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Arcade Reflections: Memories of The Arcade in Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a typical northern town that was once renowned as a thriving industrial, manufacturing and commercial centre. Famed for its outdoor market and impressive range of shops and services and specialising in quality and value-for-money, it was also the retailing heart of West Yorkshire.
The beat of the heart was The Arcade, a splendid Victorian glass-covered thoroughfare of much-loved shops and boutiques. Opened in 1899, it quickly became a shoppers’ favourite and remained the jewel in the crown of the town’s retail scene for almost 120 years, finally closing its gates in 2016.
This book charts the short history of arcades, tracing their origins back to the grimy streets of late eighteenth-century France. The future role of arcades and their place in the world of twenty-first century retailing is also briefly covered. The highlights of the book, though, are the stories of the ordinary people who shopped, worked or set up businesses in The Arcade. Some give accounts of extraordinary lives, though others are content to share memories of everyday delights. Shining through are twin themes – the love of Dewsbury and the simple pleasures of shopping.
The beat of the heart was The Arcade, a splendid Victorian glass-covered thoroughfare of much-loved shops and boutiques. Opened in 1899, it quickly became a shoppers’ favourite and remained the jewel in the crown of the town’s retail scene for almost 120 years, finally closing its gates in 2016.
This book charts the short history of arcades, tracing their origins back to the grimy streets of late eighteenth-century France. The future role of arcades and their place in the world of twenty-first century retailing is also briefly covered. The highlights of the book, though, are the stories of the ordinary people who shopped, worked or set up businesses in The Arcade. Some give accounts of extraordinary lives, though others are content to share memories of everyday delights. Shining through are twin themes – the love of Dewsbury and the simple pleasures of shopping.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2023
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February 15, 2025
I guess it's quite a niche topic, but it's really well put together. The interviews with the arcade shop owners are really well delivered, and you get a real sense of what the businesses were like, the characters in the arcade, and what the shopping experience must have been like. If you are from the surrounding area, I would heartily recommend you give this a look.
Displaying 1 of 1 review