Good to see most of the scaffolding down in Bath’a historic shopping arcade – the Grade 2 listed Corridor linking the High Street with Union Passage.
This arcade of shops – under a curved glazed roof – was designed by HE Goodridge and opened around 1825. The development was one of the earliest examples of a shopping arcade outside London.
Traders within it have gone through a period of misery after accumulating snow on the roof – under bird netting – dislodged masonry which crashed through the glass.
Shopkeepers have had to trade under a mass of scaffolding and planking which has been in place for some time.
Apparently, as the wired glass was neither original nor historically accurate it was agreed that the replacement panels would be clear.
Whilst initially the new glass will differ in appearance to the remaining glass it is anticipated that the wired glass will be replaced – as and when necessary – gradually reunifying the arcade in visual terms.
It’s certainly a lot brighter in there now!
I don’t know whether further repairs will be made to the facades of both entrances but the metal canopy on the High Street end is in a terrible state with splits in the metalwork.
At the Union Street end the signage is rotting and many of the original decorative lion heads have been severely damaged.
