. . . I digress
Jul 24, 2010
10:06am
How do you get to Temple Works?
“How did you find us … ?”Anyone who has been to Temple Works in the past few months will have been collared by me and quizzed about how they managed to get here. This isn’t any kind of private psychological peculiarity; it’s not like I’m a train spotter or anything. The information gleaned is purely in the interests of science and the general forward march of human progress … and, more mundanely, for collecting transport statistics so we can improve our accessibility.We aren’t in the best known part of the city (not just yet, but we’re working on it) and we are surrounded by quite a jumble of random buildings, some impressive Victorian monuments to our glorious industrial heritage, a couple of well designed, beautifully executed, modern office blocks, a temporary industrial estate of cheap and cheerless monotony, and a few monstrosities of corporate egotism, which can be distracting. Still, we are the only Grade 1 listed replica Egyptian Temple in this part of South Leeds, so how hard can we be to miss?Most people find us easily.Some interesting conclusions have emerged from my recent transport investigations. Firstly, most people find us fairly easily. They look at the map on the website or Google the address and, well, they get in their cars and drive. Or they jump in a taxi. Simple. The few who claim to arrive by unicorn, teleportation or astral travel obviously have made their own arrangements. A very few people have claimed to get lost and I have made serious efforts to ascertain the reasons why. The answer seems to be as follows; visitors to art shows have been misled by individual artists trying to verbally explain our whereabouts, whereas guests at performance/theatre/literary events have been misguided by a map scribbled by a wordsmith. Moral of this story is, never trust an artist to tell the right tale or a writer to draw a decent map. Google it.The Question of Buses.For the people who walk, either from town or from a nearby bus stop, things are just as simple. Walking to Temple Works is a delight in itself and by far the best way to get a sense of the area. From my own admittedly limited investigation very few people get the local buses from South Leeds that drop off at Sweet Street. Absolutely nobody has ever got the bus that comes from the North of the city; as a recent visitor who arrived by top of the range Land Cruiser told me recently, “Why would anyone in Alwoodley get the bus here?” However, in the event of this happening there are two stops that the majority of buses will drop off. Firstly, the corner of Marshall Street and Sweet Street West, right outside the Commercial Pub, and secondly Bridgewater Place.Bus Stop 1: The Commercial.
Some interesting facts about this pub. It’s owned by Leeds United legend, Peter Lorimer. Leeds United have a huge Norwegian following owing to once featuring a famous Norwegian centre forward in the squad (unfortunately I’m no football fan, so any further information will have to be Googled) and every so often the Commercial is full of tall, blond, handsome chaps who speak English with the most oddly lilting accent imaginable. Also, every Saturday, between 11am and 2ish, my Uncle Tommy holds court at the table just to the left of the front door. A pint of John Smiths and he’ll tell you things about the area you’d really rather not know. He’s an acquired taste.Bus Stop 2: Bridgewater Place.Most other buses stop somewhere near Bridgewater Place. I’m not going to show a picture. You can’t miss it. It’s very tall, and it’s extremely … erm, I shall keep my thoughts about that building private, but for the sake of directions, what you want to look for is something that looks as though it was designed on an etch-a-sketch by a nine year old with a potentially pathological fixation on Daleks. You really can’t miss it. Another tell tale sign; check the bins, they are usually full of trashed umbrellas. It’s a veritable brolly cemetery. The place is a notorious wind trap. I’ve seen young mothers with prams swept into the paths of articulated lorries while they’ve been waiting for the lights to change. Be careful. Carry a brick in your back pocket for ballast.You want to walk from the bust stop? Start at The Grove … Once you have located Bridgewater Place there are two options. To the left of the building, just past Tescos, is The Grove, one of the best and most popular real ale pub in Leeds. The Grove is a little haven of humanity surrounded by soulless corporate head quarters, the mighty fortress that is KPMG, and the gormless, gawdy pretension of Yorkshire Forward.
Simply carry on down the street beside The Grove with Bridgewater Place behind you, and you’ll hit Temple Works in about two minutes. You can even see it from the front door of the pub. Or go down Water Lane.The other way from Bridgewater Place is from the front of the building and down Water Lane. Keep on the same side of the road with Bridgewater Place on your left, past The Panini Shack (which sells “traditional Cornish Pasties!” That’s class, that is.)
Walk about a hundred yards, past The Midnight Bell and The Cross Keys (no photos, the road is ridiculously narrow here and you’d take your life in your hands risking a shot of the front of these pubs. Can’t miss them though.) When you reach Out of the Woods coffee bar, right on the corner, with an astroturfed outside area, turn left down Marshall Street and Temple Works is about fifty Yards down, opposite The Round Foundry.The scenic route from the city centre; City Square.Most people who come to Temple Works by public transport walk from the city centre. Depending on how fast you walk, it’s a seven to ten minute trip through some fascinating spaces. Best place to start is from City Square. The train station is just next door and most buses stop pretty close by.
City Square was one of the most remarkable squares in the country till the council decided to mess about with it a few years ago in the interests of traffic flow. For some reason they decided to place an arc of piddling fountains where it used to be a joy to linger and pass the time of day … well, really more a series of small leaks than a proper water feature like Sheffield has, and mainly used as a paddling pool for the local pigeon population … but hey ho, the Black Prince is still there, though no one really has the foggiest what he has to do with Leeds, and those wonderfully erotic nymphs, which are well worth a closer look. My favourite is the nymph furthest to the right facing the old Post Office … she’s a bit of a stunner.With the naked nymphs behind you, head South down Swinegate
and watch out for the random carvings all about the place … I only just noticed these myself last week. Not a clue what a bird in a tree with a bell above an upside down haddock could possibly mean.
Through Neville Street and down the Dark Arches.Then walk about halfway through the Neville Street Bridge. Listen out for the ambient sound sculpture and make sure to admire the light art on the East side of the street. Watch out for the drips from the railway station overhead (that’s not part of the art, just a maintenance worry.)
Take a right turn down through the Dark Arches.
This is one of the most incredible, breathtaking structures produced by Victorian engineers. The biggest brick structure in the world when built, and easily one of the most gorgeous. Just look at how the brick meets at the top of the arches, sweeping seamlessly from four separate directions and curving effortlessly together … and there’s hundreds of them! It’s really one of Leeds’ hidden gems. And the people who built that had not one NVQ in bricklaying between them.
When you cross the river the noise can be quite intense (the smell too, but let’s not think about that too much.)
Then you take a left just after the footbridge where you’ll see someone has thoughtfully put really big photographs of the Dark Arches, just in case you hadn’t noticed or weren’t sufficiently overawed …
To Granary Wharf. … then you are out in the open space of Granary Wharf with it’s lovely new pubs and fancy restaurants.
Walk past the Candle House.
(you really can’t miss this! Hell of a view from up there.) And swing left over the bridge.The canal, The Towers.
The canal is a great place to loiter around too.
Go past this cute canal office, and through the car park, keeping the Towers on your right.
these are exact replicas of Florentine Towers by the way! All that extravagance for a pin factory! Those Victorians certainly knew how to impress. Then out of the car park and over the zebra crossing on Water Lane
and carry on past Matthew Murray House, past the pubs, all the way to Out of the Woods
And finally to Temple Works.When you turn left down Marshall Street and you’re almost there!
Just past that big mill there’s Temple Works. Can’t miss us. A very pleasant walk.And that’s how you get to Temple Works. Nothing to it.
Some interesting facts about this pub. It’s owned by Leeds United legend, Peter Lorimer. Leeds United have a huge Norwegian following owing to once featuring a famous Norwegian centre forward in the squad (unfortunately I’m no football fan, so any further information will have to be Googled) and every so often the Commercial is full of tall, blond, handsome chaps who speak English with the most oddly lilting accent imaginable. Also, every Saturday, between 11am and 2ish, my Uncle Tommy holds court at the table just to the left of the front door. A pint of John Smiths and he’ll tell you things about the area you’d really rather not know. He’s an acquired taste.Bus Stop 2: Bridgewater Place.Most other buses stop somewhere near Bridgewater Place. I’m not going to show a picture. You can’t miss it. It’s very tall, and it’s extremely … erm, I shall keep my thoughts about that building private, but for the sake of directions, what you want to look for is something that looks as though it was designed on an etch-a-sketch by a nine year old with a potentially pathological fixation on Daleks. You really can’t miss it. Another tell tale sign; check the bins, they are usually full of trashed umbrellas. It’s a veritable brolly cemetery. The place is a notorious wind trap. I’ve seen young mothers with prams swept into the paths of articulated lorries while they’ve been waiting for the lights to change. Be careful. Carry a brick in your back pocket for ballast.You want to walk from the bust stop? Start at The Grove … Once you have located Bridgewater Place there are two options. To the left of the building, just past Tescos, is The Grove, one of the best and most popular real ale pub in Leeds. The Grove is a little haven of humanity surrounded by soulless corporate head quarters, the mighty fortress that is KPMG, and the gormless, gawdy pretension of Yorkshire Forward.
Simply carry on down the street beside The Grove with Bridgewater Place behind you, and you’ll hit Temple Works in about two minutes. You can even see it from the front door of the pub. Or go down Water Lane.The other way from Bridgewater Place is from the front of the building and down Water Lane. Keep on the same side of the road with Bridgewater Place on your left, past The Panini Shack (which sells “traditional Cornish Pasties!” That’s class, that is.)
Walk about a hundred yards, past The Midnight Bell and The Cross Keys (no photos, the road is ridiculously narrow here and you’d take your life in your hands risking a shot of the front of these pubs. Can’t miss them though.) When you reach Out of the Woods coffee bar, right on the corner, with an astroturfed outside area, turn left down Marshall Street and Temple Works is about fifty Yards down, opposite The Round Foundry.The scenic route from the city centre; City Square.Most people who come to Temple Works by public transport walk from the city centre. Depending on how fast you walk, it’s a seven to ten minute trip through some fascinating spaces. Best place to start is from City Square. The train station is just next door and most buses stop pretty close by.City Square was one of the most remarkable squares in the country till the council decided to mess about with it a few years ago in the interests of traffic flow. For some reason they decided to place an arc of piddling fountains where it used to be a joy to linger and pass the time of day … well, really more a series of small leaks than a proper water feature like Sheffield has, and mainly used as a paddling pool for the local pigeon population … but hey ho, the Black Prince is still there, though no one really has the foggiest what he has to do with Leeds, and those wonderfully erotic nymphs, which are well worth a closer look. My favourite is the nymph furthest to the right facing the old Post Office … she’s a bit of a stunner.With the naked nymphs behind you, head South down Swinegateand watch out for the random carvings all about the place … I only just noticed these myself last week. Not a clue what a bird in a tree with a bell above an upside down haddock could possibly mean.Through Neville Street and down the Dark Arches.Then walk about halfway through the Neville Street Bridge. Listen out for the ambient sound sculpture and make sure to admire the light art on the East side of the street. Watch out for the drips from the railway station overhead (that’s not part of the art, just a maintenance worry.)
Take a right turn down through the Dark Arches.This is one of the most incredible, breathtaking structures produced by Victorian engineers. The biggest brick structure in the world when built, and easily one of the most gorgeous. Just look at how the brick meets at the top of the arches, sweeping seamlessly from four separate directions and curving effortlessly together … and there’s hundreds of them! It’s really one of Leeds’ hidden gems. And the people who built that had not one NVQ in bricklaying between them.
When you cross the river the noise can be quite intense (the smell too, but let’s not think about that too much.)
Then you take a left just after the footbridge where you’ll see someone has thoughtfully put really big photographs of the Dark Arches, just in case you hadn’t noticed or weren’t sufficiently overawed … To Granary Wharf. … then you are out in the open space of Granary Wharf with it’s lovely new pubs and fancy restaurants.
Walk past the Candle House.
(you really can’t miss this! Hell of a view from up there.) And swing left over the bridge.The canal, The Towers.
The canal is a great place to loiter around too.Go past this cute canal office, and through the car park, keeping the Towers on your right.these are exact replicas of Florentine Towers by the way! All that extravagance for a pin factory! Those Victorians certainly knew how to impress. Then out of the car park and over the zebra crossing on Water Laneand carry on past Matthew Murray House, past the pubs, all the way to Out of the WoodsAnd finally to Temple Works.When you turn left down Marshall Street and you’re almost there!
Just past that big mill there’s Temple Works. Can’t miss us. A very pleasant walk.And that’s how you get to Temple Works. Nothing to it.
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