Xscape (building)

Last updated

Xscape is a brand name for buildings developed by X-Leisure, now part of Landsec in England. Typically they contain a real snow indoor ski slope, leisure facilities and related shops. As of 2004, there were two members of the chain, in Milton Keynes and Castleford. [1] (A subsequent member in Renfrew has been sold.) Xscape Milton Keynes and Xscape Yorkshire were designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects. [1]

Contents

Xscape Milton Keynes

Xscape Milton Keynes
MiltonKeynesXScape01.jpg
Xscape Milton Keynes seen from across Secklow Gate
Xscape (building)
Interactive map of Xscape Milton Keynes
General information
StatusCompleted
Location602 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 3XA, England
Coordinates 52°02′29″N0°44′57″W / 52.04137°N 0.74910°W / 52.04137; -0.74910
Elevation105 metres (344 ft)
Opened2000
ClientX-Leisure
Height
Roof44 metres (144 ft) (max)
Design and construction
Architecture firmFaulknerBrowns
Website
www.xscape.co.uk/milton-keynes

Xscape Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) opened in July 2000 and is a major feature on the skyline of Central Milton Keynes as seen from the east. The front of the Xscape building is 44 metres (144 feet) high, [2] making it the second tallest building in Milton Keynes after Hotel La Tour on Marlborough Gate. [3] Xscape Milton Keynes features a 170 m (560 ft) long real-snow ski slope, a 16-screen cinema, a number of shops and restaurants, a casino and a trampoline park. An interesting point is the two large funnels on the front of the building are sometimes mistaken for lifts or part of the cooling system; in fact they are stairs.

Located directly behind the Xscape building is a large square structure that houses an indoor skydiving centre named 'iFLY' (previously known as 'Airkix' until September 2016 [4] ).

Xscape Yorkshire

Xscape Yorkshire ( 53°42′37″N1°20′30″W / 53.7103°N 1.3418°W / 53.7103; -1.3418 ) is in Glasshoughton and opened in October 2003 with a footprint of approx 5,500 square metres (59,200 sq ft).

Xscape in Glasshoughton, Castleford Xscape.jpg
Xscape in Glasshoughton, Castleford

Xscape Yorkshire was a major development for what was before, an average sized town in West Yorkshire and is situated next to Junction 32, a popular outlet mall formerly known as Freeport.

The development contains a number of shops, restaurants, a church, [5] and entertainment facilities including a bowling alley, multi screen cinema, laser tag, crazy golf and amusements. The cinema is one of the few Cineworld cinemas in the UK that has D-Box motion seating. The Cineworld closed on 19 January 2025, with a Vue International cinema replacing it. It utilises complex ventilation technology. [6] The site is served by Glasshoughton railway station on the Pontefract line (Leeds–Hull), opened by West Yorkshire Metro on 21 February 2005. [7]

Xscape Braehead Renfrew

Xscape formerly had a centre in Renfrew. It was sold to Intu.

References

  1. 1 2 Whitfield, David (1 February 2004). "Theme: cladding". Architects Journal. 18: 76. ... the second-generation Xscape building, Xscape Castleford, which opened in September 2003, was slightly different. Only part of the ski slope was surrounded by spaces used for other purposes (cinema, fitness suite), with the remainder of the box projecting above the surrounding roofs. As at Milton Keynes,...
  2. ↑ "Xscape Building, Milton Keynes - SkyscraperPage.com". Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  3. ↑ Murrer, Sally (13 May 2021). "Tallest and shiniest building in Milton Keynes is topped out at 50 metres this week". Milton Keynes Citizen . Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "From Airkix to iFLY". iFly Indoor Skydiving. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. ↑ Archived 2 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine XChurch – how to find us "Christchurch is located toward the back of Xscape Yorkshire, above Trespass."
  6. ↑ "Xscape Ski Slope & Retail Development". Caswell Engineering Services. 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Lowson, Rob (11 December 2015). "Transport chiefs optimistic Apperley Bridge station will open on Sunday – despite safety certificate delay". Telegraph & Argus . Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as KML
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.