ARCADES PROJECT

Letchworth’s arcade, like its neighbour Hitchin, dates from the mid-1920s, but this is a bright, cheerful arcade, well-looked-after and has the feel of a real, functioning arcade, with its glass ceiling all along its length, which bends in the middle, and has a glass roof also over the central section, in the same style as more glamorous arcades of the Victorian era.

Of course, Letchworth itself didn’t exist until 1903; it was the first Garden City and only 20 years old when this arcade opened, so it did well to model itself on those grand Victorian arcades of much bigger cities than this.

The arcade did benefit from a £600,000 refurbishment in 1996 (and a more recent makeover, too), which just goes to show what a bit of investment can do in terms of keeping these arcades alive.

Even the entrance to the Arcade looks welcoming, with the town’s tree logo alongside the simple word ‘Arcade,’ and the eaves painted in the pale green which runs through the whole arcade today.

The Little Latte’s Coffee shop is a great example of how an arcade can develop and adapt to contemporary needs. One previous tenant of this shop unit was the menswear shop Foster and Scott, which was around for several decades, and left its mark in the leadlight windows even today, with the initials FS in cream and brown along the shop front of the cafe today.

But this cafe had a great initiative, opening its doors to and welcoming parents and babies for ‘coffee and play.’ It was buzzing with life and noise on the morning of my visit; and I was told that Thursdays seems to attract grandparents and babies/toddlers. There are safe spaces for kids, all risk-assessed, and good coffee for those carers/minders.

The arcade, and the town as a whole really, knows its target clientele is the classic family, so there are two shops linked to pets, three hair salons, including one just for kids. But it also leans towards the arty community, with an actual art gallery, and art supplies shop where you can get art lessons, and a craft shop which also sells fancy dress, so linking back to that young family theme.

The Love Letchworth group which supports local businesses in the town also has a shop in the arcade (though not open on Fridays, the day of my visit).

This was a great example of a successful arcade in a relatively small community. It made me think a few others might come down and learn a lesson or two, like the beautiful but half empty Boscombe Arcade near Bournemouth or the equally deserted – but stunning – arcades of Preston or Carlisle up north.

My pick of the arcade’s past

An 18-year-old youth broke into the dry-cleaners (or its equivalent in the 1920s) at No 7 in August 1927. He stole some cash, but also two pairs of socks and three ties. The boy had worked in the shop earlier that year, so knew how to open the shop door from the outside. He was given a suspended sentence when his father appeared on his behalf, claiming to have found the lad a new job, and saying he had been very disappointed when his application to join the Army had been turned down.

In 1927, a typist called Gladys Couling, who worked in an office in the arcade, got called as a witness in a big local fraud trial. She had typed letters on behalf of a fraudulent organisation called the National Business & Trade Protection Association, run by a pair of Letchworth men who claimed to run a debt-collection scheme for local businesses.

Eight members of staff at the printing press at No 13 took their employer to court for having failed to pay their health and unemployment insurance (the precursor to National Insurance today) contributions, even though sums had been deducted from their wages. In the case which came to court in September 1927, the shopkeeper explained that he had hit financial difficulties in the wake of the railway strike, which had been part of the 1926 General Strike.

Valentine’s fax and phone shop opened in 1996 at No 3 (their 1999 survey to customers asked some telling questions when compared to what a similar survey might ask today: How often each month will you use your (mobile) phone: a) up to 15 minutes; b) 15-30 minutes; c) 30 minutes or over…How much are you thinking of spending on a phone a) £10 b) £20-£50; c) £50+ – bearing in mind that £10 in 1999 is about £21 today)

Sources for the above stories all from www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk and specifically, 1) Biggleswade Chronicle, 26 August 1927, National World Publishing Ltd; 2) Hertfordshire Express, 2 April 1927 – British Library Board; 3) Hertfordshire Express, 23 May 1936 – British Library Board.

What memories do you have of visits in years gone by?

Have you got any good stories to add on the past of this arcade?

What’s your favourite shop in the arcade today?

Have you seen this arcade in any films or books?

My favourite shop in the arcade

Has to be the Little Latte’s Coffee Shop. I love their concept, which surely would work in any city centre arcade. A great idea to provide safe space for little kids, while allowing the adults to relax and enjoy a good coffee. Really friendly staff, who seemed very pleased to find out what the letters FS in their stained-glass windows stood for.

Is there a website for this arcade?

Not that I could find. There is a Facebook page, but no updates there since 2013, so that’s a shame. The Little Lattes Coffee place is active on Facebook, however.