Victoria Quarter
The Victoria Quarter is a group of ornate Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades off Briggate in Leeds city centre, home to upmarket shops including the first Harvey Nichols store outside London. Its best-known arcades, County Arcade and Cross Arcade, were designed by the theatre architect Frank Matcham around 1900.
In practice
The arcades are known for their mosaic floors, carved wood, marble and iron-and-glass roofs; in the 1990s a stretch of Queen Victoria Street between them was roofed with a large stained-glass canopy. The Victoria Quarter sits in a chain of arcades and covered markets that run off Briggate, including the Thornton's, Queens and Grand Arcades, which together make central Leeds one of the best places in Britain to shop under cover.
Why it matters to newcomers
Leeds has a reputation as the shopping capital of the north, and the Victoria Quarter is its showpiece. Even if you are not shopping, the arcades are worth walking through, and they connect Briggate with Kirkgate Market a few minutes away.
Related
- Kirkgate Market - the everyday market next door
- Corn Exchange - another Victorian landmark turned into shops
- Snicket - the humble version of a covered passage
Source: Visit Leeds.