Thorp Arch Trading Estate
Encyclopedia
Thorp Arch Trading Estate occupies major part of a former Royal Ordnance Factory
(ROF), ROF Thorpe Arch
, in the City of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
close to Wetherby
. The trading estate is now divided into industrial and retail space. There is still much evidence of its former use around the site. It is similar in style and layout to former ROF Aycliffe
in Darlington
, County Durham
.
. The site was ideal, it had a railway running adjacent to it (the Harrogate
to Church Fenton
line), open space and the site was not in a supposedly strategic bombing area. The railways were expanded and sidings built (these are still evident in certain areas of the estate) and buildings constructed around them, many with the flat concrete roofs. The retail park is still set in semi-underground bunkers, with grassy banks running up the sides of the buildings.
The Royal Ordnance Factory closed completely in 1957. However with a boom in the construction trade and many others in the immediate post war years, the site found many new industries requiring the space it could offer.
George Moore (founder of Moores Furniture Group) bought the site near Wetherby in 1960s, converting it into a trading estate.
A major development on the estate (and certainly the biggest employer) is the British Library
lending division. This is the British Library's second site, the St Pancras
site in Central London
is the main site. The British Library Boston Spa, as it is known, is housed in a large eight storey concrete building (with windows set in narrow slits to avoid light damage to the books) and many smaller, with newer buildings set around it.
Moores Furniture Group furniture factory is situated on the estate, as is a Leeds City Council
household recycling centre and a sewage works. There are many other small businesses situated on the estate.
The Thorp Arch Retail Park is perhaps the most notable part for local people. It is set in semi-underground bunkers and many of the retailers have grassy banks up the exterior walls. The retail park houses Brooks Discount Retailers, DFS
(formerly Northern Upholstery), Empire Direct (formerly Miller Brothers), The Sofa Centre, The Greenery Garden Centre, a car showroom and a cafe.
The retail park once had a branch of Texas Homecare
, however due to the small size of these units, it was necessary to set the shop across two units set several hundred yards apart. This did not keep in with the clean-cut, purpose-built style of the new Texas branches, and so they were closed; and the Texas Homecare chain no longer exists. The retail park also formerly housed Bargain Street (a now defunct West Yorkshire
discount clothes and household good retailer).
During the 2008-2009 UK retail crisis, two retail chains on the park closed, these being Land of Leather
and Empire Direct
.
In the 1990s there was a plan to turn the adjacent village of Walton
into a New Town
, although this never got off the ground, green field areas around the site have been developed into residential areas. It seems likely with the high demand for houses in Leeds
, especially in the Wetherby
and Boston Spa
area that there will be many more residential developments to come in this area in the future.
Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence....
(ROF), ROF Thorpe Arch
ROF Thorpe Arch
ROF Thorpe Arch was one of sixteen World War II, UK government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory, which produced munitions. It was a medium-sized filling factory ....
, in the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
close to Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
. The trading estate is now divided into industrial and retail space. There is still much evidence of its former use around the site. It is similar in style and layout to former ROF Aycliffe
ROF Aycliffe
ROF Aycliffe, was built on an site off Heighington Lane, Aycliffe, County Durham, England during the early 1940s. The marshy location was ideal as the site was shrouded in fog and mist for much of the year providing cover against bombing by the Luftwaffe..It opened as ROF 59 in the Spring of...
in Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
.
The War years
The Royal Ordnance Factory was built to supply the British forces with munitions during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The site was ideal, it had a railway running adjacent to it (the Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
to Church Fenton
Church Fenton
Church Fenton is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is home to many commuters and is served by a railway station; Church Fenton railway station. Neighbouring villages include Cawood and Ulleskelf. It is about from Tadcaster and from...
line), open space and the site was not in a supposedly strategic bombing area. The railways were expanded and sidings built (these are still evident in certain areas of the estate) and buildings constructed around them, many with the flat concrete roofs. The retail park is still set in semi-underground bunkers, with grassy banks running up the sides of the buildings.
Post war development
George Moore (founder of Moores Furniture Group) bought the site near Wetherby in 1960s, converting it into a trading estate.
A major development on the estate (and certainly the biggest employer) is the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
lending division. This is the British Library's second site, the St Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
site in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
is the main site. The British Library Boston Spa, as it is known, is housed in a large eight storey concrete building (with windows set in narrow slits to avoid light damage to the books) and many smaller, with newer buildings set around it.
Moores Furniture Group furniture factory is situated on the estate, as is a Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
household recycling centre and a sewage works. There are many other small businesses situated on the estate.
Thorp Arch retail park
DFS
-File systems:* Depth-first search, an algorithm for traversing or searching a tree* DCE Distributed File System * Disc Filing System, a filesystem developed by Acorn Computers...
(formerly Northern Upholstery), Empire Direct (formerly Miller Brothers), The Sofa Centre, The Greenery Garden Centre, a car showroom and a cafe.
The retail park once had a branch of Texas Homecare
Texas Homecare
Texas Homecare was a chain of DIY stores in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, that operated from 1972 until 1999.-History:Texas Homecare was established in 1972 by Manny, Sydney and Gerald Fogel, who had previously founded the high street specialist paint and wallpaper chain Home Charm...
, however due to the small size of these units, it was necessary to set the shop across two units set several hundred yards apart. This did not keep in with the clean-cut, purpose-built style of the new Texas branches, and so they were closed; and the Texas Homecare chain no longer exists. The retail park also formerly housed Bargain Street (a now defunct West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
discount clothes and household good retailer).
During the 2008-2009 UK retail crisis, two retail chains on the park closed, these being Land of Leather
Land of Leather
Land of Leather was a furniture retail store based in Northfleet, Kent in the United Kingdom. It operated in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.- History :...
and Empire Direct
Empire Direct
Empire Direct PLC was an electrical retail business which operated in the United Kingdom.-History:It was formed in 1982. It had its in the former Clock Buildings Cinema on Roundhay Road in Harehills...
.
The future
The future of the Thorp Arch Trading Estate is unclear. No plans have been put forward to properly redevelop it, however the land value is high and occupation density low so future redevelopment seems in itself likely.In the 1990s there was a plan to turn the adjacent village of Walton
Walton, Leeds
Walton is an affluent village and civil parish 2 miles east of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. It is adjacent to Thorp Arch village and Thorp Arch Trading Estate. The village is in the LS 23 Leeds postcode area, The nearest locally important town is Wetherby, with Tadcaster and the large...
into a New Town
New Town
New Town may refer to:*New town, a generic name for a planned city development or expansion*In the United Kingdom, any of a specific set of towns created under various Acts of Parliament for population moved out of overcrowded conurbations-Places:...
, although this never got off the ground, green field areas around the site have been developed into residential areas. It seems likely with the high demand for houses in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, especially in the Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
and Boston Spa
Boston Spa
Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
area that there will be many more residential developments to come in this area in the future.
Notable features
- The street names are all uniform, with roads running in a North-South direction named "Street 1", "Street 2", "Street 8", etc., and those crossing them named "Avenue A", "Avenue B", etc.
- Running along the sixty year old lamp posts on certain parts of the estate are electricity cables.
- The retail park is still set in grass covered bunkers.
- There are still level crossings on certain streets, despite the railway being dismantled since 1965.
- The retail park is home to a large playground, formerly home to an old tankTankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
, a Bren Gun Carrier and a fire engine, and is still home to a large mock pirate ship (about 40' in height) which can be played on by children.