Montpellier Arcade Montpellier Arcade and Attached Gates

Details

CHELTENHAM

SO9421NE MONTPELLIER AVENUE 630-1/18/521 (West side) 12/03/55 Nos.7-11 (Consecutive) Montpellier Arcade and attached gates (Formerly Listed as: MONTPELLIER STREET (East side) Entrances to Montpellier Arcade and Arcade Structure) (Formerly Listed as: MONTPELLIER STREET (East side) Nos.12-17 (Consecutive) Montpellier Arcade) (Formerly Listed as: MONTPELLIER AVENUE No.11)

GV II*

Includes: Nos.12-17 Montpellier Arcade MONTPELLIER STREET. Shopping arcade, incorporating terrace of 5 shops with flats over and entrance to Montpellier Avenue, 6 shops with flats over to Montpellier Street and further entrance, with 2 pairs of double gates. 1831-2 with later alterations including late C19 and C20 ground-floor shop fronts and late C20 restorations. By RW and C Jearrad. Ashlar over brick with mansard slate roof and brick stack, with iron gates. PLAN: U-shaped with entrance to narrow side and to Montpellier Avenue. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys with attic storey to centre of entrance range and attic dormers to mansard; half basement to left (Montpellier Street) side, 3 bays to entrance facade with 6 first-floor windows to left side and 8 to right. Main (south) entrance range: central breakforward has 2 tall round arches on Doric pilasters with dentil cornices, arches have tooled head and keystones; the right arch is open, the left arch has glazed shop front and fanlight with radial glazing bars; above arches a frieze inscribed 'MONTPELLIER ARCADE', and cornice which continues across side ranges, upper stage at centre has 3 pilasters (to centre and ends) and two 1/1 sashes at left and 2/2 sash to right, with crowning cornice breaking forward as capitals to pilasters and anthemion acroteria to centre and ends of blocking course. Outer bays have ground-floor shop fronts, that to right has bevelled glass and central pilaster

mullion between pilasters; first floor has 3/6 and 3/3 sashes with tooled architraves and cornices on console brackets; crowning balustrade at left; 3/3 sashes to attic dormers. Returns (alike) have outer bays breaking forwards. To right (east) side an entrance below 7th window. Pilasters between ground-floor shop windows and to entrance and doorways, frieze and cornice, with dentils to left side; first-floor sill band (interrupted by windows in places), tooled architraves to first-floor windows, those to outer breakforwards have cornices on console brackets. First floor has 2/2, 3/3 and 3/6 sashes, all in plain reveals. Attics have 3/3 sashes. Ground-floor shop fronts: mainly plate glass panels with slender fluted half-columnar mullions with Corinthian caps, friezes have 3-light, round-headed windows; part-glazed doors and double-doors with overlights. INTERIOR: the centre of the Arcade is a walkway, lit to rear by skylight; similar pilasters, frieze and dentil cornice articulate the ground floor with inner arcade of 2 round arches with keystones; the entrance ceiling is arched and has ceiling rose. The first floor has mainly 6/6 sashes in plain reveals. Renewed shop fronts, except to No.13 which has multi-paned window on plinth and forms a model for the rest. Interiors of shops retain some original plasterwork including embellished cornices, No.13 also has staircase with stick balusters. Otherwise not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: double entrance gates have tall bars with fleurs-de-lys finials and frieze to lower part, ramped down to centre; with hinge posts made of similar railings. HISTORICAL NOTE: the arcade belongs to the first stage of the Montpellier shopping development; originally the Arcade had 16 shops. One of the earlier provincial English shopping arcades pre-dated by, but more complete than, Upper and Lower Arcade, Bristol (1825) and contemporary with Royal Arcade, Newcastle. It belongs to Geist's 'Period of Fashion' arcades (1820-40), the first period being that of Invention (pre-1820). Rowe's Guide to Cheltenham written in 1845 but published in 1850 indicates that these were occupied (from right to left) by Crux and Chillcott, Montpellier Silk Mercery and Lace Establishment; entrance to Arcade; Mrs Elliot, Corset and Stay Maker. He wrote of 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'. (Rowe G: Illustrated Cheltenham Guide: Cheltenham: 1850-1969: 24; Blake S: 'The Building of the Montpellier Shops': Cheltenham Local History Society Journal: 1984-; Geist JF: Arcades The History of a Building Type: London: 1985-).



Listing NGR: SO9450421981

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

474989

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Rowe, G, Illustrated Cheltenham Guide 1850-1969, (), 24
Geist, J F, Arcades The History of a Building Type, (1985)
Blake, S, Cheltenham Local History Society Journal in The Building of the Montpellier Shops, (1984)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.