Montpellier Arcade Montpellier Arcade And Attached Gates

Montpellier Arcade and Attached Gates, Cheltenham

A shopping arcade of 1831-2, designed by RW and C Jearrad, incorporating a terrace of five shops with flats over and entrances to Montpellier Avenue and Montpellier Street, with six further shops and flats over to Montpellier Street, and two pairs of double gates. The building is constructed in ashlar over brick with a mansard slate roof and brick stack, and features iron gates.

The plan is U-shaped with entrances to the narrow side and to Montpellier Avenue. The building is two storeys with an attic storey to the centre of the entrance range and attic dormers to the mansard. A half basement runs along the left (Montpellier Street) side. The entrance facade comprises three bays with six first-floor windows to the left side and eight to the right.

The main south entrance range features a central breakforward with two tall round arches on Doric pilasters with dentil cornices. The arches have tooled heads and keystones. The right arch is open, whilst the left arch contains a glazed shop front and fanlight with radial glazing bars. Above the arches is a frieze inscribed 'MONTPELLIER ARCADE' and a cornice which continues across the side ranges. The upper stage at the centre has three pilasters (to centre and ends) and two 1/1 sashes to the left and a 2/2 sash to the right, with a crowning cornice breaking forward as capitals to the pilasters and anthemion acroteria to the centre and ends of the blocking course.

The outer bays have ground-floor shop fronts. That to the right has bevelled glass and a central pilaster mullion between pilasters. The first floor has 3/6 and 3/3 sashes with tooled architraves and cornices on console brackets. A crowning balustrade occurs at the left, and 3/3 sashes light the attic dormers.

The returns (alike on both sides) have outer bays breaking forwards. To the right (east) side is an entrance below the seventh window. Pilasters occur between the ground-floor shop windows and to the entrance and doorways, with a frieze and cornice featuring dentils to the left side. A first-floor sill band is interrupted by windows in places, and the first-floor windows have tooled architraves; those to the outer breakforwards have cornices on console brackets. The first floor is lit by 2/2, 3/3 and 3/6 sashes, all in plain reveals. The attics have 3/3 sashes.

The ground-floor shop fronts are mainly of plate glass panels with slender fluted half-columnar mullions with Corinthian caps. The friezes have 3-light round-headed windows, and part-glazed doors and double-doors with overlights.

The interior features a central walkway to the arcade, lit to the rear by a skylight. Similar pilasters, frieze and dentil cornice articulate the ground floor, with an inner arcade of two round arches with keystones. The entrance ceiling is arched with a ceiling rose. The first floor has mainly 6/6 sashes in plain reveals. Renewed shop fronts are present throughout, except to No. 13 which retains a multi-paned window on plinth serving as a model for the rest. The interiors of the shops retain some original plasterwork including embellished cornices. No. 13 also retains a staircase with stick balusters. The remaining interiors were not inspected.

The double entrance gates have tall bars with fleurs-de-lys finials and a frieze to the lower part, ramped down to the centre, with hinge posts made of similar railings.

The arcade belongs to the first stage of the Montpellier shopping development and originally contained 16 shops. It is one of the earlier provincial English shopping arcades, pre-dated by but more complete than the Upper and Lower Arcades, Bristol (1825), and contemporary with the Royal Arcade, Newcastle. It belongs to the 'Period of Fashion' arcades (1820-40), following the initial 'Period of Invention' (pre-1820). Rowe's Guide to Cheltenham, written in 1845 but published in 1850, records occupants including Crux and Chillcott, Montpellier Silk Mercery and Lace Establishment, and Mrs Elliot, Corset and Stay Maker. Rowe noted that the arcade, 'although not extensive, yet presents a pleasing coup d'oeil from the upper entrance. It is furnished with shops and lighted by a glazed roof'.

The building has undergone later alterations including late 19th-century and 20th-century ground-floor shop fronts and late 20th-century restorations.