Cork's Winthrop Arcade celebrates centenary in style

The unique retail space is one of Ireland's most picturesque shopping hubs

Lord Mayor Cllr Fergal Denney and Mayor of County of Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley with representatives of Cork City Council, Cork Chamber, Cork Business Association and traders at a ceremony celebrating the centenary of the reopening of the Winthrop Arcade. Picture: Darragh Kane

A century of business at one of Ireland's most picturesque shopping and retail hubs, Cork's Winthrop Arcade, with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on Friday. 

Cork's lord mayor Fergal Dennehy and county mayor Mary Linehan Foley were joined by arcade owner Tom Corroon, and representatives of Cork City Council, Cork Chamber, Cork Business Association, and traders to celebrate the centenary.  The current tenants include fashion boutique Monreal, florist Best of Buds, luxury perfumery Republic of Oud, hairdresser Staunton Byrne,  café Joe's & Bro's , and coffee shop and chocolate retailer Cocoa.

Winthrop Arcade first opened in March 1926. The L-shaped Winthrop Arcade runs from Oliver Plunkett Street to Patrick Street and was designed for local businessman Patrick Crowley by Cork architects Scotsman Danie Levie and Corkman Robert Boyle Chillingworth, who had opened a firm on South Mall in 1911. One of the pair's other projects was the Counting House at Beamish & Crawford, and the exterior or Winthrop Arcade resembles the Tudor style of the building on South Main Street.

Owner of Winthrop Arcade Tom Corroon at a ceremony celebrating the centenary of the arcade.

Limerick-born, London-based Stephen D’Alton bought the arcade in 2014 for a reported €750,000, and it was sold in 2023 for a fee believed to be in the region of €1.7m.

Originally, the arcade had spaces for up to 12 businesses but now the centre has seven retail spaces as businesses expanded. "We currently have one vacant unit available, which presents an excellent opportunity for a business to become part of this iconic building and its unique retail offering," said Damien Dale of the arcade's management firm ERA Downey McCarthy.