The Belfry (shopping centre)

Infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = The Belfry


image_width =
caption =
location = Redhill, Surrey, England
address =
coordinates = coord|51.24|N|0.17|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title
opening_date = 1991
closing_date =
developer =
manager =
owner =
architect =
number_of_stores = 64
number_of_anchors = 4
floor_area = Convert|248730|sqft|m2
floors = 2
parking = 776 space car park
website = [http://www.belfrywebsite.co.uk/ www.belfrywebsite.co.uk]
footnotes = [cite web |url=http://commercial.btwshiells.co.uk/Site/SCProperty.aspx?x=21&sec=24 |title=The Belfry Shopping Centre - Redhill |publisher=BTWSheills |accessdate=2008-03-06]

The Belfry is a shopping centre located in Redhill, Surrey, England.

History

The Belfry Shopping Centre first opened on 15 October 1991, in the centre of Redhill, having been constructed on the site of an old car park. It dramatically altered the already changing face of Redhill, bringing it well into the modern age and has created many jobs with the 43 shops it contains.Fact|date=July 2008It spreads over a modest 248,000 square feet, and has two shopping levels - the bottom being High Street Mall, and the upper level Station Road Mall. They are named after the roads the respective levels exit onto.

Awards

In February 2006, the Belfry announced that it had won the prestigious 'Purple Apple' National Retail award. [cite news |title=Purple Apple winners |url=http://www.shopping-centre.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/978/Purple_Apple_winners.html |work=Shopping Centre Magazine |date=07 March 2006 |accessdate=2008-03-06 |pages=43] It beat competition from the country's somewhat larger and more popular centres in the Best Single Event category, for its 'Modelsearch' competition, which not only looks to find new modelling talent, of all shapes and sizes, both male and female, but also raises the FootFall figures as well as providing an opportunity for the many clothing shops to showcase their wares.

In 2004, they were the first shopping centre to be presented with an award for environmental management, the ISO 14001 certificate. 48% of their waste is recycled, and a full 100% of their electricity comes from renewable sources.

They also hold the ParkMark certificate, an award given for providing safe parking to their visitors.

Unofficially, it boasts the largest fake Christmas tree seen in any shopping centre across the nation, made especially for their big seasonal event, including a free Santa's grotto, which is hugely popular with the locals and in 2006 resulted in the opening hours having to be extended to accommodate everyone.Fact|date=March 2008

2007 refurbishment

2007 saw some huge changes within the Belfry. On January 17 it was announced by Richard Cowlard, the centre manager, that the precinct would undergo a £1million, 9-month long renovation, to help bring it into the 21st century. Having bucked the trend over Christmas 2006 of falling high street figures, instead enjoying an increase, they deemed the refurbishment worth the investment and went ahead.

The work was all completed (by contractors Kier East) at night to avoid disruption to shoppers and loss of sales to the shops, and finished two months ahead of schedule in September 2007.

Specialists were drafted in to work on the stunning 70-foot-high glass atrium and a new smoke-detection system was installed, along with brand new sprinklers to help keep the centre safe.As well as this, new aesthetic features were installed and standing ones upgraded. The ceilings were replaced (although the roof still leaks) and the walls repainted in bright white. 800 high-spec lights were added to increase the vivid white effect, and the 'scenic lifts' were improved - just one of the ways the centre was made more friendly to their disabled customers.

The centre also claimed to have made itself more environmentally-friendly. This is evident in the more light created by the more energy-efficient high-spec additions, plus the removal of the hand-driers from the toilets and the installation of hand-towel dispensers.

At the same time, one of the Belfry's biggest retailers, Marks & Spencer, which spreads over both the floors in the centre, underwent its own complete refurbishment, which included the introduction of an instore cafe and bakery and the launch of their popular Per Una range.

Shops within the Centre

In alphabetic order:3 store,Bags Etc,
Birthdays,
Body Shop,
Boots The Chemist,
Burton / Dorothy Perkins,C & G Plc,Cafe Ho Sete,Cafe Piazza,Cargo Homeshop,Claire's Accessories,Clark's,
Clinton Cards,
Currys Digital,
Early Learning Centre,
Evans,Fragrance Shop,
Game,H Samuel,
Holland & Barrett,
JD Sports,
Julian Graves,Linens Direct,
Marks & Spencer,Munch @ Coughlans,
New Look,
O2,Phones 4u,
Post Office,
Presence,
QS,
Robert Dyas,
Supercuts,
Superdrug,
Tchibo,The Bay Trading Co.,
Thorntons,Timpsons,
Top Shop,
Vision Express,
Vodafone,
WHSmith,
Waterstones

These are spread on two shopping levels, Marks & Spencer being accessible from both levels.

The Royal Earlswood Museum

Another of the Belfry's claims to fame is being the only known shopping centre to house a museum. Housed on Car Park level one, above Marks & Spencer, is a small collection of some of the very few exhibits from the Royal Earlswood Asylum which was opened in 1847 and closed in 1997. [cite web |url=http://www.surreymuseums.org.uk/museums/RE.htm |title=Museums of Surrey: Royal Earlswood Museum. |publisher= |accessdate=2008-03-06]

Earlswood is a small town just up the hill from Redhill, and in fact is far closer to the actual hill considered to be the original red hill than the town Redhill itself.

Recent news

In September 2007 the Post Office moved from occupying a double unit on the Station Road Mall to renting a space within WHSmith on the High Street Level. This was well-publicised locally and highly unpopular as WHSmith was already very cramped and it also made it less wheelchair/pushchair friendly. Since its move, many complaints have been lodged concerning poor and very slow service, with queues often spreading across the whole shop and making it impossible for shoppers who just wish to visit WHSmith.

References

* [http://reigateandredhill.co.uk/redhill_history_walking_guide.html History of Reigate and Redhill] . Reigate and Redhill.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
* [http://www.redhill-reigate-history.co.uk/london%20road.htm London Road] . "Then and Now". Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
* [http://www.redhill-reigate-history.co.uk/high.htm The High Street] . "Then and Now". Retrieved on 2008-03-06.

External links

* [http://www.belfrywebsite.co.uk/ The Belfry website]