| Location | Broadmead, Bristol |
|---|---|
| Owner | HSBC European Active Real Estate Trust |
| Parking | Yes |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Website | www.galleriesbristol.co.uk |
The Galleries (formerly The Mall Bristol), is a shopping mall situated in the Broadmead shopping centre in Bristol city centre, England. Functioning as one of the city's retail malls, it is a three-storey building, opened in 1991, which spans over Fairfax Street, where buildings used to include a large Woolworths and Millets, across to the former site of Fairfax House (built in 1962) where the Galleries car park now stands.
Contents |
The foundations of the Galleries were laid on 6 July 1989 and also a time capsule was put under the main entrance floor with items from a local school. During construction, most of the buildings on the Broadmead side of the Galleries were kept, with the exception of the Woolworths building. The new building replacing old buildings on the Union Street side, filling in the gaps in between old Broadmead buildings and the Galleries car park, the former site of Fairfax House. The mall was opened on 15 October 1991 by Lord Mayor of Bristol, Peter Abaraham. It was designed by Leslie Jones.
Unlike with many schemes of its type, the size of Bristol's Broadmead Centre meant that many major stores simply stayed in existing locations, including Next, Debenhams, House Of Fraser, John Lewis and Marks & Spencers. There was therefore no major 'anchor' store; and within ten years the move of John Lewis to the out-of-town The Mall at Cribbs Causeway (unrelated to the Galleries most recent owner) brought a further reduction in overall visitors to the Broadmead area.
Nearly twenty years later, with the demolition of much of the 1950s and 1960s areas of Broadmead, another large 'semi covered' shopping centre, Cabot Circus, was built, this time attracting some large stores who had been displaced by the development, including the 2nd relocation of House Of Fraser in a few years.
In 2007 and 2008 the complex underwent a minor facelift, with the inside being re-painted, and the relocation of the lifts, from the centre of the complex, moved near to the 'Greyhound' entrance.
The facility was purchased by The Mall Company and the name changed from The Mall Galleries to The Mall Bristol.
In January 2011, it was sold to HSBC European Active Real Estate Trust for £50.1 million,[1] and the name was restored to The Galleries.
Situated on the third floor, Food Street has four units: Cafe Roma, Subway, Butlers Cafe, Burger King and Fat Jackets. There is a children's area. It includes a mother and baby room, bottle warmers, toddlers' toilets and changing mats.
The Galleries has a wide selection of unique independent stores but also a range of larger high street brands including:
|
|||||||||||