The Trafford Centre in Manchester has marked 28 years since it first opened its doors to the public in September 1998. Over that time, the mega shopping centre has seen significant changes, including major developments such as the Great Hall, the redesigned Barton Square, and an ever-changing retail and restaurant line-up.
When it opened on September 10, 1998, it was the largest shopping centre in the UK, creating 7,000 jobs for the local area. It is now the third-largest shopping centre by retail space, after Westfield in London and the Metrocentre in Gateshead.
Architectural praise and early reactions
Much was made not only of the Trafford Centre's mammoth size when it opened, but also its opulence and nods to classical architecture with its Grecian flourishes. Writing in the Manchester Evening News' Metro newspaper the day after it opened, Dr Vince Mitchell, senior lecturer at UMIST, said of its architecture: "Historically, churches and cathedrals were often the most ornate and expensive buildings around, but nowadays modern churches are more likely to be built with breeze block while we devote our creative energies and money into building imposing sky scrapers of the financial centres of the world and lavish shopping emporiums."
He added: "In the case of the new Trafford development, it can be seen that a truly modern 'cathedral' is taking shape, and just like St Paul's, its very size makes it a tourist attraction in itself in the Britain of the '90s."
Archive footage and opening day memories
On its recent birthday, BBC Manchester posted archive footage of the opening of the Trafford Centre. The video starts with last-minute maintenance and building work less than 24 hours before its doors were to open to shoppers for the first time. The journalist Gary Keown says, 'To the untrained eye, this looks like a shopping centre that won’t be ready'.
Joiners in hard hats desperately make last-minute preparations in the New Orleans French Quarter as forewoman Beryl Moore rattles off instructions. Machines vacuum up the dust as thousands of pounds of gold leaf, which can only be added at the end of the busy construction phase, are carefully brushed onto the fixtures and fittings. There were staff briefings for the staff of Selfridges who were opening their first-ever store outside London.
The BBC journalist describes how the work goes on long into the night as parts of the building's interior are given their final coats of paint and polish. Later in the video, we see the first shoppers walking through the doors of the Trafford Centre.
Shoppers share their first impressions
One woman praised the shopping centre’s location, saying: “It depends on where you live doesn’t it? It’s more convenient for us to come than get a bus or train to Manchester.” Another praised the look saying: “It’s really nice though, it’s gorgeous.” Another woman didn’t sound as quite as impressed, saying: "I probably wouldn’t come here like I would go to Bolton, but I certainly will come fairly regularly."
Looking back at the Manchester Evening News on the day the shopping centre opened, we also spoke to shoppers who were keen to share their opinions. Alison Southern, who had travelled from Hale village near Merseyside, said: "We were able to get in early and we are thrilled with the look of the centre - it's absolutely incredible." The Singh family from Old Trafford were so excited about the big event, they were unable to sleep and arrived at 3am to be among the first at the complex. Tessa Singh, who arrived with husband Raj and their teenaged children, said: "We have heard so much about the centre and for such a long time we wanted to be here on the first day."
