Silver Arcade, Leicester

Silver Arcade was built at the end of the 19th Century and took advantage of new building technologies in the form of a steel frame and large plate-glass shop windows.

It delivered a new kind of shopping experience in a covered environment on several levels. Silver Arcade is now the only four-storey arcade in the country and the only listed arcade in Leicester.

In order to have a commercial future founded mainly in retail use its appeal to the public and retailers needed to be drastically improved. The recently completed refurbishment achieves this by creating flexibly sized units, improving the means of vertical movement through the building and facilitating the use of the top floor as a restaurant.

The result is a beautifully restored Grade II listed building enhancing the character and appearance of the Market Place and High Street Conservation Areas, as well as preserving, and in many ways enhancing, the architectural and historic importance of Silver Arcade.