The Chimes, Uxbridge
Encyclopedia
The Chimes is a shopping centre in Uxbridge
, within the London Borough of Hillingdon
, owned and managed by Capital Shopping Centres
.
Opened in February 2001, the centre includes 71 stores, cafes and restaurants, including Boots
, BHS, Debenhams
, Gap
, H&M
and Next as anchor store
s. A multi-screen Odeon
cinema, with the only IMAX
screen in West London, is also a major part of the centre.
A number of existing old buildings in Uxbridge High Street were restored and incorporated into the new shopping centre, which was designed with the intention of it blending into its surroundings.
The new development, bordered by the High Street and Chippendale Waye was built beside Uxbridge tube station
and incorporated many of the existing buildings on one side of the High Street. The George Street car park, a joinery works, builders' yard and garages were demolished to make way for the construction, as were several houses on Chippendale Waye which were knocked down to allow the centre's car park to be built. Chippendale Waye was widened to become a dual carriageway to support the extra traffic expected once the centre opened. During excavations for the construction, archaeologists found Bronze Age
remains dating from before 700 BC.
The development in Uxbridge of what would become The Mall Pavilions shopping centre in the 1970s had seen the demolition of a large area of the opposite end of the High Street in favour of an open shopping development, but was widely considered to have been unsuccessful. During the 1980s, the centre was refurbished and a roof was built. During the planning for The Chimes, developers with encouragement from the London Borough of Hillingdon sought instead to avoid such a move by retaining many of the original old buildings in the High Street.
The name The Chimes was eventually chosen by the developers as a reference to the sound of the bells from the market house on the High Street nearby, which were traditionally rung to announce the opening of the town's market.
Anchor stores including Boots and Debenhams were established in the centre, along with a multi-screen Odeon cinema, which closed its smaller premises at the opposite end of Uxbridge High Street. The 19th century-built offices of the local building company Fassnidge were also refurbished and included in the new development, becoming a Pizza Express
restaurant. A new public area known as the piazza was developed in front of the Fassnidge building, and a second restaurant was built beside it, using preserved timber salvaged during the demolition of older buildings in Uxbridge in earlier years. The new restaurant was designed to resemble a Tudor
-style house.
A statue, named "Anticipation", featuring a woman, child and dog was unveiled near the front entrance of the centre on 25 June 2002 by Elizabeth II and the Prince Philip
. The statue had been commissioned by Hillingdon Arts Association and was created by Anita Lafford. Her design was chosen on March 2001 following an open competition which began in January 2000.
The tenth anniversary of the opening of The Chimes was celebrated in February 2011, at which time it was said to be attracting 12 millions customers each year.
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, within the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
, owned and managed by Capital Shopping Centres
Capital Shopping Centres
Capital Shopping Centres Group plc is a United Kingdom-based Real Estate Investment Trust , largely focused on shopping centre management and development. Formerly named Liberty International plc, it changed its name to that of its major subsidiary in May 2010 after demerging its Capital & Counties...
.
Opened in February 2001, the centre includes 71 stores, cafes and restaurants, including Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
, BHS, Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
and Next as anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s. A multi-screen Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
cinema, with the only IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
screen in West London, is also a major part of the centre.
A number of existing old buildings in Uxbridge High Street were restored and incorporated into the new shopping centre, which was designed with the intention of it blending into its surroundings.
History
Planning for the shopping centre began in the 1990s, under the proposed name of St George's, although a development in Harrow on the Hill subsequently took the name.The new development, bordered by the High Street and Chippendale Waye was built beside Uxbridge tube station
Uxbridge tube station
Uxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, north-west London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan Line and the Piccadilly Line. The next station towards London is Hillingdon. The station is 15.5 miles west of...
and incorporated many of the existing buildings on one side of the High Street. The George Street car park, a joinery works, builders' yard and garages were demolished to make way for the construction, as were several houses on Chippendale Waye which were knocked down to allow the centre's car park to be built. Chippendale Waye was widened to become a dual carriageway to support the extra traffic expected once the centre opened. During excavations for the construction, archaeologists found Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
remains dating from before 700 BC.
The development in Uxbridge of what would become The Mall Pavilions shopping centre in the 1970s had seen the demolition of a large area of the opposite end of the High Street in favour of an open shopping development, but was widely considered to have been unsuccessful. During the 1980s, the centre was refurbished and a roof was built. During the planning for The Chimes, developers with encouragement from the London Borough of Hillingdon sought instead to avoid such a move by retaining many of the original old buildings in the High Street.
The name The Chimes was eventually chosen by the developers as a reference to the sound of the bells from the market house on the High Street nearby, which were traditionally rung to announce the opening of the town's market.
Anchor stores including Boots and Debenhams were established in the centre, along with a multi-screen Odeon cinema, which closed its smaller premises at the opposite end of Uxbridge High Street. The 19th century-built offices of the local building company Fassnidge were also refurbished and included in the new development, becoming a Pizza Express
Pizza Express
PizzaExpress is a restaurant group with over 400 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 40 overseas in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. It was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot.In Ireland, PizzaExpress trades under the name Milano....
restaurant. A new public area known as the piazza was developed in front of the Fassnidge building, and a second restaurant was built beside it, using preserved timber salvaged during the demolition of older buildings in Uxbridge in earlier years. The new restaurant was designed to resemble a Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
-style house.
A statue, named "Anticipation", featuring a woman, child and dog was unveiled near the front entrance of the centre on 25 June 2002 by Elizabeth II and the Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
. The statue had been commissioned by Hillingdon Arts Association and was created by Anita Lafford. Her design was chosen on March 2001 following an open competition which began in January 2000.
The tenth anniversary of the opening of The Chimes was celebrated in February 2011, at which time it was said to be attracting 12 millions customers each year.