Swan Shopping Centre
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The Swan Shopping Centre is the local shopping centre for South Yardley in Birmingham, England.
With its landmark high rise building it stands on the A45 Coventry Road at its intersection with the A4040 Outer Ring Road (also the Birmingham Outer Circle Number 11 bus route). It comprises of a predominantly 1960s structure after the previous shopping centre was burned down. The previous shopping centre stood on the site of The Swan Inn which also was burned down. The Swan Inn was situated in a location in which it received a successful trade as many coaches and trade wagons passed it as they travelled from the southeast of the country into Birmingham. In 1731, Nicholas Rothwell of Warwick established a coach business which transported people from the inn to London via Warwick, Aylesbury and Banbury. At present, numerous coach companies use the shopping centre as a stop.
The Swan Inn also became a popular venue for public displays including James Brindley who outlined the results of a survey he had undertaken for the cutting of a navigable canal between Birmingham and the Black Country coalfields.
The current shopping centre was constructed with, Bakeman House, a block of flats, above which currently houses mainly elderly tenants. The majority of the building is of a concrete exterior however the entrance block at the multi-storey car park is clad in corrugated steel painted a dark orange.
The building contains an indoor market and the outside is lined with small businesses.
At Christmas, lights are placed around the building.
There are proposals for the centre to be redeveloped into a modern structure whilst retaining the tower block above. There will also be a petrol station located on the structure and the main road, Church Road, will be widened into a dual carriageway. The site opposite the shopping centre will be occupied by a Tesco supermarket however for Tesco to receive planning permission, they must pay an allocated sum of money towards the development of the Swan. There will be a new indoor market constructed. A construction date has not been set.
[edit] External links
- Planning application for redevelopment (pdf)
- 1890 Ordnance Survey map of the Swan area - Swan Inn can clearly be seen on the map.
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