Edgar Fennell's Arcade Idea

 

In the mid nineteenth century the development surrounding Newport High Street escalated with the new market, Railway Station and Post Office opening. Local fishmonger, Mr Edgar Fennell had the idea of a covered arcade of shops to connect these new ventures. In1867 work began after Fennell obtained a 12 year lease on the land adjoining his shop from the Duke of Beaufort. The plan was to build 'nine shops, one storey high, forming an arcade.... 12 feet wide and covered with a glass roof.... with two 'handsome' shop fronts on either side of the High Street' .

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Fennell's Arcade was very successful in attracting a wide range of trades to the arcade. According to the 1876 Butcher's Street Directory there was a photographer, umbrella maker, watch maker, bible and tract seller, earthenware dealer, fruiterer, agent and milliner.

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In 1885 the market was bought by the Corporation of Newport in 1885 and its redevelopments were completed in 1889. The west entrance was rebuilt in 1934 to afford it a more obvious presence on the High Street. There were also successive phases of widening the High Street and rebuilding some of the properties along it in 1809, 1851 and 1879.

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By the beginning of the new century Edgar Fennell had retired from his business and handed its running to his sons. He died in 1899. His sons did not seem to have had quite the same flair for business and things did not go well for them. A fire at the Arcade in 1902, may well have provided the opportunity for a major rebuild. Following its redevelopment in 1905 the number of units increased with shops taken by two drapers, an outfitter, china dealer, watchmaker, confectioner, florist and tobacconist. The arcade was rebranded to an extent and was renamed Market Arcade.

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Over the next sixty years the arcade was probably at its peak of success and the High Street and market formed a busy retail core of the town with the Market Arcade benefitting from that.

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However, by the middle of the Twentieth century traffic was becoming a problem and retail was beginning to shift towards Commercial Street. The opening of the Kingsway Shopping Centre in 1968 further cemented this move away from the historic centre of town. The area around Market Arcade became less of a shopping centre and more a place for food and drink retail with cafes, food outlets, pubs and nightclubs.