 |
||
| Main Entrance on a wet day | ||
 |
||
| View down the mall with Christmas lights |
The Trafford Centre is a temple for the worship of commerce and conspicuous consumption. Its style is kitsch. Despite these reservations, I like it for the following reasons. You can walk around without a coat or umbrella on a winter's day; it is very clean and free of litter and unsightly graffiti. As it is private property and not a public right of way, there are no tramps, beggars or people sleeping in shop doorways. There is no motor traffic and nobody may eat take-away food or drink alcohol while walking round the shopping area. There is a wide range of catering to suit all tastes. I have visited the Trafford Centre on several occasions, usually with a small camera in hand. Photography used to be frowned on by the security staff but as so many tourists now take pictures on smart phones, they gave up trying to stop them. However, it is private property, so they are entitled to regulate what happens on their premises.
These pictures were taken when the Trafford Centre appeared to be almost fully occupied and the owners had plans to expand. Work had begun to put a roof over Barton Square. Financial problems arose when the Arcadia Group sought lower rents. In May 2019, Arcadia announced plans to close many of its stores and in the November it went into administration. Since then other retailers have acquired the brands involved but not the stores. The pandemic hit in March 2020 and on 1 December 2020 Debenhams went into administration. These changes have huge consequences for the Trafford Centre and it will be interesting to see what happens. In the meantime, here are pictures of it in its glory days. Pictures after the easing of Covid restrictions are shown at the end. Debenhams had closed, the M&S furniture store at the entrance to Barton Square had closed and several shops were displaying a window sized photograph of a shop or cafe.
|
||
| Main Entrance on a wet day | ||
|
||
| View down the mall with Christmas lights |
 |
 |
|
| Triumphal Arch | Marble Stairs up from the entrance | |
 |
 |
|
| Columns with Lion | Entrance Hall Lamp | |
 |
 |
|
| Escalator under the dome | Under the Dome | |
 |
 |
|
| Half landing from entrance | Staircase with goddesses |
 |
 |
|
| Figures over the main entrance | Barton Square fountain | |
 |
 |
|
| Ionic Capitlol on marble pillar | Mermaids in Barton Square | |
 |
 |
|
| Jazz Band as part of a New Orleans themed section | Clock in cafe | |
 |
 |
|
| Classical ladies bathe in the mall | Marble steps and brass rails | |
 |
 |
|
| Nymphs and cherubs in a plaque on the stairs from the entrance | Roman figure | |
 |
 |
|
| Marble urn | Lion outside Barton Sq. | |
 |
 |
|
| One of many classical statues in Barton Square | Classical head |
On returning to the Trafford Centre in September 2021 after Covid 19 restrictions had been relaxed, I saw for the first time the changes to Barton Square, which had been given a glass roof. The mermaids and dolphins were polished and the upper level was paved in marble.
 |
| Barton Square newly roofed taken from the balcony at the far end |
 |
 |
|
| Quiet in front of old Debenhams | Centre of Barton Square | |
 |
 |
|
| Polished dolphin | Polished mermaid |
1.0 Strict 