Great Western Arcade

I do like this quirky arcade full of lovely little shops (often independent). This arcade is well maintained, and it always feels like it’s a place to not just walk through to shelter from the rain, but to also stop and check out what’s on offer too.
Once the tram connections from Snow Hill and New Street open up, I hope that people don’t neglect to walk through here though. Some of my absolute favourites are resident in Great Western Arcade including Loki Wine, Sushi Passion, and Homemade Boutique.

Built in 1876 and inspired by The Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition, the Great Western Arcade is an architectural gem right in the middle of Birmingham.
The Arcade has recently had a new lease of life and it is now one of the best destinations for independent shops and eateries in the city. Here you can find independent fashion retailers and (proper) vintage shops, a fine chocolatier, a wonderful sushi restaurant and a lot more besides, all beneath the Arcade’s beautiful glass roof.
Even if you’re not out shopping it’s worth paying a visit to the Great Western just to have a look at the design — the Temple Row entrance is particularly impressive, covered in intricate stonework.

If Paradise Forum looked more like this I’d be sadder that it was being knocked down…
This is a beautiful arcade with lots of boutique business spaces. More recently this has become open in the evening with the likes of Bistro 1847 and Loki Wine changing the mixture of shops and shifting it into the evening.
It was bombed in the Second World War and the damage must have been pretty shocking. However the visible scars of war have been long since healed and this remains a homage to Victorian values with beautiful floor tiles and historic railway style lighting which I’d only noticed walking around the balcony at night.
Next time you are rushing through to Snow Hill station or chasing down to the post office walk a little slower and take a look at how beautiful it all is. Really

Great Western Arcade is truly a highlight of the City. It’s full of quirky independent shops, restaurants and services. The architecture is stunning and it’s clearly well maintained and meticulously looked after. Keep an eye out for events being held here too, as it’s a great way to experience this location whilst doing something a little different (so far, I have attended a summer garden party and a silent film screening).
Some of the highlights of the location are the Handmade Boutique (where you can purchase something totally unique made in the City — great for gifts), Anderson and Hill (full of delicious local and imported foodstuffs) and my favourite shoe shop in the city, Sims Footwear. Loki is also of note, as it’s a wine retailer AND a tasting house (an usual concept worth a try).
A must for all visitors and locals alike, pop along to the Arcade and lose a couple of hours browsing, eating and (when you’re really worn out from all that shopping) grabbing a couple of beauty treatments at the Spa.

This little bit of independent bliss away from the hustle and bustle of the main shopping area of Birmingham city centre is choca with the cutest small shops and slick branding.
Overall a much more pleasant shopping experience than in the rest of the city. This arcades charm oozes all over you as you wander through, tempted by all the tasty treats and boutique finery.

Great Western Arcade is a prime example of Birmingham not realising it’s potential. So many stores remain empty in this beautiful shopping arcade and I really feel for the store owners who are trying to make a positive change by opening new and interesting, independent businesses. The centre’s management really need to get on it and sort this place out by letting people get creative and opening up to proposals from ‘pop up’ shops and artists. I heard the other day that management were clamping down on a new business owner because he put a bench outside his shop. It made such a change though to walk through there and see some young girls just chilling out on the bench rather than just the usual hoards of business men and women, rushing through from Snow Hill station. This place needs an atmosphere and it needs to be cool and trendy and UNIQUE– and I don’t mean full of ‘hipsters’, I mean full of everyone. People need a reason to slow down and take a look around this place, not just powerwalk through it to get to the Bullring.
How about opening up some of the empty units for dance classes or street art or letting a magazine set up there for a month? Just something to make the place more interesting! (and I don’t mean putting a few poky illustrations in a shop window at the end of the arcade). This needs to be well curated, it needs to be cool. Great Western Arcade should be a place where people browse good quality, independent boutiques in their leisure, not a pedestrian version of the Aston Expressway.
I kinda wish it was my job to sort the place out.
Props to Gary Anderson, Paul Lamb, Pierre, Foley, Phil, Bread Collection and the new guy with the wine shop, who are all doing a great job. Hopefully something amazing will happen soon to drive more of the right kind of customers their way.

After 5 years of living in Birmingham, I didn’t visit The Great Western Arcade until late last year (how slow am I). It’s one of the city’s most beautiful places, it’s so grand and is home to some of the city’s best kept secrets. My favourite store in the arcade is Forgotten Vintage which hasn’t been open for very long but is already becoming a huge hit with the vintage lovers of Birmingham.
Its easy to get to as it’s in the heart of the city centre. How I usually direct people to The Great Western Arcade, is I just say it’s in between House of Fraser, walk through the first arcade and then you’ll see the great western arcade at the other end. If you are coming from Corporation street direction then this is an easy way to get to Colmore Row and Snow Hill Station. It’s also a much nicer route than just walking round the block.

There’s something magical about Birmingham’s Great Western Arcade. It is so grand; with arches, tiled floors and fancy light fittings. It reminds me of the scene in Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim (OK, the Sixpence None the Richer video for Kiss Me that was based on Jules et Jim) where Jules, Jim and Catherine run through the beautiful Parisian arcade.
Enough of the show-​off French New Wave cinema references, Great Western Arcade is one of my favourite Birmingham shopping destinations. It is full of charming independent boutiques, selling stuff that you’d struggle to find elsewhere in the city. It also provides a handy (and pleasurable) shortcut from Colmore Row to Corporation Street.
The arcade was built in ¹⁸⁷⁶⁄₇₇ as a tunnel to link Snow Hill and Moor Street station. Victorian architecture buffs will note that the influence of Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace. It was refurbished back in 2009, bringing the arcade to its current glory.