Royal Coat of Arms atop The Royal Arcade - Bourke Street, Melbourne

            Built between1869 and 1870, the Royal Arcade, designed by Charles Webb (1821 - 1898) has acted as an opulent shopping hub in Melbourne's city centre since it was first opened by Melbourne's Lord Mayor of the time, Charles Amess.  

As one of Melbourne's most beautiful arcades, the Royal Arcade is built in a classical Renaissance Revival style featuring Baroque elements to demark the main entrance of the arcade on the facade itself.  The glass feature also serves to allow light from the street into the arcade, adding to its brilliance.  Pillasters and aedicules make a fine composition, with a coat of arms forming the central feature of a balustraded roofline.

Originally running between Bourke Street, Little Collins Street, the Royal Arcade has always been a place for elegant shopping expeditions for Melburnians with money to spend.  In 1902, a decision was made to link the arcade to Elizabeth street, so an annex was added, allowing for the opening of further businesses and a throughway to Elizabeth street from the arcade. 
Around this time it was also used for luncheon concerts, where shoppers and music lovers alike could sit beneath its glassed in roof and enjoy the entertainment.  Today it houses some of the most well-known and beautiful shops in Melbourne.

Charles Webb also designed Melbourne landmarks such as the Church of Christ on Swanston Street in 1863, Burlington Terrace in East Melbourne in 1866, Mandeville Hall in Toorak in 1868, and the Grand Hotel (now known as the Windsor Hotel) in 1883.

Taken on: May 25, 2011

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The Royal Arcade

Royal Arcade

Victorian shopping arcade

Victorian

arcade

facade

Victoria

Melbourne

Australia

Melbourne architecture

architecture

Charles Webb

architect designed

Victorian Architecture

Bourke Street

Bourke St

Victorian shopping

classical Renaissance style

Renaissance style

Renaissance Revival

1869

commercial

commercial building

Victoriana

Marvellous Melbourne

coat of arms

Royal coat of arms

Dieu et mon Droit

lion

unicorn

latin

yellow

primrose yellow

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Sets appears in: • Victoriana • Marvelous Melbourne 1800 - 1914 more » • The Royal Arcade « less

Groups appears in: • Dieu et Mon Droit / God and My Right: British Monarch's Motto • Antique Architectural Details

Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/4.9, 1/200 sec, 18.6mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/4.9
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	18.6mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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