Built next to the North Circular – on the site of Hendon Greyhound Stadium and a sewage works – it was designed as a destination for Londoners who could park and shop year round in its covered walkways.
One journalist hailed it a “futuristic concept” while another dubbed it “hideous and soulless”.
The M&S is still there but women’s fashion store Dorothy Perkins is no longer. (Image: Brent Cross Shopping Centre)
Developers Hammerson ploughed the then princely sum of £20 million into the 800,000 square feet of retail space – with flagship John Lewis, Fenwick and Marks & Spencer stores all nestled under one roof.
Barnet Council backed the scheme although traders in Hendon feared they would lose out to a space that could offer 75 different shops across the 52 acre site.
Many north London children have fond memories of playing on the animals at Brent Cross Shopping Centre. (Image: Brent Cross Shopping Centre)
Not only that, there was air conditioning, indoor fountains, and longer opening hours until 8pm at a time when most British shops still closed at 5pm and had mid‑week half‑days.
The modern shopping centre was officially unveiled by the then Prince of Wales – now King Charles III – and the adjoining road Prince Charles Drive, marks the occasion.
In the end it drew shoppers from across the south east and is credited as a template for huge malls such as Lakeside and Bluewater.
The John Lewis store – like the M&S and Fenwick is still there 50 years after the centre opened. (Image: Brent Cross Shopping Centre)
In fact competition from newer out of town centres started to affect Brent Cross in the 1990s – its concrete architecture started to seem outdated next to glass and steel structures.
They responded with an expansion to around 120 stores, and a new multi‑storey car park with extra spaces and a revamp to bring in more natural light.
The car park was even used to film the 1997 Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies.
North Londoners who remember playing on the iconic animals on shopping trips have huge fondness for the 1970s concrete emporium.
It’s true there is no easy pedestrian way to access the island site but in recent years the development of the new 6,700 homes at Brent Cross Town – along with a new Brent Cross West rail station on the other side of the North Circular – is bringing a whole new neighbourhood within a quick bus ride of the trailblazing mall, which last year still attracted 10.6 million shoppers.
