Drake Circus Shopping Centre

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Drake Circus Shopping Centre
Drake circus logo.png
Location Plymouth, UK
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Address 1 Charles Street,
Opening date 5 October 2006
Developer P&O Estates,[1]
Morgan Stanley Bank
Management DTZ
Owner British Land (since January 2011)
Architect Chapman Taylor
No. of stores and services 66
No. of anchor tenants 8
Total retail floor area 425,000 square feet (39,484 m2)[2]
No. of floors 3
Parking 1270
Website www.drakecircus.com

Drake Circus Shopping Centre is a 425,000 square feet (39,484 m2)[2] covered shopping mall in the centre of Plymouth, England, which opened in October 2006.[3]

The new building, designed by London-based architects Chapman Taylor[1] and built by Bovis Lend Lease[1] and situated behind the ruined Charles Church, preserved as the city's civilian war memorial, has provoked a mixed reception.[4] Just after it opened, the shopping centre won the inaugural Carbuncle Cup "for crimes against architecture", as the worst new building in the UK.[5][6] However in 2007 it won two retail industry national awards, one of which was the Retail Week magazine's "Shopping Location of the Year".[7] Also in 2007, the centre's management introduced a code of conduct which, like one the Bluewater centre controversially introduced in 2005, banned hooded tops and baseball caps.[8]

History

The term 'circus' as used here refers to an open space, usually circular, where a number of roads meet. Drake Circus was originally a large oval roundabout built in the early 20th century at the junction of four main roads and several minor ones. The roundabout consisted of Edwardian buildings housing shops, and from 1937 its south end carried the "Guinness Clock", which was visible to people travelling up Old Town Street[9] and was a landmark in the city of the time.[10]

The circus survived the Plymouth Blitz of World War II relatively intact, but it was demolished in 1966-7 as part of the Plan for Plymouth,[11][12] and was replaced by a new open roundabout to the north. Around this time the lower section of the main road to Tavistock off this new roundabout was renamed Drake Circus. A two-level shopping centre with open malls and a large C&A store was built, partly over the site of the original circus. It opened in 1971 and was also named Drake Circus.[13]

Initial proposals to redevelop this mall in the early 1990s failed, but the developers, P&O Estates, tried again in the early 2000s.[14] Plans were drawn up for a much larger centre, and after Allders signed up as the first "anchor" tenant in 2001, work started in February 2004[15] on demolishing the old centre and the adjoining Charles Street multi-storey car park.

The scheme suffered a setback in January 2005 when Allders went into administration.[16] New tenants Next and Primark committed in 2005 and the building opened in October 2006.

On 3 February 2005 it was announced that the shopping centre had been sold by P&O Estates to Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund for £55m.[17] On 20 November 2006 it was announced that Kandahar Real Estate had taken a 50 per cent stake in the centre.[18] The centre was bought by British Land for £240 million in January 2011.[2]

The old Drake Circus shopping mall was demolished in 2004.
The old Drake Circus shopping mall was demolished in 2004. 
Interior a few days after opening. 
One of the entrances to the new shopping centre.
One of the entrances to the new shopping centre. 
Part of the contentious frontage behind the ruined Charles Church. 
Under construction
Under construction 

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ BBC archive films from 1966 and 1967 here (links under Archive Film on the left of the page)
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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