Market Place (Bolton, UK) Dead Mall : Long Live The (18)80s
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Opened back in the 1800s, Bolton's Market Place is hardly a typical dead mall. As a Grade II listed building, it combines mall aesthetics with architectural details left over from days gone by.
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Market Place lost Debenhams, its main anchor, in 2021 and The Light cinema has been closed for much of the pandemic. As a result, it feels like the place is struggling.
Join me for a walking tour of this dying(?) shopping centre, and check out what makes it such an interesting place to spend some time for a retail nerd like myself!
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Intro:
Jingle Punks - All This Down Time (pitched down)
Music:
Aristotle's Hard Drive - Window Shopping
Aristotle's Hard Drive - No Shoplifting
Aristotle's Hard Drive - Thank You For Coming, See You Next Time
Courtesy of Shopper's Delight (aristotleshard...)
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I visited this mall last weekend and am happy to report it was full of people shopping and eating/drinking
Well, that’s nice to hear - I got the impression it had potential to be buzzing at the right time(s) of day!
I recall this place from the 1990s when it housed dozens of independent traders - shops which sold perfumes, lamps, a tiny Greek restaurant, a butchers, clothes shops, and a tiny booth near the main door where an old guy would fix any watch or re-size jewellery etc for a few quid a time. All driven out by mega-businesses which noboby much wanted or needed. I'm not (quite) cycnical enough to suspect that all the Town Council were taking fat envelopes from investors.... but the final result is like de-forrestation but with local business. Cut down all the local growth to make way for some big ''cash-crop'' scheme, and within a few years you've got a dust-bowl. The small grass-roots indies gave the place cohesion. They made it a place people wanted to spend money, talk, take time, have a long cafe lunch.... it held the whole atmosphere together. Its main function now seems to be a tax write-off scheme for Mega-Corps.
When I was very young, I used to come here at Christmas, and it always seemed utterly magical. After we'd bought our presents (Dad always used to buy a Crown Derby animal from the Debenhams for Mum), we used to take the lift to the top floor where there wasn't much, and just look out onto it all, the lights, the decorations, the music. That was Christmas. Those were the days.
The whole town centre of Bolton is dying with Bury flourishing at Bolton's expense. The loss of Debenhams and Marks and Spencers being its death knell.
The Market Hall in Bolton was a great place full of small traders and happy shoppers in the main hall, and specialist shops like Oxendales Locksmiths, and a great posh restaurant (was that called "'Percivals"?) I went there loads of times from about 1960, including when on visits back to the area with my wife and son when home visiting my Mum and Dad, which always included tea or coffee, scones or a butty at Morrellis up on the back balcony. Last visit was with my wonderful wife back in 2009, when Starbuck's "coffee" dump had replaced Morrellis. I won't be going back. Not to Bolton town centre at all. It is not my town anymore. Feels more like hostile enemy territory.
It's really interesting to see dead malls abroad. The US is so over-retailed, it's been inevitable, especially with the rise of online shopping during the pandemic.
Very true - I can't believe how over-malled some cities are over there, but similar venues are still struggling here even without that problem.
The market hall was far more successful in the recent past, a real market with tons of character. After the renovations the place lost its soul. Your average Boltonian could no longer afford to shop there. Brilliant planning.
I used to play on the grand piano in the vaults. The head of security is a really nice guy and allowed me to play anytime i want. Then they hired a group of young security guards. These new guards had a hair up their *** and one of them tried slamming the piano's lid on my fingers. Ever since then i have never bothered to visit again.
Damn! That sucks. I'm not sure whether I even saw a grand piano in the vaults...unless it's in my video somewhere? Otherwise, maybe it's gone.
OH LORD NO! THOSE LIFTS ARE EPIC! But they are quite worn though. If they ever get round to demolishing Crompton Place, there's a big possibility that they'll move Primark to Debenhams. I really hope Market Place has a bright future, Primark would definitely make it more likely to happen.
True. Although I do worry that dead malls in this country have an over-reliance on Primark to bail them out...
@@DeadMallWalking Update: The existing lifts have now been modernised with new fixtures and controllers, they also have new flooring.
wow what a stunning building!
looks like a great place to visit
i don’t think this counts as a dead mall as there is quite a bit of footfall but have you looked into St Elli shopping centre in llanelli
Was better about 60 years ago,had the proper market atmosphere
Would have loved to have seen it back then!
I visited London and lived there many years. Other than the Westfield shopping centres Central London has been hit worse than anywhere else in the UK. If you want a London dead mall try Brunswick Centre in WC1
I don't know if you'd count this as a dead mall, but it's quite sad seeing a 7 year old shopping destination in that weird half-popular state with many units empty (some never have been occupied I don't think). I anyone who lives in Wales has worked out where I'm talking about: Friars Walk in Newport.
Ooh, interesting. Just looked it up and it reminds me a bit of a spot I went to in Bury called The Rock. I wonder if they have the same owner!
@@Alex-cw3rz I mean, not true. Debenhams had closed forever at this point, but go off, bud.
@@DeadMallWalking The Rock is doing very well now The Range has taken over the former Debenhams unit. There's only about 3 empty units left now. Friars Walk is in a much worse state.
It used to be an interesting place to go shopping back in the day when it was only meant for independent traders. You could do your whole week's shopping under that one roof, everything you can imagine was on offer. And then big money came along, the usual rich retail chains looking for even more shop space, as if they didn't have enough already, and the town council went on its knee and gave in.
The place has been ruined, it's now no different to any other shiny mall, no reason to go there when you have exactly the same shops just down the road from you.
Maybe one day they'll bring back the independent traders. Here's hoping.
Wow! you create incredible .take care~=))
Thanks!
very sad...Bolton is a lovely indoor shopping center; I wonder how much London's been impacted by retail trends and the pandemic?...in the U.S., malls are dying at a rapid rate....but I think the saturation of malls during the 80's & 90's was exponentially higher than most of the other countries in the world...if shopping centers make a comeback, they have to innovate
Yup, it’s a nice spot! London has suffered plenty of closures, but seems to be powering through for the most part. But I agree innovation will be vital in years to come.
It wasn't covid that killed it, it looked like this within a month or two of them refurbishing it over a decade ago, same with the actual market. The council spent money they didn't have on trying to make it look like it was from any city, then skyrocketed the rent to cover it. Any small businesses that tried their luck there went under in weeks, and not a whole lot of people wanted to shop in the bigger ones. Before the refurbishment they used to do period victorian markets that attracted people from all over, the place actually had some character. Now it's just an empty shell of glass.
Have you visited the grafton center in cambridge? i feel as if it has been displaced by the other shopping centre, the Grand Arcade, which has an apple store and well known brands.
I haven't, but hopefully I'll be able to visit at some point!
DMW, reply to this message. The market place lost debenhams, but you can see a tiny bit of the old department store, but PRIMARK might be moving from Crompton place Shopping Centre - to Market Place Shopping Centre.
It took me 3 mins to get round it, well done to all the ppl who shop online made the yanks richer and got rid of nearly all the british institutions that you used to see on the high street and in malls like this
It's all part of the Great Reset
Although, i visited the escalator bit when it was open :)
this ones gonna be good
Hope it lived up to your expectations!
@@DeadMallWalking it did indeed! such a treat
This Bolton mall is a lovely building. If the local economy improved then this mall would increase in trade.
Oh yeah, it's beautiful. Economic growth in the area certainly couldn't hurt!
Honestly, it looks busier when you went than the last time I was there pre-pandam. The vaults were opened in 2015 and I dont think they were as popular as they hoped. They all seem to be part of the food festival though, which is nice. Theres plans for a new monstrosity to be built in place of the one the want to knock down too.
Really! I had actually wondered if I’d gotten a false impression of how quiet it was. I liked The Vaults, but I’m guessing they have to close before you could get a nice nightlife vibe going down there. Yep, I saw that - another “mixed use” development...
@@Alex-cw3rz This was filmed on a weekend, a couple of hours after opening. Obviously I edit to avoid showing children or anything like that, but it's an accurate portrayal of the mall on this particular day.
Hi! Can you do a video on Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells? Recently many stores have been closing leaving the future uncertain.
It also has an abandoned BHS which may interest you.
Sounds interesting! If I'm in the area, I'll definitely try to check it out :)
@@Creative_Devise the bhs is under offer now.
It's not a mall it's a shopping centre.
That's because we live in Britain and not the USA.
Seems like everyone just heads to the trafford center these days.
@deadmallwalking Could you film the Middleton Shopping Centre?
These places need to stay protected, nice grand brick work, stained glass etc etc, it's a beautiful building in places, something metro has gut wrenching lost, I remember as a kid walking around in one of the village Malls, one had a mini in the wall, the other had a little center bit with a phone box and little animals that made noises, good memories, but so so sad to think I'll never experience it again, I fidn musket reminiscing alot recntly, I don't know why, but I am...
I agree with you, and I do wonder whether keeping it as a retail space is the best way to do that. Then again, what else would they do with it? The older we get, the more time we spend reminiscing about the past...not such a bad thing as long as it motivates us to enjoy the present as well!
@@DeadMallWalking I deeply miss Royal quays, I used to love going there with my auntie and parents, standing watchign the clock, I went a fe winter ago and was heart broken to see it rusty, and dare I say it, abandoned
once the mkt place was a profitable and welcome shopping centre. but since the renovation into posh shops its all gone sour. they should not have toutched it. the vaults was a complete waste of money half the eating establishment's have closed
I also find it really strange that the vaults represents a ton of real estate that (from what I could tell…) only comes awake at night, and maybe lunchtime, when the mall is probably closing soon after?
Go on a Saturday and it’s packed
Why could they not have someone with a vision to the future to leave a piece of Victorian historic , functional shopping market in its original form ? I see it still has some of its original form, but its not what it was like . If it should be a graded listed building they ought to change the rules; leave it as it is .
Honestly, I’m surprised they were allowed to change it as much as they did! I have no doubt that they addressed a lot of infrastructure problems etc. during the refit, but I agree that a lot of the original old school character is gone as a result.
not just the mall. the whole of bolton is dead. i only work part time, to avoid taxes.
I expect we’ll see a lot more people shifting to part time in the near future!
Absolutely ruined it when they “modernised” it and ripped out all the old market stalls. It’s lost all it original charm and characteristics that made it unique. Ghost town!
Would you do ryemarket stourbridge one day
Just checked it out and it looks so much like another spot I know, haha. If I’m ever around there I will definitely try. Like Pokemon - gotta catch ‘em all!
Dead mall walking, please reply. So, omicron has arrived to bolton and really, its closing instead of dying.
Hi Leon, the prevailing view of Omicron seems to be that its weaker nature might herald the end of the pandemic. So I'd try not to worry too much about that!
Omicron was a forced meme. Don't believe the government lies.