Eldon Square Shopping Centre

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Facts and statistics
Eldon Square
Eldon Square logo

Location	Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Opening date	1976
Owner	Capital Shopping Centres Newcastle City Council
No. of stores and services	150
No. of anchor tenants	4
Total retail floor area	961,000ft² (89,277m²)
No. of floors	2

Eldon Square is a shopping centre in Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom. It was officially opened in 1977 by Queen Elizabeth II and is named after the original Eldon Square (now known as Old Eldon Square) which the shopping centre was built around. Eldon Square was also the name applied to a terrace development on the same site, designed by John Dobson in about 1824 and demolished in the 1960s.

The opening of the MetroCentre in nearby Gateshead during 1986 provided competition for Eldon Square, however, both are now owned by the Capital Shopping Centres group, thus resolving any serious commercial conflicts. A new extension to the complex called Eldon Garden was build in the late 1980s in a more contemporary style than the main centre. Eldon Leisure is a leisure centre built above the shopping areas that offers sporting, health and beauty facilities.

The Northumberland Street entrance to Eldon Square

Reconstruction work began in June 2005 that will convert the long-standing bus station into new lower mall. The new Eldon Square Bus Station opened on 18 March 2007 between John Lewis and Haymarket bus station. It features a series of glass screens designed by the artist, Dan Savage. Recently the old Green Market closed as part of the redevelopment of the southern mall, which will be completely rebuilt to include several new retail outlets, including anchor store Debenhams department store. The New Green Market at High Friars opened in March 2007, with its entrance from Nelson Street and upstairs from the Grey's Monument and Monument metro station. ^[1]

[edit] Notable stores

Fenwick, flagship store and headquarters of the chain.
John Lewis Newcastle, known as Bainbridge, until 2002.
Marks & Spencer, one of the more profitable Marks & Spencer stores outside of London, with the most profitable food hall in the company.
Debenhams, opening in 2009/2010 as part of the Eldon Square South re-development - the final and largest part of the Eldon Square's major re-development.