Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Coordinates: 52°02′37″N 0°45′20″W / 52.0436°N 0.7555°W / 52.0436; -0.7555

Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre

Midsummer Place
Facts and statistics
Location Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Opening date September 25, 1979
Developer MKDC
Owner Prudential, Hermes, and Legal & General
No. of stores and services over 260
No. of anchor tenants 4
Total retail floor area 1,790,000 ft² (166,000 m²) [1]
Parking over 17,000 spaces nearby
No. of floors 1
Website thecentre:mk
Midsummer Place

Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre is a regional shopping centre located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England which is about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. It is managed in two separate parts, thecentre:mk and Midsummer Place.

Contents

[edit] Development

Main articles: Central Milton Keynes and History of Milton Keynes

The Milton Keynes Development Corporation began work on the original "Shopping Building" in 1973 as the centrepiece of Central Milton Keynes. The architects were Derek Walker, Stuart Mosscrop, and Chris Woodward; and the engineers were Felix Samuely and Partners. The design followed the minimalist principles of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and envisaged glass-covered shopping streets or arcades on the scale of the Galleria in Milan. It formed a glass-and-steel envelope for 130 shops and six department stores, arranged down two parallel daylit streets, planted with tropical and temperate trees. The shopping area was opened on 25 September 1979 by Margaret Thatcher. It was described in 1993 as "still the best-looking if no longer the biggest shopping centre in the British Isles".[2]

In 1993, the building was extended at the western end, over what was the City Square. With a length of 720 metres, it was said to contain the longest shopping mall in the world.[3]

Midsummer Place is effectively a southwards extension of the centre; it was designed by GMW Architects of London and opened in 2000. Part of Midsummer Boulevard had to be closed to allow this to be built.

[edit] Features

Whereas some large shopping centres have several levels, at Milton Keynes the public access to all the shops is from the ground floor. Some of the shops then have two or three floors inside. A service road for thecentre:mk runs above the shops; while the Midsummer Place shops are serviced from below, with car parking above them. This means all deliveries to the shops take place out of view of the shoppers.

Fountain in Queen's Court before redevelopment
Oak Court in Midsummer Place


There is an open-air garden square (Queen's Court) which is currently closed for redevelopment as a restaurant quarter;[4] there is a 1,800-square-metre covered events area (Middleton Hall);[5] and Midsummer Place was built around an existing oak tree that survives in an open area (Oak Court).

Outside the centre is an open-air market. Also, on the other side of Midsummer Boulevard, there is another building (the Food Centre) containing food shops.

[edit] Art

Frog.ogg
View of animated feature clock by author Kit Williams. Video.

Within the centre there are several works of art. Midsummer Arcade contains:

  • a hanging kinetic sculpture (Circle of Light) by Liliane Lijn (1980) which has been removed for renovation [6] [7] [8] [9]
  • WHITEWALL for exhibitions of contemporary art.[10]

Before being redeveloped, Queen's Court contained:

  • a sundial and associated bollards (Bollards) by Tim Minett (1979) [6]
  • a bronze group of people (Vox Pop) by John Clinch (1988) [6]
  • three bronze figures (Dream Flight, Flying Carpet, High Flyer) by Philomena Davis (1989) [6]
  • a mosaic pavement from the Roman villa at Bancroft (circa AD 320).[11]

Oak Court contains:

  • a stainless steel sculpture (Acorns and Leaves) by Tim Ward (2000) [6]
  • the Concrete Cows by Liz Leyh (1978) on temporary loan.[12]

The Midsummer Place building contains:

[edit] Future

The Milton Keynes Partnership and the centre owners planned to expand thecentre:mk. Phase 1 of the redevelopment programme would include a new department store on the south side (for which the outdoor market would be moved southwards and Secklow Gate flyover would be closed), the colonnade on the west of Middleton Hall would be removed by expanding the shops into it, Crown Walk would be opened to allow pedestrian access through the centre after the shops close (shortening evening journeys on foot considerably), a restaurant quarter would open in a re-landscaped Queens Court, and an "enhanced" entrance would be created on the north side.[15] Phase 2 may include expansion at the eastern end. However, these plans are being reviewed by the centre owners and only the work in Queens Court has started.[16] [17] [4]

The plans are controversial because they would mean the loss of the unique minimalist appearance of the building. The closure of Secklow Gate will impede north-south vehicle movements. Additionally there are plans to erect dwellings in the area which runs the risk of hampering movement around and in and out of the centre as well as spoiling views of the shopping building.[18]

The Milton Keynes Council transport strategy calls for Midsummer Boulevard to be re-opened through the arch connecting Midsummer Place to thecentre:mk to facilitate a "public transport spine" bus route along the Boulevard, from the station to Campbell Park.[19]

[edit] Original building to receive 2* listing?

In November 2008, English Heritage (the responsible body) recommended to the Culture Minister that the original building be designated a "2*" listed building which, if awarded, would severely curtail the owners ability to alter it.[20]

[edit] References

  1. ^ thecentre:mk, Facts and Figures, combined gross leasable area of thecentre:mk and Midsummer Place.
  2. ^ N. Pevsner and E. Williamson, Buckinghamshire, 2nd edition, Penguin Books (Buildings of England), 1994, ISBN 0-14-071062-0, page 494.
  3. ^ The Guinness Book of Records 1997, Guinness Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-85112-693-6, page 165.
  4. ^ a b Redwood Consulting, thecentre:mk prepares for redevelopment of Queens Court (MS Word document).
  5. ^ thecentre:mk, Events.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Milton Keynes Council, Milton Keynes Artwalks, The City Centre Artwalk numbers 3 and 19 to 26.
  7. ^ L. Lijn, "Body and soul: interactions between the material and the immaterial in sculpture", Leonardo, 31(1), 5-12, 1998.
  8. ^ stuad70, Circle of Light.
  9. ^ MK News, Artist angry over sculpture removal.
  10. ^ Milton Keynes Contemporary, WHITEWALL.
  11. ^ Heritage Tile Conservation Ltd, Bancroft Villa fourth-century Roman pavement.
  12. ^ MK News, Concrete cows go on shopping trip.
  13. ^ a b c Midsummer Place, Art at Midsummer Place.
  14. ^ Cass Sculpture Foundation, Bill Woodrow - Sitting on History I.
  15. ^ thecentre:mk, thecentre:mk of the future, accessed 29 May 2007.
  16. ^ thecentre:mk, thecentre:mk of the future, accessed 15 Dec 2007.
  17. ^ BBC News, Milton Keynes plans put on hold.
  18. ^ Milton Keynes Council, Report on Planning Application 07/00577/REM (PDF).
  19. ^ Milton Keynes Council, Provisional Local Transport Plan 2006-07 to 2010-11: Appendix A: Bus Strategy: Public Transport Long Term Vision (PDF).
  20. ^ The Telegraph, Milton Keynes centre may become architectural 'treasure'. (The article is otherwise incorrect: the building is not 'surrounded by concrete flyovers' - there is one flyover that crosses the the building at first floor level, where it connects with an internal service road.)

[edit] External links


v • d • e
The largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom
v • d • e
Shopping centres with sculptures by Kit Williams
Regent Arcade, Cheltenham  · Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes  · Telford Shopping Centre
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Milton_Keynes_Shopping_Centre"
Personal tools