Bentall Centre, Kingston
| Location | Kingston upon Thames, UK |
|---|---|
| Opening date | November 1992 |
| Owner | Meyer Bergman |
| No. of stores and services | 75 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 (Bentalls) |
| Total retail floor area | 600,000 sq ft |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Website |
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The Bentall Centre is a large shopping centre in Kingston upon Thames, London, England, which opened in 1992. It has been built in the retail space of Bentalls department store, opened in 1935, and which retains a large store in the renovated building.
History and development
In 1987, construction began on creating a new Bentalls department store and shopping centre. This new development was to include a five level department store and a four level adjoining shopping centre including over 100 retail units.
The development took five years to complete and was built in two phases, allowing the existing department store to trade throughout the development period on a reduced footprint. The first phase, the 'new' department store opened in July 1990. The completed shopping centre was opened in November 1992 by Edward Bentall (descendant of Frank Bentall) and Nick Price from Norwich Union with a floor area of 600,000 sq ft (55,742 m2).[1]
In 2012, it was reported that the centre is owned by the London-based Dutch privately held real estate investment company Meyer Bergman.[2]
Current operations
Stores
Below are just a few of the many stores, for a full updated list visit the Store Finder
As of January 2014 the centre contains Baby Gap, Clintons, Disney Store, EE, Early Learning Centre, Gap Kids, HMV, Mothercare, Starbucks, Virgin Active, Vodafone and W H Smith.
Unique features
The shopping centre's atrium ceiling is higher than the nave of Westminster Abbey or the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. The original department store's façade was retained.
Another significant feature of the centre is an escalator which travels from the ground to the second floor. It is the largest single truss escalator in the world with only a top and bottom support.
When opened, a statue of Leonard Bentall by William Reid Dick was placed on the top floor looking down across the whole centre. However, when Fenwick bought the department store in 2001,[3] they moved it to a secondary location as they believed it affected the sight lines into the store.
On opening, the Bentall Centre was the first shopping centre in the UK to adopt a "no smoking" policy throughout.
Gallery
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The interior of The Bentall Centre
References
- ↑ Peacock, Grenville (30 July 1993). "Obituary: Rowan Bentall". The Independent. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ↑ "The giant company that has invested billions across Europe". thetelegraphandargus. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ↑ "Fenwick Bentalls Kingston Department Store". Retrieved 3 July 2014.
External links
Coordinates: 51°24′43″N 0°18′17″W / 51.412°N 0.3046°W