LOVE finds like these! A subterranean shopping alley remained
hidden
until it was accidentally stumbled upon in 2002 by builders renovating the Edwardian Royal Arcade, in Keighley, West Yorkshire, UK, that was situated above it.
Believed to have last been used in the 1890s, it was when builders smashed through into what they assumed to be cellars,
that they unearthed a labyrinth of neglected shops and stables, complete with shopfronts, signage, advertisements and abandoned goods.
Once at street level, this land was part of the Devonshire estate, but the Duke sold it in 1899 to 2 men who had the brilliant idea of building a covered shopping arcade on top of the existing stores, that protected them from the harsh elements.
They created Royal Arcade, still in use today; a total of 12 units with shopfronts, incorporating a 2nd level accessed by an elegant staircase, attracting unique and quirky shops with its faded Edwardian glamour and eccentric steampunk vibe.
Each unit had a cellar for storage, accessed by a narrow staircase. The arcade flourished until 1915, when it was sold by heirs, to wealthy mill-owner Frank Butterfield.
Butterfield owned the arcade for over 50 years, until it was finally sold in 1987, and the cast iron gates were locked, sealing the Edwardian shops inside, with their older Victorian ancestors buried beneath.
The arcade sat for 12 yrs. when it was bought by Kingfisher Developments in 1999, with the intention of bringing the arcade back to its Edwardian grandeur, that the extent of its secrets was revealed.
Instead of the cellars they had anticipated, builders discovered corridors filled with shops on both sides.
Some storefronts held their original glass and front doors, with door numbers and letter boxes still in place.
Advertisements indicate that the ‘street’ was in use even after the opening of the newer Royal Arcade in 1901, some bearing the Butterfield name as an homage to the man who owned it for so many years.
Royal Arcade was reopened in 2003 by Keighley historian Ian Dewhurst, but access to the older shops has remained sealed off for safety reasons.
Once lit by streetlights, the area is now wired after being submerged in darkness, and some units are still to be cleared, but occasional sellout tours are available
It is hoped that once completely cleared, this underground alley can be made safe enough to share its magic with the town once again.
Spent the last four hours or so starting on a new project: mapping the locations of famous horror movies set in America. It’s a work in progress, y’all’ see more when I’m done.
this is like when the RAF tried to figure out where to armour their bombers by looking at the distribution of bullet holes; the empty area on the map is where nobody lived to tell the tale.
It follows population density pretty closely except that the desert Southwest is over represented. Is that because it’s close to Hollywood? Cheap to shoot in? High density of chupacabras?
that the original had a lot of black in Pittsburgh is unsurprising, given where a certain George Romero came from, but it now has an interesting relative density and variety.
(i blame the Tom Savini practical effects school in Monessen, personally)
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