1-12 West Cliff Arcade

A row of shops, designed by WG Osborne for E Tapply and built in 1883.

MATERIALS and PLAN: the terrace of shops which forms West Cliff Arcade are built of brick with timber and glazed shop windows of full width. Cast iron brackets support a glazed canopy.

EXTERIOR: West Cliff Arcade is placed to the north of the roadway at its eastern end, in front of the Royal Temple Yacht Club. The southern front, facing the roadway and with views out over the harbour and sea, has a series of shop fronts divided by painted brick piers on line with the party walls. The shop fronts have basket-arched heads and lobbies are central or to one side with transom lights to the arched heads. At least three lobbies appear to have their original tiled floors. The piers support decorative cast iron brackets which support the glazed timber awning which runs along in front of all the shop fronts. A set of steps with stone treads is set in a gap between numbers 4 and 5 and forms an approach to the club. The club terrace on the roof has unpainted brick piers with stone dressings and iron railings above the shop fronts.

INTERIOR: the shops along West Cliff Arcade have now all been converted to restaurants and several individual spaces have been combined by archways formed in their party walls.