The most exhuberant decoration of all Leeds retail arcades, bursts forth all over the The County Arcade in the Victoria Quarter. Theater designer Frank Matcham, used colorful, richly veined marbles, gilt mosaics, cast and wrought iron, curved and bevelled glass, and rich mahogany in his original interiors.
The restoration, in the 1990s saved as much of the original as possible - columns of Siena marble, colorful faience motifs - adding new details to complement the spirit of the past such as Brian Clarke's stained glass roof for Queen Victoria Street and Joanna Veevers mosaic floor panels.
When redevelopment began, one of the original, Victorian shop fronts was found in pristine condition. Designers used it as a pattern to recreate the ornate, Art Nouveau mahogany frames, curved shop windows and graceful gilt lettering used for all the shop signs in the arcade.
