Piccadilly is one of the main arcades in the city. There’s a grace in its design, with its lovely arched entrance and the fluorescent, italicised sign. Piccadilly also features some very interesting businesses — there’s Roc Candy, who sends the lovely scents of freshly-made lollies through the arcade and the Art Deco glamour of the cinema, to name a few. Piccadilly is my favourite arcade, and I’m glad that it offers some colour to the city.
Tomas F.
Place rating: 3 Australia
Once upon a time, this must have been a beautiful place to shop. You can kind of tell, the exterior and the theatres in the cinema upstairs have an authentic art-deco feel to them. Not within my memory though; I can only assume a full refit was done in the depths of the 1980’s, as everything feels a little bit like a set dressing for an episode of Dallas now. That being said, there are some unusual shops in here, which is nice to see in a city of ever escalating rents. We’re talking strange little craft stores, lolly shops, model car collector shops, boutiques for middle aged women and all that kind of stuff. It’s a very unusual mall in that sense. If you’re not a 29-year-old man, you might get more out of visiting here than I do. Particularly if you are slightly older and female. The cinema upstairs is a bit odd; it was once one of my favourite places in the city, but they now charge similar ticket prices to Hoyts and have let their cinema drift into a bit of a state. I still love the building but wish there was a bit more incentive to go there over other cinemas.
Li S.
Place rating: 3 Australia
I have very fond memories of Piccadilly arcade. It symbolises my Independence, as when I was 13, I use to catch the train into town with my friend to go to modelling classes located on the second floor of the Piccadilly Arcade. I think Parents nowadays would be frowned upon for letting their children travel too the city alone at the age of 13. The shops have changed over the years, but the cinemas remain the same. They always have the movies on a bit longer than your Hoyt’s and Ace cinemas. So if you think the movie you want to see has stopped showing, check out Piccadilly Cinemas first– they may still be showing it. There is also a cute little sweet shop here, where you can watch the sweets being made, it is similar to your Blackpool rock stick. The arcade is built in the lovely art deco style, if you can get a chance to go to the rooms above the shops they are fabulous, our old modelling school had beautiful high ceilings and massive windows, well it seemed it at the time anyway. I often wonder how long it will be until they take away the pink frontage and turn it into a glass soulless wall, it is very dated but that is what gives it, its wonderful character. In another 10 years time it will be an extremely funky place to hang out in.
