Over the course of the 20th Century, as newer modes of transport such as rail and road started to alter the landscape, and set against the general decline of industry in Leeds, New Dock slowly fell into disuse, becoming almost completely derelict by the 1990s.
In 1991, the Royal Armouries, which for five centuries had been based at the Tower of London, announced that it was looking for a permanent new home to exhibit its vast historical collection of arms and armour, the largest in the world. Due to the limited space available at the Tower, only a small fraction of the collection could be shown at any one time. A new museum would allow the display of tens of thousands of artefacts that had previously been hidden from public view, some for hundreds of years. It would also free up space for the Tower of London to build a better visitor experience for their main attraction – The Crown Jewels.
Thirteen cities including Leeds, Sheffield and York placed bids to become the new home of the Royal Armouries Museum. Leeds had an especially strong shout as its bid came with a guarantee that 40 acres of land had already been secured. The proposed site was the now vacant New Dock (by then known as Clarence Dock), which had just been procured by the Leeds Development Corporation.
Decision day was the 18th of June 1991, with government ministers announcing that Leeds had beaten off all the competition and secured the prize. The new museum was to open within five years.
On time and largely on budget, the £42.5m Royal Armouries Museum was officially opened on the 15th of March 1996 by H.M. The Queen, with doors opening to the public a few days later.
The museum was ground breaking for its time, and not only was it designed to show off its vast collection inside the museum, it would host many outdoor events such as jousting tournaments in its purpose-built Tiltyard.
Aside from the museum, Clarence Dock remained largely undeveloped for some years until a much larger scheme was finally agreed in the early 2000s. It would transform the area, adding several hundred new apartments, combined with hotel and leisure facilities. The plans even included a tram stop for the much vaunted Leeds Supertram (which famously never materialised).
Opened as part of this wider development, Knight’s Way Bridge is a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge that serves to connect these new developments to the city centre via Fearns Wharf on the north bank of the river.
Almost the entire weight of the modern footbridge rests on an island, which was itself constructed over two centuries ago as part of the Leeds Locks to allow safe navigation past the weir known as Leeds Dam. The island was home for many years to the TS Ark Royal, the Sea Cadet Training facility. The new footbridge was constructed entirely on the island and rotated across the water into position when completed.
The bridge was officially opened in November 2007 by local MP Hilary Benn and was named in a competition held for local schoolchildren. As you may have guessed, the name relates to the adjacent Royal Armouries museum.
In 2012, Clarence Dock briefly reverted to its original name of New Dock, before a new name, Leeds Dock, was chosen a year later as part of a rebranding exercise by new owners Allied London.
Today the dock has been developed further, with the addition of modern and flexible office and events spaces, restaurants and bars. The dock hosts a popular Dragon Boat Race each summer as part of the annual Leeds Waterfront Festival.
Look out for Twee and Drie, the two Dutch Water Taxis that operate every day between Leeds Dock and Granary Wharf for a pleasant boat trip back up the river.
