Fri 17 May 24
Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, 10am to 4pm at weekends
Cost: Free
Wellington Place, Leeds LS1 4AP
Located in the Grade II listed landmark lifting tower – one of the last remaining parts of the original Leeds Central Station – Wellington Place’s Wagon Lifting Hoist - Mini Museum celebrates Leeds’s rich industrial heritage.
It exhibits artefacts and photography spanning the station’s more than century long history, including a ticket from the very last train to leave the station and an original timetable. Visitors can also watch specially created films capturing the memories of those who once used or worked at the station and listen to sounds that reflect some of the noises you could expect to hear at Leeds Central Station, including steam and diesel trains and tannoy announcements.
Dating back to 1850, the lifting tower was one of a pair which stood either side of the river and canal viaduct. Using steam power and large chains, its role was to hoist wagons from the higher-level passenger line down to the Great Northern Goods yard at the original Leeds Central railway station.
Leeds Central station closed in 1967, and the entire complex was demolished apart from this one lifting tower. The Grade II listed building received a Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque in July 2011, marking it as an important historical point of interest in Leeds city centre.
Come and discover the tales of Leeds Central Station and enjoy a piece of restored history...
