It was developed by Mayor (1888-1891) David Mitchell Ross (commission agent and notary public) between 1887-1907. six months after he finished his term as mayor, he and his partner Sims were declared bankrupt. Apparently his books had not been balanced for 12 years. He was later tried for fraud in 1892 and sentenced to nine months hard labor and did not return to Timaru. "Judge Ward said for the last twelve years Ross had been a perfect pest to the district, and he wondered how anyone trusted him coming from Dunedin with such a record as he did" - Poverty Bay Herald, 3 September 1892, Page 2. He is buried in Timaru with his wife Jane, 1889, and a month later his mother Mary died
The stone work was entrusted to Mr McBride ; the bricklaying to Mr Emil Hall ; the plastering to Messrs Oldrey and Guthrie ; the joiner's work to Messrs Tooth and Pearson ; the painting to Mr Murdoch ; the plumbing to Mr Forbes, and the signwriting to Mr Dickenson, all of whom carried out, their duties in a manner that has given the greatest satisfaction.
The arcade was redesigned in 1886. In 1996 a roof was added and the redesigned Royal Arcade was opened on the 31st May 1996 by Mayor Wynne Raymond.
At 17-19 in the Royal Arcade you will find The Arcade Chambers were built in 1907 designed by Architect Wet & Hall and built by Petrie & Mac Dougall in natural brick and plaster mouldings. features arched pediment, pilasters, window detailing and cartouche. This was erected for Charles Bowker in the English renaissance order, and known as the "Bowker Building'. Charles started his career in Timaru as a manager at Clarkson and Turnbull's drapery, the site of today's Oxford Building. He later worked as a land broker and financial agent building a block of shops in the south of Stafford Street. He donated the band rotunda at Alexander Square, and one of his eight children George, donated 16 acres of land in 1934 to make an entry from Otipua Rd to Centennial Park. The gift and the centenary are acknowledged at the Bowker Gateway, built in 1940 to acknowledge the gift of land linking Centennial Park to Otipua Road opposite Church Street. A condition of this gift was that no buildings could be built in this area to obscure the views.
Dunedin based architect James Hislop designed the anchor building at the Stafford Street end of the Royal Arcade. Located on the southeast corner, the building was erected for the builders' merchants Priest & Holdgate. Priest and Holgate had an ironmonger's store on the southern corner of the arcade. They used a rail with a small truck operated by Priest & Holdgate from their Sophia Street boundary right though the shop to Stafford St to move heavy hardware stock. An item of much intrigue is the underground railway line linking this building with the original railway station for the transport of goods. During the construction of the Priest and Holdgate new building and the extension to the Timaru Herald building in 1906 various problems were encountered. As the Arcade was built over a filled in gully, the foundations for each building had to be sunk 20 feet, and the workmen struck the roots of the peach trees from the original orchard on the site. They also struck the concrete foundations of an old blacksmith’s shop. Learn more here The business later passed into the hands of Briscoes in the 1950’s. Learn more here
The Arcade Cafe was on the top floor of the 1906 Priest and Holdgate extension, and designed by the architect J. S. Turnbull. See if you can find the art nouveau stained glass window following the stair case up to the café (it is outside the arcade).
