Xscape is a brand name for buildings developed by X-Leisure, now part of

Land Securities Land Securities Group plc is the largest commercial property development and investment company in the United Kingdom. The firm became a real estate investment trust (REIT) when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is ...

. Typically they contain a real snow

indoor ski slope Indoor skiing is done in a climate-controlled environment with artificially produced snow. This enables skiing and snowboarding to take place regardless of outdoor temperatures. Facilities for both alpine skiing and nordic skiing are availabl ...

, leisure facilities and related shops. , there are two members of the chain, located in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

(both in England). A former member in Scotland has been sold. Xscape Milton Keynes and Xscape Yorkshire were designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects.

Xscape Milton Keynes

Xscape Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) opened in July 2000 and is a major feature on the skyline of

Central Milton Keynes Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a #Civil parish, civil parish in its own right, with a town council#England and Wales, town council. The district is approximately long by w ...

as seen from the east. The front of the Xscape building is 44 metres high, making it the second tallest building in Milton Keynes after Mellish Court in

Bletchley Bletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in the south-west of Milton Keynes, and is split between the civil parishes of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and West Bletchley. Bletchley is best known ...

(Which is to be demolished in 2022, making Xscape the tallest building). Xscape Milton Keynes features a 170m long real-snow ski slope, a 16-screen cinema, a number of shops and restaurants, a casino and a trampoline park. An interesting point is the two large funnels on the front of the building are sometimes mistaken for lifts or part of the cooling system; in fact they are stairs. Located directly behind the Xscape building is a large square structure that houses an

indoor skydiving A vertical wind tunnel (VWT) is a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column. Unlike standard wind tunnels, which have test sections that are oriented horizontally, as experienced in level flight, a vertical orientation enables gravi ...

centre named 'iFLY' (previously known as 'Airkix' until September 2016).

Xscape Yorkshire

Xscape Yorkshire () is in Glasshoughton, West Yorkshire and opened in October 2003 with a footprint of approx . Xscape Yorkshire was a major development for what was before, an average sized town in West Yorkshire and is situated next t
Junction 32
a popular outlet mall formerly known as Freeport. The development contains a number of shops, restaurants, a church, and entertainment facilities including a bowling alley, multi screen cinema, laser tag, crazy golf and amusements. The cinema is one of the few

Cineworld Cineworld Group plc is a British cinema operator headquartered in London, England. It is the world's second-largest cinema chain (after AMC Theatres), with 9,518 screens across 790 sites in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Irela ...

cinemas in the UK that has D-Box motion seating. It utilises complex ventilation technology. The site is served by

Glasshoughton railway station Glasshoughton railway station serves Glasshoughton, Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Pontefract Line, operated by Northern, south-east of Leeds. It was opened by West Yorkshire Metro on 21 February 2005. It is located ...

on the Pontefract line (LeedsHull), opened by

West Yorkshire Metro Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yor ...

on 21 February 2005.

Xscape Braehead Renfrew

Xscape formerly had a centre in

Renfrew Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former ...

. It was sold to

Intu Properties Intu Properties plc was a British real estate investment trust (REIT), largely focused on shopping centre management and development. Originally named Liberty International plc, it changed its name in May 2010 to Capital Shopping Centres Group p ...

References

External links

Xscape YorkshireXscape Milton KeynesSnozone – Direct link for the indoor snow slopesPhotographs of the opening day of Xscape in 2006, Braehead near GlasgowX-Leisure company websiteXscape project details – Clyde Waterfront RegenerationReview of Xscape Castleford
{{Land Securities Buildings and structures in Milton Keynes Sports venues in Buckinghamshire Buildings and structures in the City of Wakefield Ski areas and resorts in England Indoor ski resorts