Eastgate Shopping Centre, Gloucester facts for kids
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| Location | Gloucester, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°51′52″N 2°14′50″W / 51.8643941°N 2.24733611°W |
| Address | 22 Eastgate Street |
| Opening date | July 3, 1973 |
| Developer | Land Improvements Ltd. |
| Owner | Gloucester City Council |
| No. of stores and services | 53 |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 380 (20 disabled spaces / 18 parent and child spaces) |
The Eastgate Shopping Centre is a two-story indoor shopping mall in Gloucester, England. It used to be called The Mall Eastgate and The Mall Gloucester. The centre first opened its special entrance on July 3, 1973. It's a popular place for people to shop and meet up.
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History of Eastgate Shopping Centre
The area where the shopping centre now stands was once a market. This market opened way back in 1786. In 1855, the market on Eastgate Street was rebuilt and made more modern.
The indoor shopping centre we see today was built between 1966 and 1974. This was part of a big plan to update Gloucester city centre. The shopping centre has a large indoor street. This street has a ninety-degree turn in the middle. It connects Eastgate Street to Southgate Street. There is also a side entrance to Greyfriars. Shops line both sides of this indoor street.
When it first opened, the centre had a new market hall. It also had a large Woolworths store. This store had entrances from both Eastgate and Southgate streets. The centre was connected to nearby car parks. There was even a pedestrian footbridge on the second floor. This bridge went over Eastgate Street. It linked Eastgate with the Kings Walk shopping centre. However, this bridge is now closed.
In 1994, the centre was updated again. Some of the support columns were decorated. The famous Beatrix Potter clock and figures were added. They were placed next to the market. The old cemetery from Greyfriars, which started in 1231, is now under the shopping centre.
Over the years, different companies have owned the Eastgate shopping centre. In 2004, The Mall Fund bought it. Then, in 2010, other companies took over. Finally, in January 2019, Gloucester City Council bought the shopping centre.
On March 23, 2009, a radio station called Heart Gloucestershire started broadcasting. Its studios were inside the shopping centre.
Future Plans for the Centre
The Eastgate Shopping Centre is looking to the future. Between February and June 2018, the first floor was renovated. This area is becoming a Digital Retail Innovation Centre. Here, new digital ideas will be tested and developed. This includes exciting things like Robots and Holograms. The goal is to make the shopping centre a hub for digital innovation.
Eleven small new shop units are also being built. By 2025, the centre plans to be a national hub. It aims to develop Holographic Virtual Employees and Robotic Security Guards. This project received £400,000 in funding. This money came from Gloucestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership program.
The Portico Entrance
The Portico entrance is a very old and special part of the shopping centre. It was built in 1856. It was originally the entrance to the Eastgate market. In 1973, the portico was moved. It was shifted about 25 feet down Eastgate Street. This was to make it the entrance to the new Eastgate Shopping Centre.
The portico is made of classic stone blocks. It is built in a grand Italianate style. The outside has three arches. There are two central pillars. These pillars are framed by Corinthian half-columns. Two end pillars are framed by rectangular columns. All the pillars stand on special bases.
Above the arches, there is a crowning pediment. This is a triangular top part. It has a clock in the middle. On either side of the clock are seated figures. They are carved in high relief, meaning they stick out a lot. The figure on the right is Father time. The figure on the left is Ceres, a goddess. The top pediment supports an arched bell tower. This tower has scrolls on the sides. It is topped with another small pediment.
There used to be iron gates under each arch of the Portico. But these were not put back when it was moved. In 2015, the original iron gates were found. They were in a council yard by the Gloucester Rotary Club. The portico became a grade II-listed building in 1975. This means it is a very important historical building.
The Tailor of Gloucester Clock
This clock is also known as the Beatrix Potter Clock. In 1994, the shopping centre was updated. A large fish tank was removed from inside the centre. The Beatrix Potter clock was added to replace it.
The clock showed an animated Tailor of Gloucester. It also featured mice, an owl, and a cat. It took about fifteen months to build this amazing clock. Every hour, the clock would chime. Then music would play, and all the figures would move. Many people would gather to watch it.
In 2013, the shopping centre had another update. The clock was removed. It had been there since 1994. People created a petition to save the clock. But the shopping centre decided to donate it. It was given to the Pied Piper Appeal, a charity.
