The Bullring, Birmingham
The Bullring, or simply Bull Ring, is a shopping centre in Birmingham, England. The site has been a market place going back to the Middle Ages. It is on a sandstone ridge where the terrain slopes approximately 15 meters (49 feet) from New Street to St Martin's Church.
 Façade of Selfridges Birmingham at the Bullring Shopping Centre Author: Elliott Brown (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
 Exterior of Selfridges Birmingham Author: Mcginnly (public domain)
In 2000, redevelopment of the site began. At the same time, archaeological excavation uncovered remains going back to the 12th century. Archaeologists found a ditch that used to demarcate the houses from a deer park.
The new Bullring Shopping Centre was designed by the architectural firm Benoy. It comprises two main buildings, the East Mall and the West Mall. These are connected by an underground mall with stores.
The most distinctive feature of the Bullring Shopping Centre is the anchor tenant, Selfridges Department Store, designed by Future Systems, a London-based architectural firm. The store, costing £60 million, has 15,000 aluminium discs covering its façade. The façade is said to have been inspired by a Paco Rabanne sequinned dress. The store, the fourth Selfridge in England, quickly become a Birmingham landmark.
Other tenants at the Bullring Shopping Centre include British retailer Debenhams and the first Europe store of American clothing retailer Forever 21.
Related Page
Read about Selfridge Oxford Street, the flagship store of Selfridges & Co. in London.
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