Bullring makes 10

Image reproduced from bullring.co.uk

A day after the new Library of Birmingham has opened Birmingham celebrates another occasion with the Bullring's tenth anniversary today, Wednesday 4 September.

The 110,000 square metre shopping centre opened officially on the 4th September 2003 with over 250,000 eager shoppers marking it's opening, http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/lifestyle/shopping/400-million-flock-bullring-decade-5762554.  In those ten years 400 million people have visited with approximately 38 million people a year visiting the 160 shops and restaurants.

The centre is the third most photographed landmark in the UK and much of this popularity has come from Selfridges with it's 15,000 aluminium spun discs providing the first new image changing building for Birmingham.  The Future Systems designed building even featured on a stamp, http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2009/01/photographic-legacy.html, cementing it's recognition nationally and providing a new landmark to recognise the city.

The Bullring hasn't stood still over the past ten years with the Spiceal Street development, http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2011/11/spicealing-up-bullring-spiceal-street.html, in 2011 adding more restaurants to the centre and it continues to look forward with future plans for a potential cinema and more eateries, http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/commercial-property/hammerson-unveils-plans-birminghams-bullring-5381026.  The expansion plans come at a key time for the centre as the redevelopment of adjacent New Street Station sees the former Pallasades Shopping Centre redeveloped into Grand Central Birmingham bringing new retailers to the city alongside a new John Lewis store and the redevelopment of the Mailbox seeing a doubling of Harvey Nichols' store.

Celebrating it's tenth year the Bullring is a retail beating heart for the city that has brought new visitors and helped provide a new image for Birmingham.  It's beating retail heart has been joined by the new Library of Birmingham providing a learning hub for the city.  The new library like the Bullring will sit on either side of what will be a transformed new New Street Station and with the station will act as trio of projects that show a rejuvenated city moving forward.

The following pictures show pictures I took in 2002 during construction work on the new Bullring; unfortunately prior to me buying my first digital camera.  It's hard to believe it's been over ten years since I watched the demolition of the old Bull Ring Centre and it's replacement by the new Bullring and ten years today since it opened.