Victorian Shopping Arcade is a Grade II listed building in the Torbay local planning authority area, England. First listed on 23 May 1973. Shopping arcade. 7 related planning applications.
Victorian Shopping Arcade
- WRENN ID
- broken-panel-owl
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Torbay
- Constituency
- Torbay MP: Steve Darling (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 23 May 1973
- Type
- Shopping arcade
- Address
- Victorian Shopping Arcade, 3-21, Torwood Street, TQ1 1ED
- OS grid reference
- SX 920 634
- Coordinates
- 50.46109, -3.52273
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Victorian Shopping Arcade in Torquay, built between 1909 and 1915 to designs by PR Wood, was originally intended to be a theatre but was never completed and is now used as a shopping precinct. The building is constructed from Bathstone ashlar and features a roof that is concealed behind a parapet, with stone chimney stacks that have moulded cornices.
The arcade is designed in a Neo-Baroque style and is located on a corner site, with its long side facing Torwood Street and the entrance positioned to face up Torwood Street. The exterior consists of two storeys and presents a grand symmetrical elevation with a ratio of 1:5:1 bays to Torwood Street. The ground-floor bays are divided by rusticated piers, topped with a fascia and a projecting cornice supported by brackets. The central five bays project forward and are separated above the ground floor by giant engaged Ionic columns, which support an entablature and a dentil cornice below the parapet.
Large windows feature moulded architraves and overlights with small panes, while the outer bays are recessed and have rusticated quoins. The round-headed windows are adorned with eared architraves, moulded keystones, and sill brackets, with panels below carved with the names of Irving and Garrick. Statues of Fame and Justice are positioned over the outer bays. The entrance elevation on the left return consists of 1:3:1 bays, with the central three bays canted, pedimented, and projecting forward on Doric columns. The upper storey is divided by Ionic pilasters, with a relief of Neptune in the pediment. The interior has been modernised.
Local climate
Victorian Shopping Arcade receives an average of 870 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 64% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 83% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 11 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 90% of listed buildings. Of these, 4 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 4 transactions since 1997
- Related listed building consents — 7 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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