Victoria Centre

Intu Victoria Centre

The clock tower of Victoria Centre
Location Nottingham City Centre, England
Opening date 1972
Management Intu Properties Plc
Owner Nottingham City Council
Intu Properties
No. of stores and services 120
No. of anchor tenants 4
Total retail floor area 91,140 m² (981,000 ft²)
No. of floors 2
Parking 2700
Public transit access Nottingham Victoria bus station
Website www.intu.co.uk/victoriacentre

Intu Victoria Centre, is a shopping centre in Nottingham, England, constructed between 1967 and 1972. The Victoria Centre has various fashion and high street stores as well as cafes, restaurants, a health and fitness centre and the Nottingham Victoria bus station. Over three million people live within a 45 minute drive of the centre.

History

The Victoria Centre stands on the site of the old Nottingham Victoria railway station, which was demolished in 1967. The clock tower and the former Victoria Station Hotel[1] (now run by Hilton Hotels) are the only parts of the old station to survive. The shopping centre was built between 1967 and 1972 by Taylor Woodrow. Above the shopping centre rise the 26 floor, 256 feet (72m) high "Victoria Centre Flats", which run North to South along the length. There are 464 flats and 36,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) of offices.

In 1970, the kinetic sculptor Roland Emett was commissioned to design and build a 'water-powered' clock, known as The Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator.[2] The clock was installed late 1972 and chimed on the hour and half-hour, playing 'Gigue en Rondeau II' (1724) from Rameau's (1683–1764), 'Pieces de Clavecin' Suite in E-minor. This musical animated sculpture was between Boots, Next and John Lewis (formerly Jessops) on the lower mall and was a popular meeting place. At some point, the clock was modified to chime and play the music every fifteen minutes. In February 2014 the clock was dismantled from the Main Square and underwent initial refurbishment by Engineer Pete Dexter and the Rowland Emett Society. It was re-assembled for exhibition in Millennium Point, Birmingham during the summer of 2014 before being dismantled again and stored until December 2014. The parts were then transported back to Nottingham where further refurbishment work was carried out by Pete Dexter and staff at intu Victoria Centre. It was re-assembled in its new location on the north end of the upper mall. Its stature, colour scheme and most of its original water features were restored. It was officially re-started on 17 June 2015 by Emma Jaggers (5), grand-daughter of Pete Dexter.

In 1997 the centre was extended to give more retail space and the addition of new anchor, House of Fraser. Following this the rest of the centre was refurbished.

In 2010 it was announced that the Victoria Centre would be expanded to compete with Westfield's nearby Broadmarsh Centre and new centres in Derby and Leicester. In November 2011, Capital Shopping Centres purchased the Broadmarsh Centre.[3][4] The purchase prompted an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission, who were concerned the company's monopoly over the city's shopping centres could negatively impact competition.[5] Following the purchase, the owners wished to start the planned development of the Victoria Centre; however, Nottingham City Council have insisted Broadmarsh must be their "priority", and they offered £50 million towards its redevelopment.[6] The deputy leader of Nottingham City Council said the council would withhold planning permission for the development of the Victoria Centre until they "see bulldozers going into the Broadmarsh Centre".[7]

In February 2013 the parent company, Capital Shopping Centres, changed its name to "Intu Properties plc".[8] The centre was rebranded "Intu Victoria Centre" as part of the company's £25m nationwide re-brand.[9]

In 2013 plans were revealed for the centre to be refurbished. The refurbishment started in February 2014 and is due for completion in Summer 2015. The refurbishment is being undertaken by Laing O'Rourke and features a new restaurant quarter in the clock tower area, new lighting, flooring and new entrances along with new toilet facilities. This is the second refurbishment that has been undertaken in the centre since the last major refurbishment in 1997. There are also plans for an extension to be added to the centre to increase floor space but this wont be considered until the plans for Intu Broadmarsh have been submitted.

Victoria Centre Market

On the first floor, opposite John Lewis, is Nottingham's largest indoor market, the Victoria Centre Market. It sells a range of goods including fresh food, meat and fish.[10] There are also speciality stalls selling items such as books, jewellery and haberdashery. The market is open from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 - 5:00pm.

In 2008 it won the award for the "Greenest Market in the Midlands" from the National Market Traders Federation.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Postcard Image of the Victoria Station Hotel
  2. ↑ "Victoria Centre clock removal is "pure rumour"". BBC News. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "Westfield sells Nottingham's Broadmarsh shopping centre". BBC News. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "Westfield to sell Broadmarsh Centre". this is Nottingham. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  5. ↑ BBC News - Probe into Nottingham Broadmarsh shopping centre deal
  6. ↑ "Nottingham's Broadmarsh Centre deal to transform city". BBC News. 11 November 2013.
  7. ↑ BBC News - Nottingham's Broadmarsh shopping centre 'risk'
  8. ↑ Monaghan, Angela (15 January 2013). "Capital Shopping Centres rebrands as Intu and launches fashion website". The Telegraph (London). Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Nottingham centres to undergo rebrand". insider media. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Victoria Centre Market". Nottingham City Council. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  11. ↑ "How Green Is Your Market". www.howgreenisyourmarket.com. Retrieved 23 March 2010.

External links

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Coordinates: 52°57′23″N 1°8′50″W / 52.95639°N 1.14722°W / 52.95639; -1.14722

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