Eastgate Shopping Centre (Inverness)

Last updated

Eastgate Shopping Centre
Eastgate Centre logo.jpg
Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness (geograph 5854776).jpg
Entrance to the Eastgate Shopping Centre
Eastgate Shopping Centre (Inverness)
Location Inverness, Highland, Scotland
Coordinates 57°28′44″N4°13′14″W / 57.47889°N 4.22056°W / 57.47889; -4.22056
Address11 Eastgate

Inverness

IV2 3PP
Opening date1983
1993 (refurbishment)
2003 (extension) [1]
DeveloperSun & Alliance
ManagementSavills
No. of stores and services60
No. of anchor tenants 2
Total retail floor area 144,000 sq ft (13,400 m2)
Parking1350 spaces
Website www.eastgateshopping.co.uk/index.php

Eastgate Shopping Centre is located in Inverness, serving the largest shopping catchment area in the United Kingdom. [2]

Contents

The Eastgate shopping centre in Inverness has been taken over by UK-owned real estate company, Savills plc. [3] popular amongst locals and tourists alike. [4]

In the old part of the building there is a clock depicting Noah’s Ark. Each hour a monkey is seen raising up a giraffe's neck and chiming a bell in order to tell the hour. On each hour the clock diorama also plays an animal themed song and a single set of doors open to show pictures of the animal associated with the song. At midday each day a longer display takes place where all of the tunes are played, all the windows are opened and the rest of the diorama also operates. It is still common to see crowds watching the clock for the extended 12 o'clock performance.

History

Eastgate development

The Eastgate shopping centre was first opened in the city centre by Sun Alliance in January 1983.

Eastgate refurbishment

Interior view of the shopping centre Shopping Mall (geograph 2381745).jpg
Interior view of the shopping centre

The Eastgate shopping centre underwent a refurbishment plan in 1993. [5]

The first application sent to Highland Council by the centre developers Royal & SunAlliance, dated 10 March 1997, was to warrant a much needed extension to the Eastgate. This plan was originally rejected on the grounds of the controversial re-location of the Category B listed building on 7/9 Falcon Square (the Falconer Building), inadequate access to the railway station and too many car park spaces that would allow for this development to go ahead. They were more interested in supporting plans particularly around The Academy Centre extension which was going to be anchored by Debenhams.

The plans outlined were going to contain two new bridges connecting the existing centre and the new extension. This was going to be built on land (Millburn Road), north of the centre on the former Railway goods yard area. Marks and Spencer were going to expand their current store over their own service yard. A car park would be built for the extension holding 1500, which was later forced to scale back, creating 1350 spaces across the two centre car parks. BHS anticipated an interest in being an anchor for the new extension, which also included including room for leisure facility and an 8 screen multiplex cinema.

A later application was accepted, although now without a multiplex cinema. The listed building was moved brick-by-brick to the other side of Falcon Square, and now hosts Pizza Express and Laura Ashley. [6] Building work started in 2001 and was opened in 2003. This new development included two bridge walkways connecting the new phase with the existing shopping centre, complete with Debenhams as the anchor store, and a new food court. [7] The expansion of Eastgate and the construction of the Falcon Mall was deemed one of 'the most impressive planning projects in Scotland in recent years' and was the overall winner of the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2003. [8]

The Falcon Square extension is called the Falcon Mall. The original site is now officially called Eastgate Mall, with Eastgate Centre referring to the three buildings together(Morrisons included). As part of this refurbishment, Falcon Square has been rebuilt as a plaza on which a new mercat cross has been erected, and which has replaced the Town House end of the High Street as a gathering point for civic events.

Stores

As of April 2021, stores include Boots, Superdry, Fat Face, H&M, HMV, New Look, Next and Waterstones. Throughout the centre, there are food options such as Subway, Burger King, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, and Pizza Express. Plans are underway to expand the food court, and open it up to keep up with modern food court trends. [9]

Culture

The Eastgate Centre is notable for an automation clock, which depicts Noah's Ark. This clock is popular among tourists and locals. The clock is one of only six of its kind in the UK. The clock was assembled by Haward Horological Ltd, a Suffolk-based clockmaker. [10]

The Noah's Ark Clock on the older half of the Eastgate building East Gate Shopping Centre 03.jpg
The Noah’s Ark Clock on the older half of the Eastgate building

The food court in Falcon Mall is home to The Falcon's Return, a statue depicting James IV of Scotland holding a falcon, as James IV was one of Scotland's celebrated Falconers. The statue also celebrates the name of the Falcon Ironworks that originally stood on the site of the Eastgate expansion, which gave its name to Falcon Square. The sculpture was created by local artist Leonie Gibbs. The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, was present at the unveiling ceremony, and she and Gibbs are cousins. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debenhams</span> Defunct British department store chain, 1778–2021

Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, and is still operating as a franchise in seven Middle East countries. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish department store chain Magasin du Nord. In its final years, its headquarters were within the premises of its flagship store in Oxford Street, London. The range of goods sold included middle-to-high-end clothing, beauty, household items, and furniture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Enoch Centre</span> Shopping mall in Glasgow, Scotland

The St. Enoch Centre is a shopping mall located in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. The centre is located adjacent to St Enoch Square. The Architects were the GMW Architects. The construction, undertaken by Sir Robert McAlpine, began in 1986, and the building was opened to the public on 25 May 1989. It was officially opened by the then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in February of the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeside Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in Essex, England

Lakeside Shopping Centre is a large out-of-town shopping centre located in West Thurrock, Essex just beyond the eastern boundary of Greater London. It was constructed on the site of a former chalk quarry. The first tenants moved into the complex in 1988 and it was completed in 1990, being opened on 25 October of that year by Princess Alexandra of Kent, Marcus Bradford and Angus Ogilvy. New spaces in the red car park were added as recently as October 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MetroCentre (shopping centre)</span> Shopping centre in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear

Metrocentre is a shopping centre and entertainment complex in the Dunston area of Gateshead. It is located on the former site of Dunston Power Station, near to the River Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blanchardstown Centre</span> Large retail facility in Dublins western suburbs

The Blanchardstown Centre is one of Ireland's two largest shopping complexes, located in Blanchardstown and Coolmine, western suburbs of Dublin, Ireland. It opened in October 1996 and was extended in 2004 to create extra retail space. It lies in the administrative area of Fingal County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merry Hill Shopping Centre</span> Shopping centre in England

Merry Hill is a large shopping complex in Brierley Hill near Dudley, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several subsequent expansion and renovation projects. The centre is anchored by Marks & Spencer, Primark, Asda, Next, Hollywood Bowl and formerly Debenhams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southside Wandsworth</span> Shopping centre in London, England

Southside Wandsworth is a shopping centre in the district of Wandsworth in London, England. When it was built it was the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe and is currently the fifth largest indoor shopping centre in London after Westfield Stratford City, Westfield London, the Whitgift Centre and Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foyleside Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in Derry, Northern Ireland

Foyleside Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Derry, Northern Ireland. Construction started in the early 1990s and the centre opened on 25 September 1995. As of April 2023 the centre is 98% let across 50 units. The centre is spread over a 6.99 acre site in the city centre of Derry. The centre is anchored by Marks & Spencer, Frasers & Dunnes Stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Centre, Aberdeen</span> Shopping mall in Aberdeen, Scotland

The Trinity Centre is a one floor shopping centre in Aberdeen, Scotland. It has a two level car park. There are 408 spaces and the main entrance is on Wapping Street. Wider spaces are available for parents and children and the disabled. Car Valeting services are now also provided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churchill Square, Brighton</span> Shopping mall in Brighton, England

Churchill Square is the principal shopping centre in the centre of Brighton and Hove, a city on the south coast of England. It is at the eastern end of Western Road, near the Clock Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield London</span> Shopping centre in White City, London

Westfield London is a large shopping centre in White City, west London, England, developed by the Westfield Group at a cost of £1.6bn, on a brownfield site formerly the home of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. The site is bounded by the West Cross Route (A3220), the Westway (A40) and Wood Lane (A219). It opened on 30 October 2008 and became the largest covered shopping development in the capital; originally a retail floor area of 1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m2), further investment and expansion led to it becoming the largest shopping centre in the UK and Europe by March 2018, an area of 2,600,000 sq ft (240,000 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverburn Shopping Centre</span> Out-of-town shopping centre in Scotland UK

Silverburn is an out-of-town shopping centre located on Barrhead Road in Pollok, Glasgow, Scotland. The development replaces the 75-acre (30-hectare) Pollok centre with a brand new 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000-square-metre) shopping centre, anchored by Tesco, Next, Marks & Spencer and previously Debenhams before it closed in 2021.

Atria Watford Shopping mall in Hertfordshire, England

Atria Watford is a shopping centre in the middle of Watford, Hertfordshire, England. It opened in June 1992 as the Harlequin Shopping Centre. The centre was rebranded as intu Watford in 2013 following the renaming of its parent Capital Shopping Centres Group as Intu Properties. It received its current name in March 2021 by the new owners, Global Mutual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jervis Shopping Centre</span> Mid-size shopping centre in central Dublin, Ireland

The Jervis Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre in Dublin, Ireland. Opened in 1996, the centre is located in the area bordered by Jervis Street, Upper Abbey Street, Mary Street, and Liffey Street. The centre has a total of 70 retail units including clothing, food and electrical outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Kilbride Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK

EK, East Kilbride is located in the town centre of East Kilbride and is Scotland's biggest undercover shopping centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fareham Shopping Centre</span> Shopping centre

Fareham Shopping Centre is at the heart of the centre of the medium-sized Hampshire town of Fareham. Built in two phases between 1975 and 1981, the centre contains many well known retailers and is quite large for a town of its size. The shopping centre is part of a wider scheme of buildings in the town centre that were constructed around the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shops at Don Mills</span> Shopping mall in Ontario, Canada

The Shops at Don Mills is a lifestyle centre-type shopping centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto. There are 72 retail stores with a total floor space of 47,550 square metres. Cadillac Fairview is the owner and manager of the shopping centre.

Cornmill Shopping Centre(The Cornmill) is a shopping centre located on Priestgate in central Darlington, England. It is the main shopping centre in the town, with over 40 shops, including Primark (its anchor store), Next, HMV, Waterstone's, WHSmith and Tesco Express. The centre is set over two levels and covers over 220,000 sq ft (20,000 m2). It also has a multi-storey car park with a 400 car capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friars Square</span> Shopping mall in Aylesbury, England

Friars Square is a shopping centre located in the town centre of Aylesbury. The landlord is the Buckinghamshire Council, and managed by Montagu Evans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basildon Town Centre</span> Commercial centre of Basildon

Basildon Town Centre is a planned town centre developed during the creation of the town of Basildon, Essex, in the 1950s. The architect Sir Basil Spence worked on its design.

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Inverness Eastgate Shopping Centre - The retail destination in the UK's largest catchment area" (PDF).
  3. "Savills UK | F&C REIT retains Savills at Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness". www.savills.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  4. "Inverness Accommodation Travel & Sightseeing - The Internet Guide to Scotland". Scotland-inverness.co.uk.
  5. "A View Over the Carpark at Eastgate, Inverness, 1970s". Am Baile. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  6. Taylor, Andrew (2010). "Eastgate Extension & Falcon Square". Am Baile. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  7. Scottish Government (28 January 2003). "2000 Retail Development Survey". Gov.scot. St Andrew's House.
  8. Docherty, Iain; Begg, David (November 2003). "Back to the City Region? The Future of Strategic Transport Planning in Scotland". Scottish Affairs. 45 (First Serie (1): 128–156. doi:10.3366/scot.2003.0066. ISSN   0966-0356.
  9. "Get a taste for new food hall at Eastgate Centre". www.inverness-courier.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  10. "Facilities & Services". Eastgate Shopping. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  11. "Duchess unveils high-flying sculpture by cousin" . Retrieved 31 July 2018.