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Anglia Square is a shopping centre in the north of
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...
city centre, in
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. Opened in 1970, it was part of a larger Norwich redevelopment during this period, which was also complemented by the establishment of the nearby
HMSO The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the Un ...
building, Sovereign House, which opened in 1969. The square took six years to build, but was never actually finished. Pedestrian shop-lined walkways lead onto Anglia Square which was originally open to the elements but is now partially covered by a steel and glass structure – added in the late 20th century. The red brick and concrete buildings are finished in the
brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
style. Forming the western boundary of the centre is the former
HMSO The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the Un ...
building, Sovereign House. The building now stands empty and due for demolition. In 2014, the centre was bought by investment manager Threadneedle Investments for £7.5 million. In early 2018, Weston Homes and landowner Columbia Threadneedle submitted regeneration plans for the site, which included a controversial 25-storey tower block, but due to intervention, subsequent plans reduced the height to 20-storey. The updated plans were rejected in 2020 by the secretary of state, Robert Jenrick. Subsequently, in April 2021, the developer announced it would work on new proposals for the site.


History


Stump Cross and Botolph Street

The area where Anglia Square stands today was part of the Saxon settlement of Northwic, which was defended by Anglo-Scandinavian defensive ditches running along what is now Botolph Street and Anglia Square car park. Magdalen Street and St Augustine's, which are two of the oldest streets in Norwich, date back to those times. During the 19th century, a Crape Manufactory – a factory which produced a fabric often worn when mourning, was built where Anglia Square now stands. The area was badly bombed during the
Baedeker raids The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of aerial attacks in April and May 1942 by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on English cities during the Second World War. The name derives from Baedeker, a series of German tourist guide books, includ ...
in April 1942, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and the area was deemed suitable for post-war development.


Redevelopment

The 1945 Norwich Plan, prepared for the city council by C.H. James, Rowland Pierce and Norwich City Engineer H.C. Rowlet, envisioned an urban dual carriageway encircling the city centre, creating ambitiously titled “gates” (aka roundabouts) at every major intersection. Although it was unrealised in its entirety, the western and part of the northern sides of this ring road became the Inner Link Road, constructed between 1968 and 1975. Many historic buildings were cleared in the making of Anglia Square and the subsequent inner-ring road. One of the oldest was the Kings Arms public house on Botolph Street, which on its gable end in large iron characters were the letters "I" and "C" and the date "1646", now preserved in one of the Norwich museums. Also demolished was the Regency bank at the junction of Magdalen Street and Botoph Street. Some other Georgian and Victorian buildings along St George's Street that survived the war bombings as well as gabled and jettied Tudor buildings. The cleared areas near where The Shuttles pub stood, were never built on, and remains an empty wasteland today. The centre was designed by Alan Cooke & Partners who handled the whole development.


Facilities


Shops

The single storey shops include discount supermarkets and a wide range of privately owned and high street stores. The covered square features a selection of street stalls.


Cinema

Built on a concrete raft and rising above the centre is the former Odeon cinema which opened on 8 July 1971, then part of the Hollywood chain, which replaced a nearby 2,000 seat pre-war cinema, then in 2019 closing permanently. In July, 2013 the cinema hosted the world premiere of '' Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa''.


Regeneration

Anglia Square and the surrounding area is to be the centre of a major redevelopment with a suggested name of Calvert Square (Calvert Street is nearby). During 2008 the public were invited to view the proposals. Work was due to start in 2009 but plans were scaled down due to the
credit crunch A credit crunch (also known as a credit squeeze, credit tightening or credit crisis) is a sudden reduction in the general availability of loans (or credit) or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from banks. A credit cr ...
. In January 2011 new plans for the square were lodged and the developers hope to gain approval before the end of April 2011. In November, 2009 the public were asked to have their say on the proposed development. The multimillion-pound plans are to be part of the Northern City Centre Area Action Plan. In 2014, the centre was bought by investment manager Threadneedle Investments for £7.5 million. The current owners and their partner Weston Homes announced in November 2016, they have been holding talks with chief officers at
Norwich City Hall Norwich City Hall is an Art Deco building completed in 1938 which houses the city hall for the city of Norwich, East Anglia, in Eastern England. It is one of the Norwich 12, a collection of twelve heritage buildings in Norwich deemed of part ...
. Plans submitted include the demolition of Anglia Square, the former stationery office and Gildengate House. More than 1000 homes are planned to be built above shop units and a new public square. In early 2018, Weston Homes and landowner Columbia Threadneedle submitted regeneration plans for the site. These include 1200 homes, of which 120 will be affordable, a major supermarket, hotel, green squares and central courtyards, along with a 20-storey tower. The project is opposed by Historic England, civic watchdog the Norwich Society and the Dean and Chapter of Norwich Cathedral.


References


Gallery

File:Anglia_Sq_from_Ringroad.JPG, Sovereign House File:Anglia Sq Close View.JPG, Sovereign House


External links


£271 million revamp approved by Norwich City Council
{{Shopping centres in the East of England Buildings and structures in Norwich Shopping centres in Norfolk 1970 establishments in England Brutalist architecture in England Concrete buildings and structures