Galleries Shopping Centre, Washington facts for kids
Galleries Shopping Centre pictured in 2006
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| Location | Washington, Tyne and Wear, England |
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| Coordinates | 54°54′02″N 1°31′58″W / 54.90053°N 1.53288°W |
| Opening date | July 1974 |
| Owner | LCP |
The Galleries Shopping Centre is a popular shopping centre located in Washington, which is part of the City of Sunderland in England. It's a great place to find lots of different shops and places to eat!
Exploring the Shops
This big shopping centre has over 200 different shops for you to explore. There's also a separate retail park nearby with 16 more stores. Some of the main shops are large supermarkets like Sainsbury's and Asda.
It's easy to visit the Galleries because it has over 2,500 free parking spots at the main centre. The retail park also has more than 600 parking spaces. Plus, there's a bus station right at the centre, so you can get there by bus too!
A Look at Its History
How the Galleries Started
The Galleries Shopping Centre first opened its doors in July 1974. When it was brand new, part of the centre was open to the sky, without a roof. This area, where a Costa coffee shop is now, got a roof added later on.
An interesting fact is that the Galleries was home to the UK's very first "Savacentre" store. This was a huge supermarket, and it's now a Sainsbury's.
Updates Over the Years
Since 2009, the shopping centre has had many updates to make it even better. They've added new entrances and improved the main open area inside, called the atrium.
In July 2016, a special accessible toilet called a Changing Places facility was opened. This helps people with more complex needs to use the toilets comfortably.
More recently, in May 2021, the centre added 8 electric vehicle charging points. These are located near the car park entrances for McDonald's and JD Sports. This helps people with electric cars charge their vehicles while they shop.
In January 2022, the Galleries Shopping Centre got a new owner. A company called LCP bought the centre.
