SouthGate, Bath facts for kids
SouthGate Place, the central plaza
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| Location | Bath, Somerset, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°22′43″N 2°21′30″W / 51.3786°N 2.3583°W |
| Opening date | 4 November 2009 |
| Developer | Multi Development UK |
| Management | Guy Henderson |
| Owner | Aviva Investors and British Land |
| Architect | Chapman Taylor, Wilkinson Eyre Architects, T+T Design |
| No. of stores and services | 56 |
| Parking | 876 |
SouthGate is a big shopping centre in Bath, Somerset, England. It has over 50 shops, 10 restaurants, and 99 homes. There's also a large underground car park with 860 spaces. This modern centre replaced an older one that was taken down in 2007.
The new SouthGate is much bigger than the old one. It was designed by Chapman Taylor to look like the old Georgian architecture of Bath. It uses special Bath stone on the outside. The inside buildings are made with modern concrete.
In 2010, SouthGate won an award for being a great new building that fits in with Bath's historic style.
Contents
A Look Back: SouthGate's History
What Was Here Before?
Before SouthGate was built, there was an older shopping centre here. It was designed by an architect named Owen Luder. There was also an old bus station and a car park on the east side.
The old bus station and car park were taken down. A new, modern bus station was built nearby. It's just west of the main Bath Spa railway station.
The area where SouthGate now stands was once called The Ham. This was a piece of land outside the old city wall of Bath. This wall used to run along what is now New Orchard Street. You can still see a reminder of The Ham in the name Ham Gardens, a small street in the area.
Digging Up the Past
Before building started, archaeologists did a big dig. They found many interesting things underground. They found parts of the original city wall. They also found a 17th-century ditch called the 'Bum Ditch'. There was a well and cellars from the 1700s. They even found the old cobblestone street of Marchant's Passage from the 1800s. This project helped save important parts of Bath's history.
Building the New Centre
On September 23, 2008, there was a big fire at the construction site. It was caused by gas cylinders. There was a large explosion and fire. Streets around the area were closed for safety. Trains didn't stop at the nearby station during the fire.
The new SouthGate opened in three parts. The first part opened on November 4, 2009. The second part opened in May 2010, and the last part in August 2010. The homes in SouthGate became available to buy in April 2011. These homes are on the upper floors of some of the buildings.
How SouthGate Is Designed
SouthGate is made up of six main buildings. These include St. Lawrence House and Marchant House. There are also bridges connecting some of the buildings. These bridges help shops get their deliveries easily.
The area has seven streets just for people walking. There's also a main open space called SouthGate Place. The names of these new streets are similar to old streets that used to be there. For example, Marchant's Passage is now New Marchant's Passage. It's named after Abraham Marchant, a firefighter who died helping someone in 1815.
One of the buildings, Block E/F, was planned to have restaurants and a leisure centre. The leisure centre was supposed to have a swimming pool under a big glass roof. However, they couldn't find a company to run the leisure centre. So, that space is now used for offices. The first floor of this building does have restaurants.
Brunel Square: Food Near the Station
In 2011, work began to connect SouthGate more closely to Bath Spa railway station and the bus station. They also built a new area with restaurants. This area is called The Vaults Restaurant Quarter. It's built inside the old railway arches designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This project cost about £12 million.
Shops and Places to Eat
SouthGate has many popular shops. Some of the well-known stores include H&M, New Look, Apple Store, Urban Outfitters, and Boots.
One shop, Currys, was in this area for over sixty years. It was in the old Southgate Shopping Centre and then moved to the new SouthGate. However, Currys closed its SouthGate store in 2020.
Restaurants and Cafes
You can find many places to eat in SouthGate. These include Pizza Express, Caffè Nero, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger. There's also a Sainsbury's Local supermarket.
In 2017, four new restaurants opened in a space that used to be a small arcade called Little SouthGate. These are Absurd Bird, Tapas Revolution, Thaikun, and Comptoir Libanais.
The Brunel Square vaults also have many restaurants. Some of these are Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Franco Manca, Prezzo, and Nando's.
Little SouthGate: A Past Arcade
Little SouthGate was a small arcade with shops inside Block E/F. However, the shops there didn't do very well. So, in 2016, plans were approved to change it. In 2017, the arcade was removed. It was replaced by the four new restaurants mentioned above.
Homes at SouthGate
SouthGate also has 99 apartments. These homes are spread across four buildings: Southgate House, Marchant House, Philip House, and St. Lawrence House. They were all sold together as "The Residence." The people living in these apartments have access to private gardens on the rooftops.
