The Arcade: Historic Dewsbury site welcomes shoppers back for first time in a decade
A shopping arcade in Dewsbury has now welcomed shoppers back under its newly restored glass and cast-iron roof for the first time in a decade.
Following a £4.4m investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the site has become the UK’s first community run shopping arcade. The restoration project was undertaken through a partnership between Kirklees Council and The Arcade Group, a not-for-profit community group who now run site, titled The Arcade.
Jenny Holden-Stokes, The Arcade manager, said: “Thanks to the vital funding and backing from Kirklees Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, our fantastic local traders are ready to bring the buzz back to Dewsbury. It’s going to be an unforgettable day for the town.”
First opened in 1899, those behind the scheme said The Arcade reflects the “changing story of high streets and town centre shopping”.
The centre had hit a period of stagnation in recent years as shopping habits changed and the last shop tenants left in 2016.
Now restored, the arcade will house 16 small shops for independent tenants and four larger units, as well as eight upstairs studios.
The Arcade is one of nine recent projects that the Heritage Fund has supported communities to take ownership of.
Pubs, parks, tombs and town halls are among the heritage sites that are now in the care of communities following a string of investments from the fund. These include Redruth Buttermarket, which reopened in 2024 as Cornwall’s first food hall following a £3.3m Heritage Fund investment.
A Stone Age burial chamber in Orkney is now also in community ownership and reopened to the public thanks to a £101,000 Heritage Fund grant.
The Isbister Chambered Cairn, more commonly known as the Tomb of the Eagles, was discovered by chance in the 1950s on the South Ronaldsay clifftop in Orkney. It revealed a large collection of bones and artefacts that had been placed there 5,000 years ago.
Anne Jenkins, executive director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage belongs to everyone, and these projects show the extraordinary things that can happen when communities are supported to take the lead.
“Thanks to the National Lottery, treasured places across the UK are being saved, restored and reimagined by the people who know and value them most. From shopping arcades to historic pubs, community ownership is helping heritage thrive, creating jobs, strengthening local pride and bringing people together.”
In Wickham Market, funding also allowed hundreds of local people to rescue the village’s last pub. The Grade II listed George, thought to be around 500 years old, was partially destroyed by fire in 2013.