Birmingham, England's Bull Ring Centre

The original logo of "Brummagem's" BULL RING CENTRE. In 1964, the fully-enclosed, inner-city shopping hub was promoted as "a 23-acre town within a city" and "the world's most advanced shopping centre." 

Graphic from John Laing Construction. Limited

A 19th century rendering of the Market Hall, which stood on the BULL RING site for over 100 years.
Drawing from Wikipedia / "Erebus555"

St. Martin's In The Bullring, a centre city fixture since 1873. It replaced an earlier 13th century sanctuary. The church stands on a plot adjacent to BULL RING CENTRE.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Sunil060902"

A diagram of the original BULL RING CENTRE. Opened -by the Duke of Edinburgh- in May 1964, the 24 million pound complex was Great Britain's first fully-enclosed shopping mall. It provided "coat-free shopping" to the West Midlands populace.
Drawing from John Laing Construction, Limited

Who came first? London's ELEPHANT & CASTLE CENTRE was dedicated in March 1965. The complex is often heralded as the first covered shopping mall in Europe...although Birmingham's BULL RING CENTRE opened for business almost one year before. The ELEPHANT & CASTLE complex was demolished in July 2021.

Advert from the Willets Group 

A circa-'64 layout of "Brum's" BULL RING CENTRE. The Centre Court Level is depicted. There were six more floors in the basic structure. The facility encompassed 350,000 lettable square feet and contained over 100 stores and services. It opened as the largest interior mall outside North America (the number 2 contender being Sydney, Australia's MIRANDA FAIR). 

A cut-away view of the north facade shows just how massive a structure BULL RING CENTRE was. Its seven levels were Service, Retail Market, Centre Court, Car Park Entry, Grand Parade, Bridge and Banqueting Hall.  On top of this, there was a 9-storey Office Block and 4-level Car Park. The mall featured two supermarkets, two department stores and one of the largest Woolworth stores in Europe. Valet parking was provided for 560 autos.

A vintage view of Centre Court at BULL RING CENTRE. The mall's interior had no natural lighting and not a lot of the artificial variety. The prevailing theory was that brightly-lit stores would draw customers inside. One might notice how the escalators bypass the Car Park Entry Level, in the middle, and connect the Centre Court Level directly with the Grand Parade Level.
Photo from the Birmingham Corporation / John Laing Construction, Limited

The facade of the original BULL RING CENTRE, which incorporated Brutalist design principles. The structure took on the appearance of a fortress-like, concrete hulk. 
Photo from Wikipedia / "Star One"

At the north end of the BULL RING shopping precinct was The Rotunda, a cylindrical, 25-storey tower designed by James A. Roberts. It was completed in 1965.
Photo from Wikipedia / "G-Man"

"Brum's" BULL RING CENTRE, an urban renewal experiment, was modestly successful for a time. However, by the mid-1980s, it had declined into a derelict, graffiti-covered -and virtually vacant- property. 
Photo from http://kebabselector.myzen.com.uk / "Scphoto"

One of the original features of the centre was its labyrinth of subterranean pedestrian passageways, which were built to separate on-foot traffic from the maze of surface roadways surrounding the complex. These so-called "subways" quickly became notorious for muggings and assaults.

Photo from http://kebabselector.myzen.com.uk / "Scphoto"

The 1960s version of BULL RING CENTRE was knocked down between June 2000 and March 2001. Two components (shown in black) were left standing. The site was expanded eastward, with five additional structures demolished. A new & improved BULLRING BIRMINGHAM was dedicated in September 2003. The West Midlands mall encompassed approximately 1,184,000 lettable square feet and housed 160 stores. 

The northwest entrance of the new, Post-Modern mall featured "The Guardian," a statue created by Laurence Broderick. Locals usually refer to it as "The Bull."
Photo from Wikipedia / "Luke Byfield"

The primary anchor of BULLRING BIRMINGHAM first traded to the public in 1909. In the present, there are four locations; the London flagship, the BULLRING unit and two stores in Manchester. The BULLRING store is the chain's largest branch.
Graphic from www.selfridges.com

Above and below are views of the futuristic facade of the BULLRING Selfridges. The 60 million pound store is linked to a multi-storey car park by the Parametric Bridge seen here.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Brian Norman"

Selfridges' exterior is covered by 15,000 aluminium (that's "al-yoo-min-ee-um") discs.
Photo from "The Failure of the Preservation of Brutalism in Birmingham, England" / Kelsey Dootson 

A view of the store's interior, which resembles the cover of the Alan Parsons Project's 1977 "I Robot" LP.
Photo Wikipedia / "Erebus555"

The second anchor of the new BULLRING mall was based in London and was in business between 1778 and 2021. At one time, there were 116 DEBENHAMS stores in the United Kingdom. 
Graphic from www.debenhams.com

An interior view of the Second City's downtown shopping complex. In the present day, BULLRING BIRMIGHAM encompasses approximately 1,204,000 lettable square feet, with a tenant list of 163 stores and services. For-pay parking is provided for 3,100 autos. 

Photo from Wikipedia / "G-Man"

Adjacent to the BULLRING is GRAND CENTRAL, a shopping precinct dedicated in September 2015. This mall occupies space above the Brit Rail New Street station. It is a redevelopment of the BIRMINGHAM SHOPPING CENTRE (1971), which had been renamed THE PALLASADES in the 1980s. 
Photo from Wikipedia / "Bs0u10e01"

In 2017, BULLRING BIRMINGHAM and GRAND CENTRAL began to be marketed collectively. The official name of the first shopping complex had been shortened to read simply "BULLRING."
Graphic from https://www.bullring.co.uk

A circa-2022 tenant list includes stores and services in the BULLRING mall, omitting those operating in the adjacent GRAND CENTRAL complex.  

Graphic from www.bullring.com.uk (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

BULLRING BIRMINGHAM TENANTS 2022:

SHOPPING:

MARKS & SPENCER Coming Soon! / SELFRIDGES (with Food Hall and Beauty Concierge) / TK MAXX apparel / Ann Summers lingerie / Arket apparel (with cafe) / Boots cosmetics / Bose electronics / Boss By Hugo Boss men's wear / Boux Avenue lingerie / Calvin Klein apparel / Clarks footwear / Clintons cards & gifts / Cos ladies' wear / Diesel apparel / Dr. Martens footwear / Footlocker / Goldsmiths jewelry / H Samuel jewelry / H & M apparel / H & M Home furniture and lighting / Halifax bank / HMV music / Holland & Barrett health foods / Hotel Chocolat / Jack Wolfskin apparel and outdoor equipment / JD Sports apparel / Kids Footlocker / Kurt Geiger accessories / Lacoste apparel / Lego Store / Levis / Lovisa jewelry / Mango ladies' wear / Michael Kors ladies' wear / Morphe cosmetics / Myga Yoga / New Look ladies' wear / Next 1 apparel / Next 2 apparel / Office footwear / Omega Boutique jewelry / Pandora jewelry / Peloton fitness equipment / Reiss men's wear / River Island apparel / Savers cosmetics / Skechers Shoes / Smiggle stationery & toys / Sports Direct / Sunglass Hut / Supercuts / Superdrug cosmetics and hair salon / Ted Baker apparel / The Body Shop cosmetics / The Entertainer toys / Timberland foot wear / Three mobile phones & accessories / Tommy Hilfiger apparel / Treetop Adventure Golf / Vans skates & accessories / Victoria’s Secret lingerie / Vision Express / Vodafone mobile phones & accessories / Watchfinder Company / Zara Men men's wear / Zara Women ladies' and children's wear

DINING:

IN BULLRING BIRMINGHAM:

@ Pizza / Batch'd Bullring / Bill's Restaurant / Brown's Bar & Brasserie / Bubble Ci Tea (kiosk) / Burger King hamburgers / Cafe Nero / Cafe Rouge / Chaophraya Thai cuisine / Costa Coffee / Five Guys Burgers & Fries / Little Dessert Shop / Mount Fuji Tokyo Teriyaki Restaurant / Muffin Break / My Cookie Dough desserts / Nando's restaurant / Pizza Express / Pizza Hut / Starbucks Coffee 1 / Starbucks Coffee 2 / Subway / Vietnamese Street Kitchen / Wagamama Japanese cuisine

IN SELFRIDGES FOOD HALL:

Ed's Easy Diner United States cuisine / Kouzina Greek cuisine / Krispy Kreme Doughnuts / Lola's Cupcakes / Ooty Station cafe & bar / Pret A Manger sandwich & salad Bar / San Carlos Fumo Italian cuisine / San Carlo Grancafe / Tonkotsu ramen bar / Yo! Sushi

Marks & Spencer, an iconic Brit-based retailer, assumed a vacant Debenhams space in BULLRING BIRMINGHAM. The existing High Street store was shuttered when the new BULLRING location began trading to the public, in late 2023.

Graphic from https://www.marksandspencer.com

BULL RING CENTRE
High Street and St. Martin's Circus
Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom

The mall-type shopping centre evolved differently in Great Britain than in the United States, Canada or Australia. The typical suburban model seen in North America, or in The Land Down Under, was not developed extensively in the United Kingdom.

Large, regional-class shopping malls, as North Americans and Aussie's came to know them, were built in England. However, these were few and far between and, more often than not, situated in the central city. Great Britain's first suburban-style mall would not appear until 1976.

The centre city "shopping precinct" was the first type of retail mall developed in England. Planning for Birmingham's BULL RING CENTRE began in 1959, when the Birmingham Corporation solicited proposals for redevelopment of the city centre. A plan submitted by John Laing Construction, Limited was accepted in February 1960. A 23-acre plot had been cleared by this time. It had been the site of a cattle market, or "bull ring," since the time of Henry II, who reigned between 1154 to 1189. 

By the 16th century, the area had outdoor markets selling textiles and foods. An indoor market was built between 1832 and 1835. The roof of this structure was destroyed by a Luftwaffe bombing raid in August 1940. It was never repaired and the walled facility was utilised as an open-air market for several years.

Work commenced on the BULL RING CENTRE project on May 15, 1961. The shopping-centre-to-be would be comprised of seven levels, encompass approximately 350,000 lettable square feet and contain 140 stores and services. It would feature fifty-eight escalators, two open-air markets, a covered fish market, 95-bay bus terminal, 9-storey office block and 5-level car park.

The complex was designed by two Laing Construction architects; Sydney Greenwood and T. J. Hirst. It was built in a stark, modernist style which came to be known as Brutalist. In addition to its subterranean bus terminal, the mall was accessed by two British Rail stations, an Inner Ringway road and labyrinth of pedestrian tunnels known as subways.

BULL RING CENTRE was dedicated on May 29, 1964, in a ceremony officiated by Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Charter stores in the 24 million pound facility included Turner's Shoes, Tay's The Butcher, Oswald Bailey, Wymans, Bata Shoes, Foster Brothers and Mann's and Fine Fair supermarkets.

The predominant retailer in the complex was a 4-level (95,000 square foot) Woolworth's variety store. As a matter of note, the British Woolworth chain was a division of New York City-based F.W. Woolworth & Company. This British division had opened its first store, in Liverpool, in 1909.

Patrons coming to BULL RING CENTRE by automobile could pull into its car park entrance and leave their vehicle with a uniformed valet. He would drive into a lift (elevator) that would transport the auto to the car park structure above.

The ultramodern centre featured soothing muzak piped into its artificially-lit mallways. There was a "pram park," where children could be watched as mothers did their shopping, and bird aviary with macaws, parakeets and cockatoos.  A "late spring atmosphere all year round" was maintained with an oil-fired central heating an air-conditioning system. The exterior of the structure also featured a 44-foot-wide screen which ran news flashes, sports results, weather forecasts and advertisements.

Unfortunately, by the late 1970s, the newness had worn off of BULL RING CENTRE. The complex began to empty out due to exorbitant rents demanded for shopping and office space. Escalators often broke down. Moreover, pedestrian subways had become notorious for muggings and assaults.

The complex, which had opened with high hopes and aspirations, began to be viewed as an urban planning blunder. By the early 1980s, the centre was in an ever-worsening state of disrepair. It was largely vacant, covered with graffiti, with open spaces often littered with debris. 

A redevelopment plan was devised, but not carried out. Subsequent proposals in 1987 and 1995 failed, as well. In 1999, a successful redevelopment scenario gained approval. It was put forward by a joint venture known as the Birmingham Alliance. This was formed from constituents of the London-based Hammerson Group, Global Investors and Land Securities Group.

Tenants at BULL RING CENTRE relocated into the adjoining Rag Market, which was south of the main structure. The bulk of the mall was demolished between June 2000 and March 2001. The site, now encompassing an expanded 26 acres, was filled by a new, post-modern shopping precinct known as BULLRING BIRMINGHAM.

The 500 million pound (897 million US dollar) facility was designed by London-based Benoy. The enclosed and open-air shopping hub was officially dedicated on September 4, 2003. It enveloped approximately 1,184,000 lettable square feet and contained 160 stores and services. There were three main shopping levels; St. Martin's Square, New Street Station and High Street-New Street.

Anchoring BULLRING BIRMINGHAM was a 4-level (250,000 square foot), London-based Selfridges and 4-level (207,000 square foot), London-based Debenhams. Inline shops included Jack & Jones-Vero Moda, Armani Exchange, JD Sports and DKNY.

BULLRING BIRMINGHAM was the largest retail-oriented centre city redevelopment Europe had ever seen. It became the crown jewel of the much-heralded reinvention of Birmingham, which made the transition from a rust-belt-type, past-its-prime "concrete jungle" into a centre of commerce, tourism and high-tech industry.

A charter anchor store was lost when Debenhams went dark on May 15, 2021. The vacant building was retanted by London-based Marks & Spencer, who welcomed first customers on November 7, 2023. The BULLRING mall now housed ninety-nine stores and services.

Sources:

The Birmingham Daily Post

The Guardian (London, England)

The Financial Times (London, England)

"The Bull Ring Centre, Birmingham" / Official Architecture & Planning / Alexandrine Press / July 1964

"The Failure of the Preservation of Brutalism in Birmingham, England" / Kelsey Dootson / 2016

http://www.mad.com.uk

http://reference.findtarget.com

http://www.bullring.com.uk (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.bullring.co.uk

https://www.mallsecrets.co.uk