Construction has begun on one of Birmingham's last great Victorian shopping arcades, the Grade II-listed Great Western Arcade, as work commences to connect it with the office block next door.
A Historic Arcade Undergoing Change
Great Western Arcade, standing between Colmore Row and Temple Row since its completion in 1876, is a magnificent three-storey structure decorated with Corinthianesque columns, pediments, and floriated panels. It is home to a number of shops and restaurants, including Birmingham's poshest Greggs, Michelin Guide restaurant Land, wine merchants Loki, the highly-rated Anderson and Hill deli, and Mexican lunch spot Habanero.
The arcade has also become the new home of trading card game vendor Game HQ and Ignite Records, both of which were left without a home when the Oasis Market closed after 54 years.
While trading has not been disrupted for many of the resident businesses, there are currently a number of empty units under the glazed roof. The former Bread Collective shop now has a sign in the window advising 'due to redevelopment this shop will be closing'. It shut on Christmas Eve 2025. Rubble can be seen behind boards on the same side as work begins to knock through to the office block next door.
Ownership and Planning
Both 10 Colmore Row and Great Western Arcade are owned and managed by Ashtrom Properties, an Israeli firm that ventured into UK real estate in 2018 when it bought two office buildings in Liverpool. Planning permission was granted that would allow a new connection between the arcade and the Colmore Gate development.
The documents state that the arcade had been changed following the Birmingham bombing of 1942 and that the extensively damaged roof and the side near Colmore Row mean that much of the Victorian appearance and shopfronts actually date back to the 1980s.
Future Plans
According to the plans, one of the shop fronts will be replaced to form the access route into the office block, and alterations will be made to the staircases to separate the ground floor shops from the first floor offices. If all goes to plan, the Colmore Gate project will be finished by spring 2027, unveiling a 'sustainable and efficient' office building with a new facade that will be 'sensitive' to the neighbourhood, which is home to a number of listed buildings.
Great Western Arcade is on Colmore Row, B2 5HU.
