Royal Arcade, Melbourne

The Royal Arcade is glamorous and memorable, and in many ways like the Block Arcade. It's the oldest arcade in Melbourne, built in 1870, and is on the Victorian Heritage Register. You can enter the arcade from either Bourke, Elizabeth, or Little Collins Streets. The arcade has been a city landmark since its creation. But over the years, shops had altered the appearance, and numerous architectural features were lost. In the early 2000s, a major refurbishment was completed that once again unified all of the shops to their 1894 appearance and restored many historic features.

There are boutiques, cafes, and vintage goods stores galore. You'll notice the statue of Gog and Magog at the Little Collins Street entrance. The seven-foot-tall statues have framed the giant Gaunt clock since 1892, their arms striking the chime for each hour. They are carved from pine and are like those found in Guildhall, London.

The mythical giants represent the conflict between the ancient Britons and the Trojans. Gog and Magog, sometimes called Corineus and Gogmagog, were captured by Trojans and forced to serve as porters. It is in this capacity that they stand in Guildhall and here at the Royal Arcade. The clock and the statues were added about twenty years after the arcade opened by Thomas Gaunt, a jeweler and clockmaker, who had a shop here.