Southampton City Centre

Last updated

Southampton City Centre
Southampton from OpenStreetMap.png
Red pog.svg
Southampton City Centre
Location within Southampton
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town SOUTHAMPTON
Postcode district SO14
Dialling code 023
Police Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Fire Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Ambulance South Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
50°54′05″N1°24′15″W / 50.9014°N 1.4041°W / 50.9014; -1.4041

Southampton City Centre is the commercial and organisational centre of the City of Southampton, and the transport hub of the city. Because Southampton is on the South Coast of England, the city centre is not at the geometric centre of the city, but at the southern extremity.

Contents

The traditional heart of the city is the High Street, which runs from the Town Quay to the Bargate, which was once the northern gateway to the walled city. As the city grew, this primary commercial area spread to the north of the Bargate, into Above Bar Street. Subsequent reclamation of land from Southampton Water to the west of the High Street meant further expansion in that direction, forming an area now known as West Quay and dominated by the modern Westquay shopping centre. When it opened, Westquay was the largest city-centre shopping centre in Europe, [1] with around 100 shops.

The area is bounded in the north by the Southampton Central Parks.

Culture

There are several museums in the city centre, especially around the "Old Town" area. The museums include the Tudor House Museum, Medieval Merchant's House, God's House Tower, Solent Sky and the Maritime Museum. [2]

Shopping

The main shopping district of the city is centred on Above Bar Street (part of which is pedestrianised), London Road, High Street and East Street.

There are two indoor shopping centres in the area, namely Westquay, and the Marlands Shopping Centre, and two that closed in the 2010s - Bargate and EaSTreet. West Quay retail park, not to be confused with the similarly named shopping centre, is also located in the city centre. The Marlands Shopping Centre was opened on 5 September 1991. In 2005–2006 the centre was revamped by adding an improved entrance at Above Bar Street and a new information desk. The shopping centre formerly featured a series of fountains but these had to be put out of service due to health and safety reasons in late 2005. Matalan shut its shop on 28 May 2014.

On 12 February 2009, Swedish furniture retailer IKEA opened its 18th British store, on West Quay Road.

East Street Shopping Centre

East Street shopping centre's central atrium EastStreetatrium.jpg
East Street shopping centre's central atrium

East Street Shopping Centre, branded EaSTreet, was Southampton's earliest indoor shopping centre. The centre was built at the eastern end of East Street and blocked off the street itself as it was built over the top of it.

The centre was constructed in the 1970s and due to its location – outside the main city centre shopping district – was never commercially successful. As well as the shopping centre, the development included a large office tower, rooftop car park and the Royal Oak pub. The centre was originally anchored by Comet Electrical and Courts furniture store, however the demise of this chain in the late 1980s/early 90s left mainly independent shops and empty units in the centre. A Tandy electronics store (Later T2 Retail) was part of the centre until the early 21st century but again, this store chain no longer exists and the vacated unit remained empty. One of the longest established shops in the centre was Teville's music shop which was one of the only musical instrument shops in the city (after the brief arrival and swift demise of nearby SoundControl. The other music shop is Beckett's on Commercial Road, near Central Station). The final sole occupant of East Street Shopping Centre was a SCRATCH outlet (a Southampton-based charity) until they relocated in 2012. The centre remained empty but was still open to the public who could use the car park facilities and the various access points.

In November 2012, Arcadian Estates were granted permission by Southampton City Council to demolish East Street Shopping Centre as part of a £30 million redevelopment. [3] In mid 2013, the centre was closed to the public and demolition began in October 2013. [4] The original redevelopment was for a new Morrisons foodstore and an open pedestrian thoroughfare re-linking St Mary's back to the city centre. [5] However, in late 2014, De Stefano Property Group, the landowners of the demolished site, went into administration [6] and Morrisons announced in March 2015 they were closing loss making stores on the back of poor trading results. Finally in June 2015, Morrisons officially confirmed they would not be building a new store on this site. It was also reported other firms have put in offers to build here as a result of Morrison's withdrawal. [7]

Bargate Shopping Centre

The former shopping mall the Bargate Centre SotonBarGatecentre26Jul2005.jpg
The former shopping mall the Bargate Centre

The Bargate Shopping Centre, named after Southampton's prominent Bargate landmark, was opened in 1989. [8] The centre focused on being a collection of specialist outlets rather than a mainstream shopping centre, and boasted a number of technology-related stores, a nail salon, a photographic studio and a Sega Park arcade. [9]

It was set out over two levels and to a very simple design of a single mall leading to an atrium although there was an internet cafe on the lower ground floor of the atrium. Also off this atrium was the largest unit in the centre, originally occupied by The Reject Shop and then the Sega Park arcade from 1996 until closure. The Bargate Centre also contained a multi-storey car park.

Unlike a lot of shopping centres from this era, the Bargate Centre never had a major refurbishment.

Entrance to Sega Park within the Bargate Shopping Centre Sega Park (3296102204).jpg
Entrance to Sega Park within the Bargate Shopping Centre

While it lacked the mainstream popularity of the nearby Westquay and The Mall Southampton shopping centres, the Bargate Centre was popular with teenagers due to the alternative fashion stores and Sega Park.

A local newspaper reported in 2009 that the Bargate Centre was to be demolished, along with the nearby Debenhams store. The Bargate Centre site would be converted into a covered street, with a new Debenhams store incorporated into it, and the existing Debenhams store would be replaced with a residential tower block. [10] However, these plans were later scrapped and the Debenhams store underwent a multimillion-pound revamp in 2011. [11]

In January 2013, all traders inside the Bargate Centre were given notice to leave their premises by BNP Paribas Real Estate, who were attempting to sell the complex. BNP Paribas Real Estate were appointed by the Receivers for Parkridge (Bargate) Ltd, the company who bought the Bargate Centre in 2009. Parkridge (Bargate) Ltd were liquidated in late 2011 after running up major losses. [12] BNP Paribas Real Estate stated that the complex had remained open at a "significant loss" for months and closure was required to stem these losses. They also stated some tenants were not being charged any rent for their premises. [13] By mid-April 2013, all remaining tenants had vacated their premises. The Bargate Centre and its multi storey car park finally closed on 10 June 2013. [14] However, in 2015, the multi-storey car park was re-opened for use under the management of National Car Parks. [15]

On 26 September 2014, the Daily Echo newspaper reported on a developer's proposal to demolish the Bargate Centre building and replace it with a new street containing shops and flats. However this proposal remained on hold due to an impasse between the developer and the American investment consortium who owned the complex at the time. [16] However, on 28 July 2015, it was revealed that the same consortium had gone into receivership and that a new company called Bargate Ltd has acquired control of the building. They were reported to be considering a mixed-use redevelopment of the land however these plans were at a very early stage. A public consultation on the future of the site began in September 2015 [17] and a redevelopment plan was revealed on 19 May 2016. [18]

On 11 January 2017, The Daily Echo newspaper reported that Southampton City Council's Planning Committee had approved plans to demolish the Bargate Centre. The plan is to replace it with a "pedestrianised street" as part of a larger redevelopment in the surrounding area. Demolition work began on 24 November 2017. [19] [20] [21]

Marlands

Marlands MallMarlands26July2005.jpg
Marlands

The Marlands Shopping Centre was opened on 5 September 1991. At the time, it was the largest shopping centre in Southampton and the first significant shopping centre in the city (East Street Shopping Centre being well out of the way of the main shopping district hence never being very successful and the Bargate Centre being much smaller), however it is now dwarfed by Westquay, which opened in 2000.

The Marlands Shopping Centre was constructed to a PostModern design, which was described at the time of opening by one critic as looking like "something made of Lego". The centre was built on the site of Southampton's bus station (the city is now without such a facility), a popular rose garden and some terraced housing. Some of the facades of the houses were reconstructed in the centre's atrium.

The centre is laid out across two levels, with escalators connecting them at the northwest entrance and escalators and glass lifts connecting them in the atrium, at the south of the centre. Unlike most of its contemporaries, the Marlands Shopping Centre does not contain a car park of any kind – the designated car park for the centre is accessed by going through Southampton's unusual ASDA supermarket which is on a slope – the supermarket's ground floor on the eastern side links to the car park's 10th floor on the western side.

West Quay Retail Park

The West Quay Retail Park is an out-of-town style retail park, but located within the city centre. It includes a number of large warehouse-style stores. The retail park also has a small food section and is also the location of Southampton's geothermal power plant. Southampton Coach Station is also located here.

Westquay Shopping Centre

Building work on Westquay began in 1997 as the former Daily Echo building, two large office blocks (Arundel Towers) and Pirelli Cable Works were demolished to make way for the centre. The centre was opened on 28 September 2000.

Westquay Mall, Southampton's newest and largest shopping centre Westquaysoton.jpg
Westquay Mall, Southampton's newest and largest shopping centre

This shopping centre has an area of 800,000 square feet (70,000 m2) of retail space (74,000 m2) and contains around a hundred shop units. Some years after the original shopping centre opened, an additional development - initially known as Watermark WestQuay - was added housing a leisure complex including a cinema and several restaurants.

Transport

Buses

There are two main termini for bus services, these are Vincent Walk and Westquay/Albion Place. The city's main operator is Bluestar. Most services pass through Westquay/Albion Place and terminate at Vincents walk. However, services to the Waterside (Totton and Fawley) as well as Salisbury Reds services terminate at Westquay. Unilink also passes through the Westquay stops. [22]

Coaches

There is a National Express coach station on the West Quay retail park, a short walk from the railway station.

Ferry

Ferry services operate along Southampton Water to Hythe and Cowes, from Town Quay. These are operated by Red Funnel.

Platforms at Southampton Central station Southamptoncentral.jpg
Platforms at Southampton Central station

Train

Southampton Central railway station is located in the north west of the city centre area, with the old Southern Terminus in the south east. The station is on the South West Main Line, with it seeing frequent services to the local area as well as London and Manchester. The station is operated by South Western Railway.

Waterfront

Part of the waterfront. The Westquay shopping centre can be seen on the left, with the spires of St Mary's and St Michael's churches. Spectators line the shores of Mayflower Park. Southampton from Aurora 01.JPG
Part of the waterfront. The Westquay shopping centre can be seen on the left, with the spires of St Mary's and St Michael's churches. Spectators line the shores of Mayflower Park.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool One</span> Shopping, residential and leisure complex in Liverpool, England

Liverpool ONE is a shopping, residential, and leisure complex in Liverpool, England. The project involved the redevelopment of 42 acres of land in the city centre. It is a retail-led development anchored by the department store John Lewis. Debenhams had previously been an anchor tenant until the closure of its Liverpool One store in March 2021, with Marks & Spencer taking its place in mid-2023. Additional elements include leisure facilities, apartments, offices, public open spaces, restaurants, and transport improvements. The completion of Liverpool ONE significantly boosted the local economy, while lifting Liverpool into the top five most popular retail destinations in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westquay</span> Shopping mall in Hampshire, England

Westquay is a shopping centre in Southampton, England. It has an area of 95,600 m2 (1,029,000 sq ft) of retail and leisure space and contains around 130 shops, including major retailers such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Zara, Schuh, Waterstones, Hollister Co. and Apple.

<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">Eldon Square Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Eldon Square is a shopping centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It opened in 1976 and was built on the site of Old Eldon Square, a famous part of Georgian Newcastle designed by John Dobson in about 1824. This redevelopment, which left only the eastern terrace standing, has been criticised, with one writer calling it "the greatest single example of architectural vandalism in Britain since the war".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Geelong</span> Shopping mall in Victoria, Australia

Westfield Geelong is a shopping centre located in the Geelong CBD in Victoria, Australia which was opened in 1988. It was formerly known as Westfield Bay City before the 2008 redevelopment, and as Bay City Plaza before being acquired by the Westfield Group in 2003. The centre is located on the northern side of Malop Street opposite the Market Square shopping complex, and is bounded by Moorabool Street, Yarra Street, Malop Street and Brougham Street. The centre has completed its major redevelopment, including the expansion over Yarra Street via a flyover.

Tyrrell & Green was a department store located in Southampton, England before being rebranded as part of John Lewis Partnership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Booragoon</span> Major regional shopping centre in the city of Perth, Western Australia

Westfield Booragoon is a major regional shopping centre in the city of Perth, Western Australia. Westfield Booragoon is located at the corner of Marmion Street and Riseley Street in the southern suburb of Booragoon. 50% of the shopping complex is owned by Dexus with the remaining 50% owned by Scentre Group which owns and operates its properties under the Westfield name from which the company is derived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolston, Southampton</span> Suburb in England

Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston.

<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 55 units. The centre is spread over a 6.99 acre site in the city centre of Derry. Foyleside extends to a size of 34,400 square meters. making it the second largest shopping centre in Northern Ireland behind Belfast's Victoria Square.The centre is anchored by Marks & Spencer, Frasers/Sports Direct & Dunnes Stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascades Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Cascades Shopping Centre is an enclosed shopping centre in the city centre of Portsmouth on the South Coast of England. It has a wide range of High Street retailers, and its own multi-storey car park connecting straight into the malls by lifts and stairs. Work began on the Centre in Summer 1987 and it opened on 26 September 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Street</span> One of the main streets of Cork, Ireland

St Patrick's Street is the main shopping street of the city of Cork in the south of Ireland. The street was subject to redevelopment in 2004, and has since won two awards as Ireland's best shopping street. St Patrick's Street is colloquially known to most locals as simply 'Patrick's Street', with the 'St' honorific dropped, in accordance with the pattern applied to many locations named after saints. It is also referred to colloquially by some locals as "Pana", with the first 'a' being elongated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princes Quay</span> Shopping mall in East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Princes Quay is a shopping centre in the heart of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The centre is unusual in that it is built on stilts over Prince's Dock after which it is named. It was opened in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton</span> City in Hampshire, England

Southampton is a port city in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately 80 miles (130 km) southwest of London, 20 miles (32 km) west of Portsmouth, and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253,651 at the 2011 census, making it one of the most populous cities in southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carillon City</span> Shopping mall in Perth, Western Australia

Carillon City was a major Australian shopping centre, located in Perth. It is located in the middle of the Perth main retail precinct between the Hay and Murray Street malls, at the southern end of Forrest Place. It is linked to St Georges Terrace by way of access through Trinity Arcade and an arcade under Hay Street Mall. Walkways and a pedestrian overpass connects the Cultural Centre, public carparks, the rail and bus terminal with Carillon City. As of September 2021 the centre is undergoing redevelopment, involving demolition of the existing centre.

Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England. The area has been settled since the Stone Age. Its history has been affected by its geographical location, on a major estuary on the English Channel coast with an unusual double high-tide, and by its proximity to Winchester and London; the ancient and modern capitals of England. Having been an important regional centre for centuries, Southampton was awarded city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North End, Croydon</span>

North End is a pedestrianised road in Central Croydon, which includes entrances to the town's two main shopping centres, Centrale and the Whitgift Centre. The road has high street chains including Next, Zara, French Connection, and a large branch of department store House of Fraser. A large Debenhams store on the west side of the road did not reopen after the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown as the company entered administration. North End was closed off to all forms of motor traffic in 1989, to entice shoppers to choose Croydon over its main south-east London rival Bromley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlands Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in Southampton, United Kingdom

The Marlands Shopping Centre was opened on 5 September 1991 in Southampton, United Kingdom. At the time, the Marlands Shopping Mall was the largest shopping centre in Southampton and the first significant shopping centre in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SouthGate</span> Shopping centre in Bath, Somerset, England

SouthGate is a shopping centre in Bath, Somerset, England, It is home to over fifty shops, ten restaurants, 99 homes and an 860-space underground car park. It replaced a shopping centre which was demolished in 2007.

<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">Cardiff Bus Interchange</span> Bus station in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Bus Interchange is a new bus and transport interchange, as well as offices and apartments, in the centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.

References

  1. ↑ "Things to do in Southampton, UK". Local Service Guide. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  2. ↑ "Museums – Visit Southampton". Southampton City Council. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  3. ↑ "Redevelopment Of East Street Shopping Centre". London & Henley. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "East Street Demolition". Southampton City Council. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Southern Daily Echo Article, Written by Simon Carr 24/3/11, Retrieved 3 June 2011
  6. ↑ "Administrators Appointed To The De Stefano Property Group". KPMG. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Jobs blow as retail giant pulls out of major city centre redevelopment". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Lambert, Tim: A brief history of Southampton (Accessed 22 February 2007)
  9. ↑ "Bargate Shopping Centre" . Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  10. ↑ Law, Peter. "Southampton's Bargate Centre and Debenhams store to be demolished". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  11. ↑ Smith, Matt. "Multi-million pound revamp for Southampton's Debenhams store". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Reeve, Jon. "City Shopping Centre Face Closure". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Reeve, Jon. "Buyers 'lined up' for Bargate Mall". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Knox, Patrick. "City Shopping Centre Boarded Up". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  15. ↑ "Southampton Bargate Car Park" . Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  16. ↑ Franklin, James. "Fresh Plans To Transform Southampton's Empty Bargate Centre". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  17. ↑ Franklin, James. "A new deal could see the Bargate Shopping Centre replaced with businesses and hundreds of homes". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  18. ↑ Adams, Rachel. "Revealed: get a glimpse of multi-million pound plans to transform_Bargate_Centre". Southern Daily Echo. NewsQuest Media Group. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Lawton, Callum (11 January 2017). "Southampton's historic centre set for revival as multi-million pound redevelopment approved". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  20. ↑ "Bargate Quarter Redevelopment Plan". Bargate Quarter Consultation. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  21. ↑ Robinson, James (24 November 2017). "Bargate Centre demolition work to start today as £100 million redevelopment gets underway". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  22. ↑ "Our Services". bluestarbus.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.