A look at City Arcade in Coventry City Centre. It is due to be demolished in the next few years as part of the City Centre South redevelopment. Filmed on 3 October 2023. #coventry #redevelopment
Used to walk down here regularly. Desperately miss the Bus Stop Cafe, a tiny little fried breakfast place, really cheap and with lovely ladies serving, reminded me of my old school dinner ladies. Really good prices, gutted when it closed a couple of years ago. Used to pick up reptile supplies from a great little repltile shop down here too. My mom always went to a habidashery down there as well. Loads of great little independent shops. I understand the need for development and regeneration but its a real shame to see places like this that had real character disappear never to be seen again..
What a marvellous place the City Arcade used to be in its heyday, in the 70s and 80s. A home for little shops selling things you could not find anywhere else. And you could keep dry in the rain. There was a cafe down there I used to eat at every time I visited Coventry. It's a crime to demolish this gem. The building at 0:03 used to house a bowling alley, then it became a supermarket. At 5:37, down that alley used to be a jewellers that sold expensive watches.
Consider that the majority of city planners probably live in Warwick, Leamington Spa or other 'prestige' areas that have never seen change, or destruction, of any of their home town areas. Privilege and arrogance still rules the day so it seems. Greetings from a former Coventry resident currently residing in the USA.
I used to go shopping with Mummy in the 60s when it was brand new and I bought a dress (still got!) from the Arcade. Mummy used to buy meat from a butcher there. The Arcade looks very run down and depressing.
i remember it when there was a hairdressers above a cafe, and a branch of virgin, near the end by the birdcage. hardly recognise the place now, but i did leave Coventry in the late 80s.
