The Viaduct Gardens, initially marketed as the Viaduct Urban Garden, is an elevated

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

and garden in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, England. The garden or park is located on top of the

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

viaduct called Monk Bridge Viaduct, which is also sometimes used when referring to the gardens. The park was completed in 2023, after it was converted from a disused railway viaduct. In 2024, it was shortlisted for

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is a professional architecture magazine, published monthly in London by Metropolis International. Each issue includes in-depth features on relevant current affairs, alongside profiles of recently completed buildings. Ten t ...

's annual award in the Landscape and Public Realm category.

Background

The Monk Bridge Viaduct on which the park is located was opened in 1884, providing the approach to the new Leeds Central railway station.

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

opted to close two of Leeds’ three main railway stations in 1961 and concentrated all passenger traffic in

Leeds railway station Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the foot of Park Ro ...

Leeds Central Leeds Central was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The constituency first existed from 1885 until it was abolished in 1955. It was recreated in 1983. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Revie ...

was then demolished, eventually becoming the business district and public square, Wellington Place. Garden in the Sky - geograph

The viaduct was partly demolished, leaving around 200 meters of what would have been around half a kilometre long when the station was in use. Leeds's south is dotted with railway viaducts, both in use and abandoned. Following completion of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

High Line The High Line is a elevated linear park, greenway, and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line's design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Op ...

, a greenway was suggested on another viaduct, but construction is yet to start on that project. Meanwhile, a nearby developer purchased the much shorter Monk Bridge Viaduct, which has now become the Viaduct Urban Garden. The design of the new Viaduct Garden was carried out by Ares Landscape Architects, alongside the adjacent residential development, The Junction. Work on converting the viaduct began in 2022 and the first phase of the park opened in 2023, when it became the first

elevated park An elevated park (sometimes known as a sky park) refers to a park located above the normal ground (street) level. This type of a park has become more popular in the early 21st century, featuring in a number of urban renewal projects. While usually ...

in the county of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Location

The garden is accessed to the west of Wellington Place, a public square in Leeds' west end. A new stairwell and lift were constructed on the end of the viaduct for access. Other access points are likely to be available in the future as nearby developments reach completion. The Viaduct Gardens aren't to be confused with the

Holbeck Viaduct Project The Holbeck Viaduct Project is a community project that proposes bringing the Holbeck Viaduct in Leeds, England back into public use. The project is supported by a community group of the same name. The Holbeck Viaduct (also known as the Farn ...

, which is a much longer viaduct where proposals for over a decade have suggested the creation of a greenway running over a 1 mile in length. The old railway station was located a few hundred meters from the current viaduct park as you look towards central Leeds, with the viaduct serving as the main entrance and exit to the terminus railway station.

References

{{reflist Urban public parks Gardens in England Parks in England