- Templars Square
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Templars Square 
The interior of Templars Square in October 2008Location Cowley, Oxfordshire Coordinates Coordinates: 51°43′56″N 1°13′01″W / 51.732147°N 1.216974°W Opening date May 1965 (as Cowley Centre) Management Aaron Bayliss[1] No. of stores and services 63 Website templarssquare.com Templars Square is a shopping centre located in Cowley, Oxfordshire, England. It was opened in 1965 and was known as Cowley Centre until 1989. It is the largest enclosed shopping centre in Oxford.[2]
Contents
Development and construction
A shopping centre in central Cowley was first proposed in the late 1950s. By 1959, the proposal had received strong endorsement from Oxford City Council, and an embargo on new shopping developments along the nearby Cowley Road was enforced. The development was opposed by Lord William Beveridge, who felt that Cowley was the wrong location for the centre.[3]
Construction of the development, by now known as Cowley Centre, began in 1960. Its design was inspired by new town centres and North American shopping malls.[4]
Opening and subsequent history
Cowley Centre was opened in May 1965 by Richard Crossman, then Minister of Housing and Local Government. The opening ceremony was attended by over 300 people.[1]
In 1970 the Sainsbury's store at the northern end of the centre was extended, requiring the demolition of a local pub, which was rebuilt around twenty yards away.[5] The Sainsbury's store later closed and was replaced by branches of Wilkinson and Iceland.[6]
The centre was renamed to Templars Square in 1989, and celebrated its 20th year under the name with a series of events in August 2009.[1]
Facilities
As of August 2009, Templars Square has 63 retailers, making it the largest shopping centre in Oxford. This number had decreased from 85 in 2002, partly because of the financial crisis of 2007–2010; one of the largest stores, Woolworth's, closed in December 2009. However, overall trade at the centre was largely unaffected by the recession.[1] The Woolworth's site has since been taken over by 99p Stores.[7] As of June 2010, the centre's occupancy rate is 96%.[8]
Templars Square has a six-storey car park. This opened in 1964, a year before the shopping centre. In July 2009 the top deck of the car park was temporarily closed after three people died by falling from it.[9]
The centre is located adjacent to the Templars Retail Park, which is legally restricted to non-food sales to avoid competition with the centre. In December 2010 a proposal was announced to relax the restriction and open a new supermarket at the site, which was opposed by the centre's management.[7]
Further reading
- The Cowley shopping centre. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1968. ISBN 011700376X. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EOKRAAAAIAAJ&q=%22cowley+centre%22&dq=%22cowley+centre%22&hl=en&ei=g_D4TNatJKCqhAf_iuDyCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAg.
References
- ^ a b c d Hearn, Dan (14 August 2009). "We're beating the recession, says Oxford shopping centre". Oxford Mail. http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4547787.We_re_beating_the_recession__says_Oxford_shopping_centre/.
- ^ "Templars Square Shopping Centre, Cowley, Oxford". templarssquare.com. http://www.templarssquare.com/. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ Skinner, Annie (2005). Cowley Road: A History. Signal Books. ISBN 9781904955108. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s9SRAAAAIAAJ&q=%22cowley+centre%22&dq=%22cowley+centre%22&hl=en&ei=Qt32TICgMJDL4gbg9YXoBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBg.
- ^ Benson, John; Shaw, Gareth (1999). The retailing industry. 3. Post 1945 - retail revolutions. I.B. Tauris. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PERizR8zleIC&pg=PA34&dq=%22cowley+centre%22&hl=en&ei=Qt32TICgMJDL4gbg9YXoBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22cowley%20centre%22&f=false.
- ^ Yurdan, Marilyn (2009). Oxford in the 1950s and '60s. The History Press Ltd. p. 121. ISBN 9780752452197.
- ^ "Perl found in Cowley shopping centre". Property Week. 5 September 2003. http://www.propertyweek.com/talk-of-the-towns/3029817.article.
- ^ a b Hartford, Maggie (2 December 2010). "New supermarket could open in Cowley". Witney Gazette. http://www.witneygazette.co.uk/business/8713689.New_supermarket_could_open_in_Cowley/.
- ^ "B&M boosts retail offering at Templars Square". shopping-centre.co.uk. 22 June 2010. http://www.shopping-centre.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/3634/B_M_boosts_retail_offering_at_Templars_Square.html.
- ^ Wilkinson, Matt (10 July 2009). "Suicides prompt closure of Oxford car park's top storey". Oxford Mail. http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4485083.Suicides_prompt_closure_of_Oxford_car_park_s_top_storey//.
External links
Categories:- Shopping malls established in 1965
- Shopping centres in Oxford
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