Arcade Royale

The Arcade Royale is a shopping arcade opened on 5 October 1912, designed by Clement Williams and sons of Halifax, for Walter Midgley. It is constructed of Marvo composite glazed stone, terracotta, and reinforced concrete floors, with the terracotta provided by the Leeds Fireclay Company. The arcade is a rectangular block with entrances on King Edward Street, through numbers 28 and 30 Commercial Street, and on Southgate. It is built in a Free Baroque style.

The arcade includes numbers 28 and 30 Southgate. The King Edward Street elevation has two low storeys and a facade of 1:1:3:3:3:1x 4 windows. The left-hand entrance has renewed glazed doors beneath a semicircular overlight with an elaborate wrought iron grille, set within a door surround of pilasters with decorated capitals supporting a moulded arch under a deep dripmould. The words "ARCADE ROYALE" are displayed in large faience letters above the door, with a balustraded roof parapet above. To the right, the main elevation features end and central pavilions; the left pavilion is domed with renewed glazing to the ground floor shop. The first floor has panelled pilasters with top cartouches, which support an elaborately stepped cornice that breaks forward over inner Ionic attached columns. A curved plate glass window is set back between these features, with shallow segmental heads, slim mullions, and an Art Nouveau motif on the entablature. Above this window is a tall round-headed light with Art Nouveau glazing bars; the window surround has a hollow chamfer and a long keystone rising to a semicircular pediment with deep modillions. Pilasters supporting the pediment rise at either side as short domed piers flanking a tall octagonal lantern with faience panelled dome. The central pavilion has a curved window on the first floor flanked by round arches under an extended keystone that forms the eaves parapet, with end drop panels. The right end pavilion has a dripstring above a round-headed window. Intermediate bays have linking full-width ground floor cornices, and three-light mullion and transom windows below recessed panels; the bays are defined by paired long brackets to the modillioned eaves cornice with a blocking course. The roofs are low-pitched and hipped behind the central and right pavilions. The right return to Southgate features an arched second bay with "ARCADE ROYALE" displayed below a curved bay window, and an octagonal domed tower behind.

The interior shows detail obscured by shop fittings, but the upper floor retains the original wooden glazed roof and windows. A single faience tiled staircase remains leading to the basement.

The Arcade Royale is a notable component of a significant group of buildings in Halifax town centre, located near the Town Hall, Borough Market, and Lloyds Bank.