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Great Western Arcade

Thank you both very much for your replies, very helpful.

It's a lovely bowl and appears to be made out of solid silver even though it's not hallmarked. No idea where the "PATTISON" bit comes in though.

Thanks again,

Don.
 
HI GUYS ;
Just at this moment in time rgarding that question regarding the patterson hughes bussiness
i am trying to rack my head around this the patterson hughes bussines was either brought from the grand father of the jelfs
tea rooms or vice er versa i was told a story about this buildng and the connections with jelfs and patterson and hughes there was a very strong bonding between them way back in around that period in the westeren arcade where the grand father had the tea rooms and with waitress
dressed identicaly as the joe lyons waitress uniform as my mother used to tell me and there was abit about
the patterson hughes taking over i think we may find if we dig deep enough it was the phillips sold to the grand father of the jelfs tea rooms
empire and george or arther had one out side the arcade years later nect to snow hill station
the more i think it was phillips sold to mr jelf my mothers grand father and he lived in a big housree in handsworth with servants in the house
but here was most definate connections with the jelf and patterson and hughes even an affair with my mother in her younger days
wher upon a mr hughes of patterson and hughes asked my mother to marry him ;
sold it was either jelf sold it to them which i am pretty sure that was the case best wishes astonian ;
 
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I do not know which one it is but this is 'A Birmingham Shoping Arcade'. 1905
 
Think that's the Great Western Arcade off Colmore Row, opposite Snow Hill Station entrance, Stitch.
 
mikejee said:
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
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Came across a mention of "Snow Hill Arcade" in Showell's 1885 Dictionary. It places it as being opposite the railway station and leading to Slaney Street.

There's a "Hen and Chickens Arcade" mentioned too. It was connected to the H&C hotel in New Street and exited onto Worcester Street. Would this later become the Burlington ? Viv.
 
My main memories of the Arcade include Preedys (sp?) Toyshop on the front corner, it occupied two or three current shop units and had an upstairs, but the best thing was the window display which for some time consisted of a massive Meccano contraption that transported a ball around, a marvel of construction!

Fortunately the lovely Druckers which was a rare treat is still there, but what I think was a cheap and cheerful Birmingham Dairies Cafe is not.

An interesting point is that one shop alone currently has curved glass windows (now I believe its Time Square). This is because it was originally wasnt a shop, but the back entrance to the department store that occupied the adjacent space (for me, Debenhams, then Hamleys).

I now work in the office building that was built on to of the department store site...
 
I know there a are a few arcades missing from this map,but i thought it may be of interest.moss
 

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My Gt Grandfather William Thomas Coleman who was born in 1864 in Sutton Coldfield was a managing director (retired) of the Great Western Arcade in Birmingham when he died in 1941 and I am trying to find out where I could obtain copies of documents which mentions him working for the company. In 1911 he was a law clerk so I don't know in which year he became a director. I have looked at the sites online of the Arcade but they only show photos and give a brief history. Any information would be apprieciated.

mary-anne
 
Hi Jennyann

Thank you for your reply and I have been on the site and asked for a search of the documents they have so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Mary-anne
 
Well not long before this bloke turns up again. Think this must be the Snow Hill end of the Great Western Arcade Viv.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

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Now replaced the links - thanks Janice. (Bit late but missed your post when we were moving house!). Viv.
 
An interior and exterior drawing of the GW Arcade in 1876. Very ornate and obviously hoping to attract people of a certain class.

Is the first (interior) drawing looking towards Temple Row ? And is the second (exterior) drawing the Snow Hill frontage or Temple Row ? Viv.
image.jpeg image.jpeg
 
The GW arcade after WW2 bombing. Not sure if it's looking towards Temple Row or Snow Hill Station. Image from the Birmingham Mail archives. Viv.

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Thanks Mike. Looks spot on ! The GW arcade was badly damaged then at both ends (Snow Hill and Temple Row). I think we discussed the Temple Row damage on the Temple Row thread (or possibly Bull Street thread) and that end had significant rebuilding. From the image in #54 there must have been significant rebuilding/repair at the Snow Hill end too. Viv.
 
A recent photo of the current roof inside the GWA.



Colmore Row entrance used to look like this, although there has been scaffolding here recently (this was in 2010).



This was earlier in 2017 from the square in front of Snow Hill Station.

 
Catkin said:
I worked in the first shop, The Great Western Arcade on the right hand side for about six months, it was known as the Wheld/ Weald Furriers, Furs for the rich and famous there was a policeman that went by the name of Ray that used to call in for a coffee he was great fun. and opposite i think was an electrical shop and Jeromes the photographers was in the centre also a cake shop and a china shop...Cat
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Can you confirm Jerome's had s shop in the Great Western Arcade, everyone says it was in Union Street. This would be mid 1950s
 
In the 1955. 56 & 58 Kellys Jerome's .photographers were listed as at 34 Martineau st, whichb is on th esoutg side on the corner with corproation st
 
The refurbished entrance from Colmore Row on New Year's Day 2018.



This is how it was 8 years ago.

 
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