Great Western Arcade and the International Day of Birmingham: A Story That Starts in 1876
On 24 and 25 September 2026, Birmingham celebrates its third International Day of Birmingham — themed The House That Brum Built. Great Western Arcade has been part of that house for nearly 150 years.
There is a building on Colmore Row that has been watching Birmingham change since the year Queen Victoria was still on the throne, the year before Birmingham became a county borough, and 23 years before the city officially became a city.
Great Western Arcade opened in 1876. It was built over the tunnels of the Great Western Railway — the line that ran from London through Birmingham to North Wales — which is how it got its name. The glass roof, the ironwork galleries, the mosaic floors: all of it original Victorian engineering, still standing, still in daily use.
It has been here through everything Birmingham has seen.
What the International Day of Birmingham Means
The International Day of Birmingham — taking place on 24 and 25 September 2026 at Birmingham Council House and across the city — is an annual celebration of Birmingham’s culture, creativity and community. This year’s theme is The House That Brum Built: an exploration of everything that has shaped this city into what it is today.
Great Western Arcade sits steps from the Council House, at the heart of Birmingham’s civic quarter. If you’re in the city centre for IDOB this September, you’ll almost certainly pass through — or past — the arcade’s Colmore Row entrance.
That proximity isn’t coincidence. This part of Birmingham has always been where the city’s commercial, civic and cultural life comes together. The arcade was built here because this was the centre of things. It still is.
A Grade II Listed Building in the Heart of the City
Great Western Arcade is Grade II listed — recognised by Historic England as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The listing protects the arcade’s Victorian structure: the wrought ironwork, the glazed roof that floods the interior with natural light, the gallery level that runs the full length of the arcade.
When you walk through the arcade, you’re walking through a space that would have been recognisable to the Birmingham of the 1870s. The proportions, the materials, the quality of the original craftsmanship — it’s all still there.
“One of Birmingham’s treasures. A shortcut between two streets where you find different shops and pubs — very beautiful.”
That’s how one visitor described it on Google recently. It’s a description that could have been written at almost any point in the arcade’s history.
Independent Birmingham, Under One Roof
What makes Great Western Arcade genuinely distinctive — and what keeps it relevant nearly 150 years on — is that it has never become a chain retail destination. The arcade has always been home to independent businesses: specialist retailers, independent food and drink operators, skilled practitioners who wouldn’t fit on a standard high street.
That commitment to independent retail is what gives the arcade its character. The tenants change over time — Birmingham changes, businesses come and go — but the principle stays the same.
Right now, in September 2026, the arcade is home to:
- Land Restaurant — Michelin Guide listed, Good Food Guide nominated. Fine dining inside a Victorian arcade.
- Loki Wine — a wine bar and bottle shop with regular ticketed tasting events. French wine tasting and Autumn Cheese & Wine both happening this September.
- Sushi Passion — East Asian Restaurant of the Year, Midlands Food, Drink & Hospitality Awards 2025.
- Mi Banh Mi — authentic Vietnamese banh mi and egg coffee. One of Birmingham’s best-kept lunch secrets.
- The Good Intent — one of the UK’s pioneering not-for-profit bars, founded by Craddock’s Brewery. Every pint funds local charities.
- The Whisky Shop — one of Birmingham’s finest whisky selections, with knowledgeable staff and a membership programme.
- Peter Forson Hat Shop — a luxury hat shop that draws visitors from around the world, particularly Peaky Blinders fans.
- Designer Exchange — authenticated pre-loved luxury fashion.
- Morridge oats + coffee — porridge, overnight oats and great coffee at the Temple Row entrance. 4.8 stars from over 460 reviews.
- Plus Daisy Florist, Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe, Game HQ, Indespoke, Cora Hair & Beauty, Willpower Wellbeing and more.
Michelle — please check this tenant list and flag any additions, removals or name changes before we publish.
This is not a curated tourism brochure version of independent Birmingham. These are real businesses, run by real people, that have chosen to trade in a Victorian arcade because the building, the location and the footfall make sense to them.
The House That Brum Built — and GWA’s Part in It
This year’s IDOB theme — The House That Brum Built — is about recognising everything that has made Birmingham what it is. Its industries, its communities, its creativity, its resilience.
Great Western Arcade is a small but real part of that story. It was built by Birmingham craftspeople in Birmingham’s Victorian heyday. It survived the Second World War bombing that reshaped much of the city centre. It survived the decades when chain retail threatened to make every high street look identical. It’s still here, still independent, still Grade II listed, still doing what it was built to do.
If you’re in Birmingham for the International Day of Birmingham this September — or if you’re a lifelong Brummie who’s walked past the Colmore Row entrance hundreds of times without going in — this is a good weekend to stop and look up.
“A little gem that I had not found previously. Architectural gem — and some great small businesses within.”
The arcade has two entrances. Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2QQ. And Temple Row, on the other side. It runs between them — about 100 metres of Victorian Birmingham, still open, still independent, still very much part of the city.
Visit Great Western Arcade This September
The arcade is open seven days a week. Individual shop hours vary — most independent retailers trade Monday to Saturday. The Good Intent opens from 12pm. Morridge is open for breakfast and lunch at the Temple Row end.
The International Day of Birmingham takes place on 24 and 25 September 2026, centred on Birmingham Council House in Victoria Square — two minutes’ walk from the Colmore Row entrance to Great Western Arcade.
Find us: Great Western Arcade, Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2QQ (also accessible from Temple Row). Two minutes from Birmingham Snow Hill station.
Explore our independent shops and restaurants: greatwesternarcade.co.uk/stores
International Day of Birmingham 2026: visitbirmingham.com/the-international-day-of-birmingham