The Royal Victoria Arcade is a shopping arcade in Ryde, Isle of Wight. Built between 1835 and 1836 and restored in 2001, the arcade currently has 14 shops and an underground museum. The arcade is a Grade II* listed building.
History
Royal Victoria Arcade in 1837.
The Royal Victoria Arcade was built between 1835 and 1836,[1][2] and was restored in 2011.[3] It was built for William Houghton Banks, who was an apothecary in Ryde.[4] The cost of construction was £10,000.[5] It was one of the first purpose-built shopping centres, and was named after Princess Victoria (later Queen Victoria), who had stayed at the nearby Norris Castle.[3]
The arcade is in the neoclassical style,[2] with three floors, and a 12 feet (3.7 m) avenue.[6] It has a dome rotunda, which was painted in the 21st century, and contains Doricpilasters.[3] Originally, the arcade had 14 shops, an underground market, and a space for art exhibitions.[7] Ten of the shops were approximately 13 by 8 feet (4.0 m × 2.4 m), and four larger shops under the rotunda had a shopfront of around 30 feet (9.1 m).[6] There was living space above the arcade.[3] The underground market was in an ice house made of brick.[3]
In 1856, the front entrance was modified, with the original three arches being replaced with a rectangular opening.[2] In the 1860s, one shop was used by the Royal Photographic Society.[8]
In 1950, Royal Victoria Arcade became a Grade II* listed building.[3] The arcade became derelict in the 1970s, after an attempt to restore it.[1][3] It was proposed for demolition in 1971, but this was voted against after a public inquiry the following year.[2] After its restoration in 2001, the building once again has 14 shops and an underground local history museum in the former underground market.[1][3] The original shopfronts were restored.[2] In 2019, the arcade was put up for sale,[1] and in the same year, it was proposed that the arcade was added to the Isle of Wight's Asset of Community Value list.[9]
