- Posts: 32
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2016 7:16 pm
Strange question, but does anyone in the know have any info on the old Queens West shopping centre?
Was walking down the Friary yesterday and looking at the old glass atrium felt a bit nostalgic and wondered what its like inside/how it's being used/old photos etc. Tried to find some photos or information on it but came up completely empty strangely. No photos. No news articles. Nothing.
All the ground floor units seem to do pretty well (Superdrug, Waitrose, Burton, Mission Burrito, Live Lounge, Wedding shop), but then looking up at this glass atrium on the Friary, probably 3 or 4 floors, seems crazy to have all that space unused and mothballed. Even from google earth, building takes up half the block of the Friary and just under half a block on Queen Street with multiple floors. Just seems like there's a tonne of unused space there that someone is sitting on in a prime city centre location. Just seems weird.
Vaguely remember somebody saying that when the centre failed they rushed to get JJB to occupy space on the first (or 2nd) floor, not giving much thought to the configuration. Seems the ground floor units are double height (Burton on 1st floor, Miss Selfridge on Ground etc.) So I imagine the space inside is very oddly divided. I'm sure there's probably a lot of remnants of the old shopping centre gathering dust in there too.
You'd think with the demand for office space in the area someone would have maybe turned some of the upstairs into office space, put that glass front to use!
Would be interested in any info. Just curious really.
Was walking down the Friary yesterday and looking at the old glass atrium felt a bit nostalgic and wondered what its like inside/how it's being used/old photos etc. Tried to find some photos or information on it but came up completely empty strangely. No photos. No news articles. Nothing.
All the ground floor units seem to do pretty well (Superdrug, Waitrose, Burton, Mission Burrito, Live Lounge, Wedding shop), but then looking up at this glass atrium on the Friary, probably 3 or 4 floors, seems crazy to have all that space unused and mothballed. Even from google earth, building takes up half the block of the Friary and just under half a block on Queen Street with multiple floors. Just seems like there's a tonne of unused space there that someone is sitting on in a prime city centre location. Just seems weird.
Vaguely remember somebody saying that when the centre failed they rushed to get JJB to occupy space on the first (or 2nd) floor, not giving much thought to the configuration. Seems the ground floor units are double height (Burton on 1st floor, Miss Selfridge on Ground etc.) So I imagine the space inside is very oddly divided. I'm sure there's probably a lot of remnants of the old shopping centre gathering dust in there too.
You'd think with the demand for office space in the area someone would have maybe turned some of the upstairs into office space, put that glass front to use!
Would be interested in any info. Just curious really.