Bill’s: Fresh food, kooky interiors and candles galore in the Wyndham Arcade

This is quite a monumental post for the Arcades Project in some ways, because it marks the first shop I’ve had the opportunity to photograph in the Wyndham Arcade.

For those that don’t know it, the Wyndham Arcade is near the Central Library and a little away from the others. It’s owned by the same people who own the Castle and High Street Arcades though.

Bill’s, a new restaurant/grocery store opened just a few weeks ago and I went along very early (well, 8am) one Wednesday to check it out when there wasn’t many other people about…

Cardiff Arcades from a totally different perspective…

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of borrowing a Nikon D4 and an 8mm fisheye lens.

What better subject for such a combination than the beautiful arcade architecture?

The Wyndham Arcade (the Forgotten Arcade)

Of all the Cardiff Arcades, Wyndham is the one, that for me at least, is easy to forget. It’s a little bit out of the way (well by comparison), is smaller than the others and doesn’t have as many shops. In fact, quite a few are empty.

Inside there’s a few gems that could be interesting for the project – namely a tobacco shop, inline skate shop and a pub.

The architecture of the Wyndham Arcade is similar in style to other Victorian arcades but it’s a lot more rundown and a lot less vibrant than the others.

Built in 1887, the arcade itself is a Grade II listed building so it’s not going anywhere, but I wonder what could be done to reinvigorate this arcade and give it the same buzz as its sisters just down the road?

I’ll keep an eye on the shops in here and see what I can do for the project, I have to remember not to forget about it as it’s been all to easy for me to do up to now.

What do you think of the Wyndham Arcade?