The Sheridan Centre - Why was it demolished?

Len's Lens

Len's Lens

Well-Known Forumite
I've been looking at some old photographs of Stafford from http://www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/. In particular, the Sheridan Centre. From what I gather, it was built in the 1970's and was home to a vast array of small shops, independent outlets and local family businesses. Most of it was undercover and from the photos, it looks like a thriving, bustling part of the town to shop.

It was home to shops such as:-
Baxter's Butcher's Shop
Greenwoods
Dewhurst Butchers
Lotus Shoes
Tandy's
Just Pants Plus
Tiko Bake
Wine Ways
Key's Market

In the early 2000's, the right-hand half of it (looking at it from the high street) was demolished and replaced with a new building in exactly the same place. The undercover section was removed, many former smaller units had been substituted for 2-3 larger units and essentially, what was created, was a walk-through/alley to Argos and Sainsbury's - devoid of any character or atmosphere. It was renamed Gaolgate Place. However, the only shops you'll find actually down the alleyway nowadays are:-

Oxfam
Sweet shop (I think it has closed - used to be Discs & Disks - which was actually pretty good)
A closed gym (lasted about 9 months)
Home and Bargains

So, all the former businesses were sacrificed for a 3-4 shops. The main part of the new building is taken up by Bright House and another charity shop which are situated on the main high street - but extend down the cut-through. This seems to be such an inferior development and waste of good space. Even the Gaolgate Place sign above the alleyway has been missing now for a few years, some people still call it The Sheridan Centre. The building on the left (from the high-street) still exists as part of the Sheridan Centre development but the rest of it is gone.

I cannot help thinking that if the Sheridan Centre still existed in initial form, then the North end of the town would be so much more lively and vibrant with it's small shops attracting an array of customers and the larger shops on the main high street and Butler's Bell catering for the rest plus the ale hunters. I only know Gaolgate Place as it is now, after having come to Stafford shortly after the existing building had been removed.

My question is:- Why was most of The Sheridan Centre demolished - only 30 years after it's inception?? Was it due to subsidence? Did most of the shops close down anyway? Was there a need for larger premises such as New Look and Bright House rather than smaller, individual shops? Was there a fault with the original building? And why was it replaced with Gaolgate Place, such a mediocre successor, with hardly any businesses and where you will need to bring your brolly??

Please enlighten me.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
There was a record shop there - Terry Blood, I think.

The 'improvement' works, as with so many similar projects, was less than totally successful.

I don't remember any specific structural issues being obvious at the time, it was more a speculative venture, as I recall.

The alleyway used to have a Hunter's Row sign on it, under the Gaolgate Place ironwork, and Oxfam still used Mount Row as the address on the receipts, although it was actually Mount Cow that was printed on them...
 
HopesDad

HopesDad

Don't feed the troll
The former Sheridan Centre was indeed built as an enclosed ‘indoor’ shopping centre when Mount Street and some other small streets were demolished, along with the Borough Council officers, which were located there.

When it was opened in the seventies it was all shiny and new and all the units were occupied. They were all smaller units, Tandy was indeed one of them, the record shop had a number of incarnations, Terry Blood was one, I believe Revolver was another, there were others. There was also a Victoria Wine shop (possibly where the Oxfam shop is now). In the outer area there was block paving, trees and benches. What is now Home Bargains was Sportsco and Halpin Style, gents’ clothing. The current Argos store was originally Bejam, predecessor of Iceland, then a supermarket, then Brian’s wallpapers. When the Centre closed the wallpaper shop moved into the front part of the shop next to the market arcade which was later River Island then, briefly, a pop up pseudo-ikea tat shop. Brian’s wallpapers caused uproar at the time by painting the side of their shop facing market square a lurid colour (pink or purple?)

All went well for a couple of years and the new shiny Sheridan Centre thrived. Then one by one the shops closed until eventually the Centre was virtually empty and looked run down. The decision was made that nobody wanted small units, the demand was for big units, and if these were built then major stores would flood into the town. So the ‘outer’ half of the Sheridan Centre was demolished and an ‘outdoor’ Centre built in its place, with the empty small units being replaced by empty big units. The tiny unit next to Home Bargains, intended as a paper shop/tobacconist, has never been opened, the unit next door to it and upstairs was very briefly a 24-hour gym. The alley (for that is what it had become) was renamed Hunter’s Row as a tribute to the architect of the complex, who sadly died during the building work or shortly after.

History repeated itself soon after with the demise of the Princes Street precinct, and then repeated itself a third time with the demise of the guildhall precinct. Time will tell whether history repeats itself a fourth time with the riverside precinct.
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Cue said:
I was always under the impression that was the gym and it was all part of one unit
Click to expand...
If it was they never used it, it's never had anyone inside that I've noticed (and if they have then they stripped the walls back to blockwork when they left!).
 
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