A magnificent shopping arcade in Nottingham

DURING A BRIEF VISIT to Nottingham made especially to view the centrally located Nottingham Contemporary art gallery (opened 2009), we spent a few minutes looking at some of the fine old buildings nearby. One of these is a shopping mall or arcade that reminded me a little of the superb Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan (Italy). Not as big as the structure in Milan, Nottingham’s Exchange Arcade is surprisingly grand.

Built between 1927 and 1929, it was part of a major civic construction project, which included the nearby Council House. It was opened by the then Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII briefly before abdicating to marry Wallace Simpson.

Shops in the Exchange are arranged along a long central corridor and two shorter side corridors. Together, these wide walkways make a ‘T’ shape. Where the long corridor meets the two shorter ones is beneath a glazed dome. The dome is supported by four sloping walls, upon each of which there is a colourful fresco. One of these depicts a local hero, Robin Hood, firing his bow and arrow.

When it first opened, the Exchange housed Joseph Burton’s emporium, Nottingham’s version of London’s Fortnum & Mason. By the early 1980s, the arcade had become shabby, and was renovated. Now, it contains 17 retail stores. Although I am pleased that we saw the Nottingham Contemporary, I am glad we also managed to visit the magnificent Exchange arcade.