Miller Arcade
| Miller Arcade | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Preston city centre | |
| General information | |
| Status | Active |
| Type | Shopping centre |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Town or city | Preston, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°45′31″N 2°41′53″W / 53.75866°N 2.69807°W |
| Construction started | August 1896 |
| Opened | 1899 |
| Owner | Callaway Estate Limited |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Edwin Bush & Nathanial Miller |
| Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 27 September 1979 |
| Reference no. | 1292466 |
Miller Arcade is a Grade II listed shopping centre in Preston, Lancashire, England.[1] The building was opened in 1899 and is located in Preston's city centre and is Preston's first indoor shopping centre.[2] The building is modelled on a much larger shopping centre, Burlington Arcade, London.[2]
History[edit]
Miller Arcade was opened in 1899 and was modelled off the much larger Burlington Arcade, London and was designed by Edwin Bush who was working for the Birmingham based company Essen, Nichol and Goodman.[3] Bush constructed the building on behalf of Nathanial Miller, a Preston dentist who in 1895 held a competition for the commission of his new building.[3] Construction began in August 1896.[3] The building replaced some old terraced houses and shops known as "The Shambles" that were owned by the Miller family who had previously failed to sell the area.[3] The Shambles were built by the Molyneux family at the beginning of the eighteenth century.[4] The building originally had pepper pot turrets on each corner but these had to be removed in the 1920s due to safety concerns.[4] The upper floors of the building were used as a hotel during the buildings earlier years. Turkish Baths were added to the building in the early twentieth century and operated up until 1947. There was also a room called "The Geisha Ballroom" within the building during its earlier years.[3][4]
Centre information & stores[edit]
Miller Arcade is a Victorian building with an Italian terracotta style facade.[5] The architecture inside the centre is ornate tiling, vintage shop fronts and high-glass panelled ceilings. There are also some benches in the middle of the centre.[2] The building has three storeys over the cellars along with an attic storey.[1] The upper floors were previously occupied by a hotel. Historic England lists the floors as office space.[1] However, these floors have been vacant for many years.[6][7] As of present, the building is owned by Callaway Estate Limited.[8]
The shops and eateries inside Miller Arcade include Rohan, Rise, Baluga Bar & Club, IceBurg, Smashed, Haute Dolci and Subway.[2]
Transport links[edit]
The centre is located on four roads, one on each face of the building. These are Church Street, Lancaster Road, Jacson Street and Birley Street. The centre is 260 metres (280 yd) from Preston bus station and 660 metres (720 yd) from Preston railway station.
Popular culture[edit]
Miller Arcade featured in the 1962 film "A Kind of Loving" during the scene where Vic (Alan Bates) and Ingrid (June Richie) meet outside Lavell's sweet and tobacco kiosk, a shop which was formerly a part of the arcade.[9]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "MILLER ARCADE, Non Civil Parish - 1292466 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Miller Arcade". Visit Preston. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Nathaniel Miller". Winckley Square. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b c Smith, Peter (22 February 2023). "On this day … 22 February 1896". Preston History. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "Miller Arcade - Shopping Centre in Preston, Preston - Visit Lancashire". www.visitlancashire.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Aziz, Fatima (10 February 2023). "Changing face of Miller Arcade from 19th century Turkish baths to food hotspot". LancsLive. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Walker, Ed (29 May 2016). "Exploring inside the Miller Arcade before refurb". Blog Preston. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Holt, James (25 August 2021). "'It deserves to have its future guaranteed': Calls made for Preston Grade II listed Miller Arcade to be given new lease of life". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Swarbrick, Paul (9 October 2014). "Six film productions with scenes shot in Preston over the past 60 years". Blog Preston. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
