The Bard’s 450th Birthday (probably!)

While we were in the city we walked down London Court, now one of our main tourist attractions, dating back to 1937 when it was originally built.
Coincidentally the banners they were displaying this month happened to be of William Shakespeare! Have they also heard of chantlers challenge??
Not exactly his birth date of 450 years ago (approx) are written on the banners, nevertheless the dates are significant and he will obviously be remembered for a lot more years to come.

Originally, this shopping arcade included 24 residential flats in the upper levels as well as 53 shops and 55 offices. Most of the residences have now been taken over for commercial purposes. The arcade currently houses mainly small speciality retail shops and cafes.

The distinctive mock-Tudor/Elizabethan façade and architectural features includes ornate entrances with large wrought-iron gates at each end.
At the Hay Street end at the first storey level, a large clock chimes every quarter-hour, half-hour and on the hour.
Four mechanised knights appear from a castle door and move in a semicircle each time the clock chimes as they apparently joust with each other.
At the Terrace end, another clock in a window shows a miniature Saint George doing battle with the dragon.
The clocks were made by the Synachrome Company of London at a cost of £4,000.

The two interior ends include statues of Dick Whittington and his cat (northern end) and Sir Walter Raleigh (south end), each in bastion towers and gazing down on the shoppers below. Other distinctive features include gargoyles, masks, shields, crests and wrought iron signs and brackets. Gabled roofs, weather cocks and lead lighting add to the Tudor style.
The arcade floor is laid with terracotta tiles.

Happy Birthday to "The Bard"