Where East and West meet at the pub
The stretch of river between Leeds Bridge and Crown Point Bridge was known as Warehouse Hill, and was hugely important to the growth of Leeds, especially during the 18th century. It is the western end of the Aire and Calder Navigation, an important canal that allowed the cloth merchants of Leeds to export their wares eastwards via the port of Goole, and enabled the movement of coal and other raw materials in the opposite direction. Theoretically for the first time you could navigate from the East to the West coast via the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, effectively making Leeds an inland port.
Just adjacent to this bridge was the Aire and Calder Dock, a small but bustling area where goods were loaded and unloaded from barges for over two centuries.
After the slow decline of the canals as industrial transport links, the area became increasingly derelict over the late 20th century, but with the right ideas and investment, the area was ripe for significant regeneration.
In the late 1980s, the Thatcher government legislated to form the Leeds Development Corporation, an agency that was granted sweeping powers to regenerate areas of West and South Leeds, often against the wishes of the local authorities.
In one of the first developments, the Aire and Calder Dock was sealed off from the river and converted into the Victoria Quays housing complex.
In the early 1990s, the LDC launched the short-lived (and long-worded) Leeds Waterfront Tourism Development Action Programme. As its name suggests, the aim was to aggressively grow the city into a major tourist destination, with the Leeds waterfront as the jewel in its crown.
Old mills and warehouses would be restored and redeveloped into apartments, upmarket hotels and premium office space, whilst new, equally prestigious waterside developments would be built, taking visual cues from the industry of the past.
The initial tourist attraction was to be the Brewery Wharf complex with its distinctive rotunda, conceived and built by local brewing giant Joshua Tetley & Son. Part museum, part marketing device, it launched in 1994, and would boast a highly interactive visitor experience, bringing to life ‘the history of the pub’ over the centuries.
This footbridge on which you are now standing was commissioned by the LDC to link the city centre with these new, exciting developments on the south bank. As its name suggests, the construction of Centenary Bridge coincided with the 100th anniversary of the granting of city status to Leeds by Royal Charter in 1893. Amazingly, this was the first new river crossing point built In Leeds since then. As Leeds elects its mayors annually, it was no coincidence that the bridge was opened by the city’s 100th Lord Mayor, Councillor Keith Loudon.
Brewery Wharf certainly did not lack ambition. An extensive national advertising campaign tempted would-be visitors to the museum with a taste of the delights in store. Actors would play the parts of historical figures through the ages, a multimedia experience would tantalisingly offer a glimpse of the pub of the far future with a visit to the ‘Star and Crater’. Even the famous Tetley dray horses were to be stabled on site.
Despite the fanfare, the Brewery Wharf museum would gradually lose its charm over the years, and as priorities shifted towards developing the surrounding land for residential use, the museum closed in 2000.
Just a few short years later, in a twist of fate few could have anticipated back then, Carlsberg, the new owners of the Tetley brand, announced they would be closing the adjacent brewery for good, drawing to a close nearly 200 years of association with the city.
In the intervening years, the Brewery Wharf complex has hosted many well-known Leeds businesses, including Oracle Bar and Nightclub, and the Azucar tapas restaurant, associated with the infamous Howard ‘Mr. Nice’ Marks.
The story of Brewery Wharf continues, with Channel 4 recently moving in with a new studio dedicated to its flagship current affairs programme, Channel 4 News, and the newest kid on the block, the Brewery Wharf Tavern.
