Victoria Quarter

Victoria Quarter

County Arcade, Victoria Quarter
Location	Leeds city centre, Leeds, England
Address	LS1
Owner	Hammerson
Architect	Frank Matcham
No. of anchor tenants	1
No. of floors	4
Parking	None
Website	http://www.v-q.co.uk/

The Victoria Quarter is an upmarket shopping area in Leeds, England. It consists of three blocks situated between Briggate and Vicar Lane, comprising County Arcade, Cross Arcade, Queen Victoria Street and King Edward Street.

The development was built around 1900 and designed by the theatre architect Frank Matcham, and originally included the Empire Palace Theatre, which was demolished in the 1960s. The exteriors are largely of faience from the Burmantofts Pottery, and the interiors of the arcades contain a number of mosaics and plentiful use of marble. The Quarter was restored in phases between 1989 and 1996, during which a coloured glass roof was erected over Queen Victoria Street.

Stores

Confidence in the Victoria Quarter has seen occupancy reach 100%, with a number of stores making their out-of-London debuts. Arrogant Cat Boutique, opened its first store outside London, and a branch of Reiss is planned to open opposite its main Leeds store on County Arcade. Church's shoes opened its first store outside London, as did Firetrap and Agent Provocateur.

Harvey Nichols's Leeds store opened in 1996; this was the first provincial move for the department store. It occupies the site of the former Empire Palace Theatre, and for a time Leeds was described as 'The Knightsbridge of the North'. In 2006, Louis Vuitton opened its first store to have a VIP area. Paul Smith opened his third flagship store in the UK in Leeds, while Religion chose the Victoria Quarter as the location for its first-ever store.

External links

• Victoria Quarter website