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Gothic Arcade Snow Hill

Jayell

Jayell

master brummie
I Googled "Gothic Arcade" and came up with this from Showells Dictionary of Birmingham:

https://www.afamilystory.co.uk/ebooks/showells-dictionary-of-birmingham-T.aspx

Going away from the immediate centre of the town architectural improvements will be noted on all hands, Snow Hill, for one place, being evidently in the regenerative throes of a new birth, with its Gothic Arcade opposite the railway station, and the new circus at the foot of the hill, where for so many long years there has been nothing but a wreck and a ruin. In close neighbourhood, Constitution Hill, Hampton Street, and at the junction of Summer Lane, a number of handsome houses and shops have lately been erected by Mr. Cornelius Ede, in the early Gothic style, from designs by Mr. J.S. Davis, the architect of the Snow Hill Arcade, the whole unquestionably forming a very great advance on many former street improvements.
 
Gothic arcade.

Michael_Ingram said:
Great Judy. It must have been on the right hand side of Snow Hill opposite the side entrance to the station
Click to expand...

One of the subway passages opposite Snow Hill Station down the bottom there leading to the John F.Kennedy mural was/is called "Gothic Subway".

Some connection I suppose?
 
I don't think this picture of Gothic Arcade has been shown on the forum before.I remember it from my childhood,and it was a dead end.I would guess that it joined Snow Hill and Slaney Street at one point,and i think it was previously called Snow Hill arcade.I wonder if anyone has a map that shows it?Moss.View attachment 57470
 
Gothic arcade is shown on the map c 1910. It seems to first appear as a listed arcade between 1884 and 1888, though there may well have been an alleyway before. I can't find mention of it being called snow hill arcade. If it was it would have been before 1888.
Mike

map_gothic_arcade_c_1910.jpg
 
not seen this one before...



image.jpeg
gothic arcade...1949 (Replacement)
 
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lol mike you just beat me to it as i would also love to know the location of gothic arcade
 
Another great view Lyn of a lost area. Looks like a spot of bomb damage top right-hand of photo. If this arcade was still there today it would have scrubbed up nicely! The Graveley photographer claims to have a 'Terric Studio'. Tried googling it but it keeps coming up terrific ! Wonder what Terric is/was, Viv
 
Mike I can only think it was a type of photography. Maybe the word comes from terrain. So they'd take pictures with a terrain background...... apologies, a bit off the wall. Viv.
 
Viv, I was intrigued by the terric studios, so googled it and came up with this - follow link -https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%201662.html
Sue
 
Sue. Many thanks for the enlightening link. Mrs Graveley was obviously a determined lady to continue her husband's work after he died in what, I'd think, was a male dominated profession, even in the 60s. I'd never have associated Terric with aerial photography, but it makes sense. Looks like they moved to Nechells House Dartmouth St, probably when Gothic Arcade was re-developed. The Flight article is worth reading. Viv.
 
Excellent photo Lyn. Think you can just see the edge of St. Chads. And it give you a good impression of the enormous size of the re-building of Snow Hill. This area especially interests me as I have ancestors from around here - Snow Hill passage. Expect Snow Hill Passage would have been quite similar. Thanks for posting. Viv.
 
I may be wrong but think I used to visit this with my Mom - was there a Hebalists on the main road just by the entrance to this arcade?
 
yes bernie and there was also a jewlers with a duble fronted windows selling second hand and brand new prices of watches and also
the window was choc ablockwith items and big posters sp[lashed all over there windows and afew yards from there there was a jelfs coffee shop
then futher just passing there was the snow hill station with its arch the jewlers was a big discount bussiness you could never get close to the window there was that many people at one time always trying to look in watches at ten bob ; astonian
 
One of the links if you Google it is here: https://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27383/pages/8667/page.pdf

"The Coin Operating Lung Test Company Limited.
11, Gothic-arcade, Snow Hill,
Birmingham, 3rd December, 1901.
NOTICE is hereby given, that a General
Meeting of the Members of the Coin
Operating Lung Test Company Limited will be
held at No. 11, Gothic-arcade,^ Snow Hill,
Birmingham, on Monday, the sixth day of January,
1902, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon precisely, for
the purpose of having an account laid before them
by the Liquidator (pursuant to section 142 of the
Companies Act, 1862), showing the manner in
which the winding up of the said Company has
been conducted, and the property of the Company
disposed of, and of heaiing any explanation that
may be given by the Liquidator.
P. B. HUGHSS, Liquidator.
W. H. STUBBS, Solicitor of the Supreme
Court of Judicature in England."

What on earth is a Coin Operating Lung Test machine?
The mind boggles!
 
Astoness said:
not seen this one before...

gothic arcade...1949
Click to expand...

Gothic Arcade had become a bit of a dump during my time there 1953-58. The entrance was flanked by two large advertizing hoardings. At the entrance were steps leading down to cellers? but it was blocked off with concretate. No.1 was Terric Studios owned by Mr.Graveley doing aerial photography. Opposite was Lithograve, also owned by Mr.Graveley. The dark art of photo-lithography was practiced here.
Most of the windows in the arcade were painted over with black so that no one could look in. There was a violin maker, also a place with dental products. It was rare to see any of the owners, even rarer to see a customer.
During five years I never found out what the other shops did, but I suspect that most were used for storage.
At the far end was a firm that did book binding. There was a short passage way where four toilts and dust bins were housed. It was very dark and the dim electric light rarely worked, so one had to be very desperate to even venture there. The place was alive with rats and to make matters worse every drunk and prostitute would use the floor as a toilet.
 
hi viv of course i dont mind...im sure when flicking through a few books earier i saw another one of the gothic arcade...will try and find it but i could have been wrong....

lyn
 
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