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ABBEY TUNNELS MYTHS of Leeds

Abbey tunnels

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A booklet to accompany a photography exhibition and trail around the Leeds to illustrate the myth that a series of tunnels connect the city to Kirkstall Abbey.

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Page 1: Abbey tunnels

ABBEY TUNNELS

MYTHS of Leeds

Page 2: Abbey tunnels

Discover the entrances to the Kirkstall Abbey Tunnels around the city. With this inspiration go in search of

your own entrances.

You will notice carvings, buildings or alleyways you have walked past a hundred times and forever alter

the way you view those places.

Make a visit to Kirkstall Abbey to see where these tunnels end! Notice the number of arches and doorways amongst the ruins.

Which ones could be the other ends of the tunnels?

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83

72

6

5 10

4 9

10: Parkinson Steps53.808143, -1.551948

9. University53.804364, -1.551926

8. Millennium Square53.801589, -1.547399

7. Club53.800584, -1.541672

6. City Varieties53.798845, - 1.542871

5. Market Car Park53.798376, -1.53874

1. Wellington Place53.797052, -1.556368

2. Queens Hotel53.796161, -1.54786

3. Cockpit53.794783, -1.544802

4. Corn Exchange 53.79605, -1.540146

KIRKSTALL ABBEY

Page 3: Abbey tunnels

“Myths... naturalize, they turn history into nature”Barthes 1986

Generations of myth tell a tale of tunnels that connect Kirkstall Abbey to other areas of Leeds. When ques-tioned why a network of tunnels would have been of use to the monks at the abbey, this local legend is quickly dispelled.

Despite this, forums full of people are, as adults, still convinced that a tunnel did in fact lead to the abbey from underneath their primary school’s stage, their grandma’s basement, or that creepy pub across the road.

The people of Leeds’ determined belief that these tun-nels exist prompted a journey across the city in search of overlooked entrances, which, with a little imagination, could mark the perfect entrance to a tunnel.

Kirkstall Abbey is a scene fresh out of Dracula or Harry Potter. The crumbling stone and haunting aisles enable this myth to be ever more believable. Tracking down the suggested entrances using either the supplied co ordi-nates or location names will allow you to consider how Kirkstall Abbey, a ruin remained unchanged for centu-ries, can relate to modern life.

Interractive mapwww.claireselman.co.uk/abbey.html