Swiss Centre, London

Last updated

The Swiss Centre
Swiss Building - geograph.org.uk - 24916.jpg
The Swiss Centre in 2003
Swiss Centre, London
General information
Location Coventry Street, London
Coordinates 51°30′38″N0°07′52″W / 51.5106°N 0.1312°W / 51.5106; -0.1312 Coordinates: 51°30′38″N0°07′52″W / 51.5106°N 0.1312°W / 51.5106; -0.1312
Completed1966
Demolished2008
Design and construction
Architect(s) David du Roi Aberdeen
Main contractor John Laing & Son

The Swiss Centre was a popular tourist attraction on the edge of Coventry Street, London, at its junction with Leicester Square. The 14 storey building [1] was both a showcase for Switzerland and its products, and a trade and commercial centre that featured a Swiss bank, tourist office, a chocolate and souvenir shop, a Swissair ticket office, a cafe and several Swiss themed restaurants which were located in the basement. [2]

It was designed by David Aberdeen and built by John Laing & Son and Token Construction Company Limited between 1963 and 1966, [3] [4] to include a podium above the shops located at street level, and an 11 storey tower block with office floors, residential spaces, a penthouse, a viewing gallery and a plant room. [5]

Over the years the connection with Switzerland faded out: several shops remained vacant, and British souvenir stalls took over the commercial spaces from the late nineties. The building did not fit its purpose anymore nor with the new intended design for an improved pedestrian square. The chimes were last played on 21 September 2007, and the Centre was finally demolished in 2008.

Two totem columns, one displaying the Helvetic cantons insignia, and the other a large carillon clock composed of 23 bells, were preserved in the western section of the square that was finally renamed Swiss Court, in order to retain an element of Swiss heritage. [6]

The glockenspiel, redesigned and restored by the clockmakers Smith of Derby was returned in November 2011, three years after the building's demolition. [7]

At the time of the building's demolition, it was intended that a hotel would be constructed on the site. [8] The site (bordered by Lisle Street, Leicester Street, Swiss Court and Wardour Street) was redeveloped and now contains M&M's World in the location on Leicester Square and was opened in June 2011. [9] [10] The W Hotel, with its entrance on Wardour Street, takes up the north part of the site and upper levels.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soho</span> District in London, England

Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West End of London</span> Area of Central London, England

The West End of London is a district of Central London, London, England, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues, including West End theatres, are concentrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Square</span> Pedestrianised square in London, United Kingdom

Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Ring, Birmingham</span> Major shopping centre in central Birmingham

The Bull Ring is a major shopping area in central Birmingham England, and has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages, when its market was first held. Two shopping centres have been built in the area; in the 1960s, and then in 2003; the latter is styled as one word, Bullring. When coupled with Grand Central it forms the United Kingdom's largest city centre based shopping centre, styled as Bullring & Grand Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wardour Street</span> Street in London, England

Wardour Street is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It is a one-way street that runs north from Leicester Square, through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street. Throughout the 20th century the street became a centre for the British film industry and the popular music scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, London</span> Human settlement in England

Chinatown is an ethnic enclave in the City of Westminster, London, bordering Soho to its north and west, Theatreland to the south and east. The enclave currently occupies the area in and around Gerrard Street. It contains a number of Chinese restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, souvenir shops, and other Chinese-run businesses. The first Chinatown was located in Limehouse in the East End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalville</span> Town in Leicestershire, England

Coalville is a town and unparished area in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Leicester. It borders the upland area of Charnwood Forest to the east of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff city centre</span> Central Business District in Wales

Cardiff city centre is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations – Central and Queen Street – to the south and east respectively. Cardiff became a city in 1905.

<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 due to take 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">Big City Plan</span>

The Big City Plan is a major development plan for the city centre of Birmingham, England.

<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, Westfield London, the Whitgift Centre and Brent Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester City Centre</span> Human settlement in England

Leicester City Centre is Leicester's historical commercial, cultural and transport hub and is home to its central business district. Its inner core is roughly delineated by the A594, Leicester's inner ring road, although the various central campuses of the University of Leicester, De Monfort University and Leicester College are adjacent to the inner ring road and could be considered to be a continuation of the City centre. In a similar way, the Leicester Royal Infirmary precinct, the New Walk business district (Southfields), the Welford Road Stadium of Leicester Tigers' RUFC and the King Power Stadium of Premier League Leicester City to the south, and the Golden Mile to the north could also be deemed to be extensions to the central core.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry Street</span> London street, within the City of Westminster

Coventry Street is a short street in the West End of London, connecting Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square. Part of the street is a section of the A4, a major road through London. It is named after the politician Henry Coventry, secretary of state to Charles II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Market</span>

Castle Market was an indoor market in Sheffield city centre, England. The building lay in the north-east of the present city centre, by the River Don, and was built on top of the remains of Sheffield Castle, which could still be seen via guided tours. The market closed in 2013 when the Moor Market opened on The Moor, further south in Sheffield city centre, and demolition began in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport city centre</span>

Newport city centre is traditionally regarded as the area of Newport, Wales bounded by the west bank of the River Usk, the George Street Bridge, the eastern flank of Stow Hill and the South Wales Main Line. Most of the city centre is contained within two conservation areas: the central area and the area around Lower Dock Street. Most of the city centre is located in the Stow Hill district.

Martineau Galleries is a proposed mixed-use development for Birmingham, England which was shelved in 2009 but re-approved in 2020. It was to connect the Eastside to the city centre core, a major retail area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarendon Shopping Centre</span> Shopping centre in Oxford, England

The Clarendon Centre is a shopping centre in central Oxford, England, opened in 1984. The centre faces Cornmarket Street, and has other entrances onto Queen Street and Shoe Lane. The fascia onto Cornmarket Street is that of the Woolworths store which had, in a decision later criticised, replaced the Georgian Clarendon Hotel; it was discovered during demolition that medieval construction had been present within the hotel. The shopping centre was expanded in 2012–14. Major tenants include TK Maxx, H&M and Gap Outlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Square, Cardiff</span> Public space and transport hub in Wales

Central Square is a large public space in Cardiff, Wales, adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station and included Cardiff Central bus station between 1954 and 2015. It was redeveloped and extended in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Square House</span> Commercial in Birmingham, England

Victoria Square House, is an office building on the south side of Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It was formerly Birmingham's Head Post Office, designed in the French Renaissance style by architect for the Office of Works Henry Tanner for the General Post Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester House, Westminster</span>

Leicester House was a large aristocratic townhouse in Westminster, London, to the north of where Leicester Square now is. Built by the Earl of Leicester and completed in 1635, it was later occupied by Elizabeth Stuart, a former Queen of Bohemia, and by the Hanoverian Princess of Wales.

References

  1. "London's new £200m hotel – where the owners want to check out" . independent.co.uk. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  2. "The Swiss Centre | Post-War Buildings". Archived from the original on 6 June 2010.
  3. Ritchie, p. 146
  4. F H W Sheppard, ed. (1966). "Leicester Square, North Side and Lisle Street Area: Leicester Estate, New Coventry Street". Survey of London. (London. 33–34, St Anne Soho: 486–487. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  5. "Leicester Square, North Side, and Lisle Street Area: Leicester Estate, New Coventry Street - British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  6. "Swiss glockenspiel in Leicester Square: The last survivor of the Swiss Centre". 22 March 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  7. "Leicester Square Swiss glockenspiel restored by Smith of Derby". BBC News. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  8. "Last chime for iconic Swiss clock". 21 September 2007 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  9. Gormley, Paul (10 September 2010). "100% of redeveloped Swiss Centre on London's Leicester Square let with signing of 'M&M'S World' store - McAleer & Rushe". Mcaleer-rushe.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  10. "Europe's First Ever M&M'S World Store Opens in London's Leicester Square". Londonandpartners.com. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2016.

Sources