Queens Arcade (Welsh: Arcêd y Frenhines) is a shopping centre in Cardiff, opened 28 April 1994, that connects with St. David's Centre. The centre was developed on the site of the Allders department store and the similarly named Queen Street Arcade, both of which were demolished. The main entrance is located on Queen Street, not far from Cardiff Castle in the heart of Cardiff city centre, and the other entrance faces the Old Library in Working Street. It is also joined internally with St. David's Centre.
The arcade has two levels, and is unusual in that the levels are sloped, so that despite its two entrances being on the same level, the upper floor at one entrance is the ground floor at the other. The Arcade has a footfall of over 13,000,000 per annum.
A remodelling exercise has recently been completed, involving the creation of another 3 shop units and the change to a single level entrance onto Queen Street (this to free up space for the 3 new units). There is also an entrance leading onto The Hayes. As of June 2008, the arcade is in the middle of an internal revamp, including new flooring, wall decoration, ceilings, lighting and furniture.
The arcades original architecture was based around and inspired by the many late 19th century arcades of Cardiff city centre.
Prior to the remodel, it was used for location shooting in the 2005 Doctor Who story "Rose", starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, which was set in London.
Famous quotes containing the word queens:
“The queers of the sixties, like those since, have connived with their repression under a veneer of respectability. Good mannered city queens in suits and pinstripes, so busy establishing themselves, were useless at changing anything.”
—Derek Jarman (b. 1942)