St Johns Shopping Centre facts for kids
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Newly refurbished Houghton Street entrance
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| Location | Liverpool, England |
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| Coordinates | 53°24′25″N 2°58′52″W / 53.407°N 2.981°W |
| Address | St George's Place, Liverpool L1 1LY |
| Opening date | 1969 |
| Management | Neil Ashcroft |
| Owner | InfraRed |
| Architect | James A. Roberts |
| No. of stores and services | 105 |
| Total retail floor area | 360,002 sq ft (33,445.3 m2) |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Parking | 621 |
| Public transit access | Liverpool Lime Street |
St Johns Shopping Centre is a large covered shopping centre in Liverpool, England. It has been a key part of the city since 1969. You can find over 100 different shops and businesses here. The centre is also home to St Johns Market, which has a long history. The market first opened way back in 1822. The current market building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1971.
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Discover the History of St Johns
St Johns Market was one of the first indoor market halls with a roof. It opened its doors in 1822 and was the biggest market in the 1800s. It had many arched windows and strong iron pillars. This original market building was taken down in 1964.
Building the Shopping Centre
The St Johns Shopping Centre we know today was designed by an architect named James A. Roberts. It first opened in 1969.
There used to be an underground path that led directly to Lime Street train station. However, this path was closed off later on. The shopping centre also had two big fires. These happened on September 26, 1977, and again on December 17-18, 1979.
Modern Changes and Updates
Over the years, the shopping centre has had many updates. In March 2013, a company called InfraRed Capital Partners bought St Johns Shopping Centre. They paid about £76.5 million for it.
Work began in July 2013 to completely update the food court area. This big project cost £1.6 million. It made the lower-ground floor and the areas around the escalators look much more modern. This work was finished in November 2013.
In June 2016, St Johns Market closed for its own big update. This project cost £2 million. Now, the market is spread across two floors around a central open space. It also has new features like Wi-Fi and new public toilets. The number of market stalls grew from 90 to about 120. The market reopened on November 25, 2016, after all the work was done.
St Johns Beacon: A City Landmark
The St Johns Beacon is a tall tower located on the same foundations as the shopping centre. It was built with the centre to help with air flow for the market's incinerator. From 1971 to 1983, the beacon had a spinning restaurant at the top. Queen Elizabeth II opened this restaurant in 1971.
In 2000, the beacon became known as the Radio City Tower. Today, it holds the studios and offices for Radio City and Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool, North West & North Wales. You can even hear Radio City's music playing inside the shopping centre!
Shops and Places to Eat
St Johns Shopping Centre has many popular shops. Some of these include Aldi, Argos, Home Bargains, Iceland, Matalan, Poundland, Sainsbury's and Wilko.
When you get hungry, you can find places like KFC, McDonald's and Subway. There is also a Wetherspoons pub called The Fall Well, which used to be a pet shop.
St Johns Shopping Centre is also a great place to find many independent shops. These are smaller businesses that sell all sorts of things, from baby clothes to beauty products.
Images for kids
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St Johns Shopping Centre logo
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The Houghton Street entrance after its update
