.uk/discover/discovery.asp?page=2003218_251720608&topic=2003219_253704250&subsection=2003625_239681423] A project is currently planned to renovate the City Varieties and raise its profile further. The site of Harvey Nichols was previously home to Frank Matcham's Empire Theatre before being demolished in the 1960s.

Current retailers on Briggate between The Headrow and Boar Lane

*Alliance & Leicester
*Aspecto
*Bella Italia
*The Body Shop
*Borders (With a Starbucks Inside)
*Burger King
*Burton
*Carphone Warehouse
*Currys.digital
*Debenhams
*Dorothy Perkins
*Envy
*Fat Face
*Gap
*H&M
*Harvey Nichols
*H. Samuel
*House of Fraser
*Kookai
*Louis Vuitton
*Marks & Spencer
*McDonalds (Two Large outlets, one at each end, one previously Wendys)
*Muji
*Nando's
*Northern Rock
*O2
*Office
*Orange
*Pizza Hut
*Primark
*Principles
*Route One
*Schuh
*The Sofa Warehouse
*Sole
*Starbucks
*Topshop / Topman
*Ultimate Outdoors Outlet
*USC
*Vision Express
*Yorkshire Building Society
*Zara

References

External links

* [http://www.leodis.org/discovery/discovery.asp?page=2003218_676159084 Leodis Article on the history of Briggate]
* [http://www.leeds.gov.uk/discover/default.asp A history of Briggate and Leeds]