The Central Arcade in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is an elegant Edwardian shopping arcade built in 1906 and designed by Oswald and Son, of Newcastle. It is contained within the Central Exchange building, which was built by Richard Grainger in 1836–38 to the designs of John Wardle and George Walker. The Central Exchange is a triangular building which was intended to be a corn exchange but became a subscription newsroom. In 1870 the Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts converted the news room into an art gallery, concert hall and theatre. The building was ravaged by fire in 1867 and again in 1901, and in 1906 the Central Arcade was created within the original building.
According to one source the faïence tiles in the arcade were produced by Rust’s Vitreous Mosaics, Battersea, but a book on Burmantofts Pottery states that this arcade was their last major work in external faience in 1906.
The building is bounded by Grainger Street, Grey Street, and Market Street with entrances serving all three streets. The arcade currently houses several shops including; Grey St. Optician, Moda in Pelle, Starbucks, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Space.NK, Pretty Green, Cath Kidston and J.G.Windows music store.
It should not be confused with the Royal Arcade, built by John Dobson in 1832, which was demolished in the 1960s in order to build Swan House.