Original firm to restore Dewsbury’s Victorian shopping arcade roof

The original firm which installed a glazed roof on a Victorian shopping arcade is set to carry out its restoration 125 years later.

Kirklees Council is investing £10m to restore the Grade II listed Dewsbury Arcade.

Standard Patent Glazing installed the arcade’s original glazed roof when it opened in 1899 and will be responsible for replacing the glass structure.

Once complete, the arcade will consist of 16 small shops, four larger retail spaces and six upstairs studios suitable for artists, office spaces or events.

The council and the government-backed Town Deal Fund have each contributed £2.57m to the project, with additional support of £4.55m from the National Lottery Heritage fund and a further £600,000 from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Get Building Fund.

Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for finance and regeneration, said: “The Dewsbury Arcade is an iconic part of Dewsbury’s heritage, and the roof is its most prominent feature.

“We’re thrilled to be able to work with Standard Patent Glazing, the company that originally installed the roof all those years ago.”

Turner said using the same local firm was a “fantastic nod” to the Dewsbury Board of Guardian who commissioned the building in the 1890s.

“As we are now the guardians of the arcade, through this regeneration work, we want to take it back to its original glory and ensure it is fit for the next 125 years of retail in the town.”

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, in addition to the glazed roof, the arcade, which has been closed since 2016, has 131 windows which must be conserved in line with Listed building planning rules.

Window restorers, GH Joinery, have already begun work on the repairs, and where full replacement windows are needed, these will be replaced “like for like”.

Other work includes reinstating the York stone flooring, installing a new lift and electrical upgrade work.

The Arcade Group, a community business, will manage and lease the premises once the restoration work is completed.

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