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The Central Arcade is an Edwardian shopping arcade built in 1906 and designed by Oswald and Son, of Newcastle Upon Tyne. It lies within the building known as the Central Exchange which was built by Richard Grainger in 1836–38 to the designs of John Wardle and George Walker. The arcade is a Grade II* listed building. The Central Exchange is a triangular building which was originally intended to be a corn exchange but became a subscription newsroom. In 1870 the Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts converted the newsroom into an art gallery, concert hall and theatre. This was replaced by a vaudeville theatre in 1897, but in 1901 the interior was destroyed by fire, after which the current Central Arcade was built within the walls of the original building. The shop on the right hand side of the photograph is J.G.Windows which opened in 1908 and which has been in situ ever since.