The Royal Arcade

The wonderful Royal Arcade in Norwich was the work of George Skipper, the second son of a Dereham building contractor.  According to John Betjamin ‘he was to Norwich what Gaudi was to Barcelona’.  The original design of the Arcade, and its decorative features in particular, showed that Skipper was experimenting with ideas drawn from Art Nouveau.  He went on to design some of the finest buildings in the City.
 
The arcade was opened on 24th May 1899, when arcade shopping was much in fashion, the Arcade was described as ‘a fragment of from the Arabian Nights dropped into the heart of the old city’.
 
As Norwich grew as a provincial centre, country gentry came to town in search of social events, luxury goods and professional services.  By the nineteenth century the number of shops had multiplied to cater for the needs of country customers and the growing number of Norwich residents who had money to spend over and above the most basic household needs. Norwich trade directories of the year 1877 include the mention of 7 toy dealers, 64 milliners and dressmakers, 31 chemists, 17 china, glass and earthenware dealers and no fewer than 101 bakers!
 
Our visit to the Arcade yesterday included a visit to Digby’s chocolate shop (for M), one of the most impressive sweet shops I’ve ever seen, and of course a visit to ‘Macarons and More’ for me, I just can’t resist them, they look almost too pretty to eat (perhaps an idea for tomorrow’s blip…I can’t see them lasting very long once I open the box!).