Fortunately, when Waterstones Bookshop moved into the Arcade in 1996 they were kind enough to rebuild the butcher's shop front and tile it to blend in with the rest of the arcade.
Waterstones also opened up into one large shop several of the smaller units. And, if you go upstairs, you can still see the original roof, stained glass windows and balcony of the Conservative Club's function room.
The massive beams across the room were added in the 1960's when the room was used as a snooker club. Unfortunately, it was considered too risky to remove them during the Waterstones renovation.
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The Royal Arcade
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