The Galleries, Bristol facts for kids
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| Location | Broadmead, Bristol, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°27′24″N 2°35′23″W / 51.4567°N 2.5897°W |
| Opening date | October 1991 |
| Owner | LaSalle Investment Management |
| No. of stores and services | 71 |
| No. of floors | 3 |
The Galleries is a popular shopping mall in Bristol, England. It's located in the Broadmead shopping area. This mall has three floors and is a great place to find many different shops. It first opened in 1991 as The Galleries Shopping Centre. Later, it was called The Mall Bristol for a while, but now it's back to being called The Galleries.
History of The Galleries
The Galleries Shopping Centre first opened its doors in October 1991. It was built where some older shops used to be. For example, there was a big Woolworths store and a Co-operative department store. The car park for The Galleries is now where the Co-operative store once stood.
One of the mall's entrances is called "The Greyhound." This used to be an old pub that closed in the early 1990s. It was then made into part of the shopping centre.
Over the years, the mall changed owners and names. It was bought by a group called The Mall Shopping Centre Fund. They changed its name to The Mall Bristol.
In January 2011, the mall was sold again for about £50.1 million. At this time, its original name, The Galleries, was brought back.
Around 2008, another big shopping centre called Cabot Circus opened nearby. Many popular chain stores moved from The Galleries to the new Cabot Circus. This meant The Galleries had many empty shops. It was once Bristol's main shopping centre, but it became less busy.
In 2019, The Galleries was sold to a company called LaSalle Investment Management. It was sold for about £32 million.
Changes and Future Plans
The Galleries has been updated a few times over the years. In 2011, the area where people could eat, called the food court, was moved. It went from the top floor to the middle floor.
In 2013, the shopping centre had a big makeover. About £1.5 million was spent to improve the entrances and refresh the inside of the mall.
In 2021, new plans were announced for The Galleries. Over the next five to ten years, the shopping centre might change a lot. The idea is to turn it into a mixed area with homes, offices, and some shops. This is because The Galleries has found it hard to compete with the newer and larger Cabot Circus since 2008.
How to Get to The Galleries
It's easy to get to The Galleries. It's not far from Bristol Temple Meads train station. You can walk there from the station.
Many local bus services also stop nearby. These buses are run by First West of England.
If you come by car, there's a large car park. It has almost 1,000 spaces. You can get into the car park from Fairfax Street and New Gate.
