Located in the heart of the city, Manchester's Arndale Centre
in many ways dominates the central shopping area of the City.
Begun in 1972, by its completion in 1979 it was the largest
covered town shopping centre in Europe, covering some 30 acres
in the old city centre, with 750,000 shoppers visiting it each
week. With over 200 shops, major department stores, restaurants
an fast food outlets it has become a busy and active shopping
arcade.
The
centre houses an 1800 space multi-storey car park, shopping
malls on two levels, office space in tower, residential flats,
and originally the Arndale Centre Bus Station at Cannon Street,
so badly damaged by the IRA
bombing of Manchester in 1996, that it never reopened, and
has now largely been built over.
The
design for the Centre was made by the architects Hugh Wilson
and Lewis Womersley, who had already redeveloped the University
Precinct on Oxford Road, as well as a considerable involvement
in the redevelopment of housing in the Hulme area.
It was a
controversial development, obliterating some of Manchester's
old streets and alleys, and stubbornly defying all the old Victorian
grandeur surrounding it, with its massive monolithic concrete
forms and unrelieved ceramic cladding. The whole project cost
some £100 million - a then unthinkable sum.
The
land, bounded by Market Street, Corporation Street, High Street
and Withy Grove had been designated as a "Comprehensive
Development Area" by the City Council.
Many
different companies had bought and owned the land through the
1970s, but it was eventually to be built by Town & City
Properties, who, in the face of mounting financial difficulties
and substantial underwritten loans of over £16 million,
sold the lease to P&O Properties, who managed the complex
until 1998 when it was taken over by the Prudential.
The
Centre houses many major department stores and famous High Street
names, including Currys, W.H.Smith, BHS, Mothercare, Tandy's,
etc, as well as innumerable other smaller concessions.
Photos
by John Moss
Redevelopment
of the Manchester Arndale Centre 2003
Extensive
redevelopment has been taking place to the Arndale Centre since
September 2003. Prudential, who now own the centre, (having
purchased it from P&O in 1998), together with Manchester
City Council have produced a £150 million plan for redevelopment
which includes covering up 80% of the ill-fated and much derided
yellow tiled surface of the building, and re-cladding the exterior
in a pleasanter, less gruesome architectural style.
This is the
very last stage in the reconstruction of the city centre since
the IRA bombing of 1996
effectively obliterated the heart of Manchester.
The
northern end of the Arndale wase completely demolished, as was
Cannon Street and the old Arndale Bus Station. Cannon Street
was overbuilt with the new part of the shopping complex and
reborn as New Cannon Street. At either end will be Exchange
Court and the Wintergarden.
A
major new store for Next was created facing the Urbis
Museum, completing the regeneration of the Millennium Quarter
and Exchange Square. Work was completed by Christmas 2005.
