CardiffWalesMap

Simon_SW17 wrote:Yes it was T K Maxx before it moved to David Morgan.

I'm trying to imagine what's left of Queen's West inside the building. I imagine most of the space has been used in the conversion to shop units but I'd love to have a nose around.

I remember the opening of the centre, it was very modern with glass lifts and the longest escalator in Europe, much excitement. Roy Castle was the celebrity who did the opening! There was an Athena, Hudson + Hudson and the food court on the 2nd floor but I'm struggling to recall what else was in there. It was 29 years ago scarily

It was the longest glass-sided escalator in Europe. No idea why I remember that caveat.

My favourite shops in Queens West were a couple of independents doing something no one else was doing. Major League sold merchandise relating to the big American sports. Then a little bit later there was a weird shop that was split between grunge music and import video games. At that point it was the only place you could buy Japanese and American cartridges. Plus they were the only shop around to have the ill-fated 3DO console ahead of its limited UK release.

Edit: think the grunge/games shop was called Live Wire.

When I was a young child, Queens West vied with Pillars as my favourite place in Cardiff City Centre. I used to be a bit afraid of getting stuck in a lift, so the glass one on the outside was perfect: people could see (as well as hear) me if we got stuck. And the food court allowed me to mix and match items from more than one catering place.

It was quite an unusual shopping centre for the UK: a small footprint, but with what, 4 floors? (ground, first, second and third, I think, with the food court on top). More like the shopping centres you get in continental city centres, and in Chicago and New York's central shopping districts. Think it suffered a lack of "passing trade" and the lack of any important anchor tenant to drive footfall. I think we only went there for the food court.

Does anyone have any photos of this? I'm too young to even know that it ever existed and I'm intrigued! There's next to no information or images anywhere on the internet.

Weird that there's nothing online, I guess it was pre-internet days. I may have some photos somewhere but they'd be in my parents attic in Cardiff and I'm in London!

I remember that Curry's was where Superdrug is now and Laura Ashley was in the original centre where it was until recently when Poundland extended into the unit. There was a mall entrance next to Laura Ashley. The Dorothy Perkins/Burton unit was an Arcadia clothes shop which I forget and the first floor had an entrance on the first floor of the mall.

If anyone is interested, a load of old photos from inside Queens West from 1996 have been put up



















I knew I remembered that pink car!

Wonder how much of it is left inside. The food court with its 80s mirrored ceiling and pastel colours and neon lights almost looks cool again Like a John Hughes movie. If that's still intact, with some 80s props it would make a really cool set.

I would love to hear the story behind its closure. Had no idea it was here until recently.

Cen wrote:I would love to hear the story behind its closure. Had no idea it was here until recently.

As I remember it the food court did quite well at first until a similar one opened in the Capitol Centre.

IIRC, there was a serious design flaw with the centre in that the afore mentioned "longest glass sided escalator etc etc" led directly from the street to the upper floors leaving the lower and ground floors with a distinct lack of footfall.

Before the centre was built that block had housed BHS and Marments Department Store and was alway busy. The centre of gravity for retail seemed to move further east after QueensWest opened.

Glenn wrote:Wonder how much of it is left inside. The food court with its 80s mirrored ceiling and pastel colours and neon lights almost looks cool again Like a John Hughes movie. If that's still intact, with some 80s props it would make a really cool set.

Wikipedia claims that "The top floor, which used to be a foodhall, is now entirely occupied by one shop" - that makes it sound like it's all gone, but then DW Sports definitely doesn't take up anything near a whole floor!

Cwlcymro wrote:

Glenn wrote:Wonder how much of it is left inside. The food court with its 80s mirrored ceiling and pastel colours and neon lights almost looks cool again Like a John Hughes movie. If that's still intact, with some 80s props it would make a really cool set.

Wikipedia claims that "The top floor, which used to be a foodhall, is now entirely occupied by one shop" - that makes it sound like it's all gone, but then DW Sports definitely doesn't take up anything near a whole floor!

Have you seen the new JD Gym that's just opened there? It's enormous!

Ash wrote:

Cen wrote:As I remember it the food court did quite well at first until a similar one opened in the Capitol Centre.

Wasn't the Capital Centre food court before the Queen's West one? Regardless, the one there closed too.
As I remember it, it wasn't worth going there after the novelty worse off. Full of chains like like Foster's Menswear that would have identical or larger stores elsewhere on Queen Street anyway.