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Braehead (Scots: Braeheid, Gaelic: Ceann a' Bhruthaich) is a commercial development located at the former site of Braehead Power Station in Renfrew on the south bank of the River Clyde in Renfrew, Renfrewshire. It is particularly notable for its large shopping centre, arena and leisure facilities.
The area is known for its shopping centre of the same name, which was rebranded as Intu Braehead in 2013 and kept that name until 2020. The rebranding was done as part of a corporate rebranding exercise by Capital Shopping Centres plc, which itself was renamed as Intu Properties PLC.
King's Inch
Until at least the 18th century, the site was an island in the River Clyde known as King's Inch (a name that is still reflected in the road that divides the site).
The initial castle at Renfrew was constructed on King's Inch in the 12th century by Walter Fitz-Alan, High Steward of Scotland.however It was deserted in the 13th century and substituted by a stone castle in what currently stands as the centre of Renfrew. By the latter portion of the 15th century, Sir John Ross was obtained the lands of Inch along with the remains of this castle, where he erected a three-storey castle known as the Inch Castle.
In 1769, the King's Inch was purchased by Glasgow tobacco merchant Alexander Speirs, who demolished Inch Castle in order to build a country mansion, Elderslie House. Completed in 1782 (demolished in 1924), Elderslie House was designed by Robert Adam.
Braehead power station
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2011) |
The power station was built after World War II, originally coal-fired but later converted to oil to reduce emissions. It was located on the north side of King's Inch Road, and remained operational into the 1980s, undergoing demolition in the 1990s.
The Braehead explosion
On 4 January 1977, a serious fire and explosion occurred at a warehouse in the Braehead Container Clearance Depot, adjacent to the Power Station. The fire was started accidentally by three boys who had lit a fire to warm themselves at a den that they had made, during the New Year holiday, from cardboard cartons stacked beside the warehouse. The fire detonated 70 tonnes of sodium chlorate weedkiller stored in the warehouse, producing a blast estimated by HM Inspectorate of Explosives as being equivalent to up to 820 kg of TNT.
About 200 stores and homes in Renfrew and Clydebank had their windows shattered by the explosion, which was heard throughout the entire Greater Glasgow region and sent flying debris as far as 2.8 kilometres away. The explosion is estimated to have cost £6 million in damage. In large part due to the National Bank Holiday in observance of Hogmanay celebrations, there were no deaths. Twelve people required treatment for shock and minor injuries.
Renfrew Riverside redevelopment
Braehead forms part of the Renfrew Riverside redevelopment area, a part of the wider Clyde Waterfront Regeneration project. The Braehead area includes:
- an indoor shopping centre;
- ice skating / curling facilities;
- Krispy Kreme doughnuts;
- The Braehead Arena - along with extensive covered and open-air car parking);
- A Xsite (formerly Xscape and Soar) adventure complex;
- A small business park.
Braehead shopping centre
Shopping mall in Renfrewshire, Scotland | |
| Location | Renfrewshire, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°52′34″N 4°21′53″W / 55.875987°N 4.364843°W / 55.875987; -4.364843 |
| Opening date | September 21, 1999 |
| Owner | Savills |
| No. of stores and services | 110 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 (Primark, New Look, Boots, Next, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and IKEA) |
| Total retail floor area | 98,474 m (1,059,970 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
The shopping centre opened in September 1999 and comprises 98,474 m (1,059,970 sq ft) of retail and leisure floorspace. The centre has 110 shops in the main covered mall, and a further 10 in a retail park of larger stores. Braehead is also home to Glasgow's IKEA store, which opened in September 2001 and sits near the King George V Dock. At 29,000 m (310,000 sq ft), it is the largest IKEA store in Scotland and at the time of opening was the largest in the United Kingdom. Since opening, the centre has proved popular with consumers, and it has even been blamed for a downturn in the fortunes of shops in nearby Paisley, Govan and Renfrew.
Sited within the same building as the shopping centre is the Braehead Arena and other facilities including an ice rink. In 2000, its curling facilities hosted the World Championships, and in 2005 they were used as training facilities when the Women's World Championships were being held in Paisley.
On 7 October 2011, a father was stopped by security and questioned by police under anti-terror legislation after photographing his daughter at an ice-cream stall. This resulted in a social media backlash and statements from both Braehead's management and Strathclyde Police.
As of January 2013, a planning application was submitted to Renfrewshire Council for 'permission in principle' to build a new mixed-use development at the centre.
In 2018, Braehead was named the top Scottish shopping centre in a GlobalData report.
Following Intu Properties plc entering administration in June 2020, a subsidiary of the company called Intu SGS received funding to take full control of the centre along with Lakeside, Victoria Centre and Intu Watford. The transfer from Intu to Intu SGS is expected to take place by the end of 2020, and will involve Global Mutual becoming asset manager of the centres and Savills serving as property manager.
In 2020, it was reported that Braehead Shopping Centre was trialling the use of full-body security scanners at the entrance.
Clydebuilt, Braehead
From September 1999 to October 2010, the Scottish Maritime Museum operated Clydebuilt at Braehead, a museum which explored the history of the Clyde shipbuilding industry and the industrial development of Glasgow and the River Clyde.
The museum had been built by and was subsidised by the owners of the shopping centre, but after they withdrew support the museum became financially unviable and Scottish Maritime Museum were forced to close it and transfer its exhibits to their other sites at Irvine and Dumbarton.
The building is now occupied by Krispy Kreme.
Xsite Braehead
Xsite Braehead (formerly known as Intu Braehead Soar and Xscape Braehead) (55°52′45″N 4°22′17″W / 55.8792°N 4.3713°W / 55.8792; -4.3713) began construction in November 2004 and was opened in March 2006 with its main use to teach people how to ski or snowboard. The building has a conventional shape, with the ski slope accommodated by a sloped cuboid structure projecting out the roof. The complex features a variety of entertainment activities, including an indoor ski slope, rock climbing, an Odeon, bowling, RoboCoaster, mini golf and laser tag, as well as a variety of shops, restaurants, and bars.
The Snow Factor indoor snow slope featured a 168 m (551 ft) main slope with an additional 2,500 m (27,000 sq ft) dedicated beginners' area for ski and snowboard lessons. On the main slope, two Poma button lifts gave a drag tow to the top and could be exited either at the halfway point on the slope or at the top. Rope tows were used on the beginners slope.
In December 2011, SNO! Zone Braehead was acquired by the Ice Factor Group and renamed Snow Factor. Snow Factor closed permanently in 2023 due to rising costs and the age of the facility.
In March 2006, weeks before the complex was scheduled to open, the roof of screen seven of the Odeon fell in and required extensive re-building. The mini-golf (which is housed below the cinema) opened in July 2006. The cinema opened on 19 October 2007, 18 months later than planned. "Stardust" was the first film shown. The cinema is fitted with RealD 3D (also known as Disney Digital 3-D technology) in screen 7, and is also capable of showing IMAX films. The cinema held the Scottish Pink Carpet Premiere of Universal Pictures film "Wild Child" on 30 July 2008. Both stars of the film, Emma Roberts and Alex Pettyfer, attended.
In March 2018, an 18-metre (59 ft) high slide, known as The Big Slide, opened to the general public. It is the tallest indoor slide in the UK.
Further development
To the west of Braehead and adjacent to the town of Renfrew is the Renfrew Riverside area. Between the residential area and the shopping centre an Xscape complex (now named Xsite), providing an indoor ski slope and other entertainments and leisure facilities opened in early 2006.
To the south of the shopping centre is a small development called Braehead Business Park.
Transport
Braehead can be reached from Junctions 25a (westbound) and 26 (eastbound) of the M8 motorway, and has extensive public transport connections including its own bus station. Buses run from many areas linking Braehead to Largs, Greenock, Paisley, Glasgow, Erskine and Johnstone. The Pride of the Clyde ferry service ran from Glasgow City Centre to Braehead's pier down the River Clyde regularly until October 2007.
A road bridge between Renfrew and Yoker on the north bank of the Clyde was constructed in 2024, providing easier access to Braehead for residents in that sector of the city.
Boundary dispute
After opening in 1999, Braehead was the subject of a boundary dispute between the Glasgow and Renfrewshire council areas, as originally the council boundary line divided the shopping centre in two. In 2002, a Local Government Boundary Commission ruling eventually redrew the boundary to include all of the centre in Renfrewshire, as this was the original ancient boundary. The boundary runs along Kings Inch Drive and is marked by a chain linked fence at this point.
References
- The Online Scots Dictionary
- Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
- intu group. "Timeline/2010s". Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- "Renfrew, King's Inch". Canmore. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Elderslie House". Canmore. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Elderslie House". The Glasgow Story. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- Hansard 13 July 1970
- Contributors, Ewan Crawford. "Braehead Power Station - RAILSCOT". www.railscot.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - "Renfrew, Braehead Power Station Canmore". canmore.org.uk.
- "Renfrew Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland". www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk.
- The Fire and Explosion at Braehead Container Depot, Renfrew (Investigation Report), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), published 31 Dec. 1979
- "The Fire and Explosion at Braehead Container Depot, Renfrew" (PDF). IChemE. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Exploding the myth of chlorate safety". New Scientist. 22 March 1979. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Braehead Ice Centre - Skating, Hockey & Lessons | Glasgow". Braehead Ice Centre. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- "Krispy Kreme - Braehead Glasgow". Braehead. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- "Fears for town trade as Braehead centre opens". The Herald. 22 September 1999. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Archived 25 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "United Kingdom – IKEA". www.ikea.com. IKEA. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- "Row over photo in shopping centre". BBC News. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- "Braehead Shopping Centre - Glasgow Skating". 22 January 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- "Top UK Shopping Centres" (PDF). internaltools.globaldata.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "New report names its top Scottish shopping centre". www.insider.co.uk. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- Nazir, Sahar (27 August 2020). "Intu SGS secures £30m to take full control of 4 Intu centres". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- "Did you see these today? Braehead shopping centre introduces full-body security scanners".
- "Clydebuilt Museum at Braehead set to close it's [sic] doors for good on Saturday". The Daily Record. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Clydebuilt". Secret Scotland. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Clydebuilt museum to close as landlord axes £100,000 subsidy". Museums Association. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Hole lot of excitement as Krispy Kreme bids for Glasgow store". The Herald. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Leisure & entertainment at intu Braehead, Glasgow". intu.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- "Scotland Outdoors Articles - Snowsport Scotland". BBC. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- "BBC News - Lochaber's Ice Factor buys SNO!zone in Glasgow". BBC. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- "STV News - XSITE Braehead announces permanent closure of indoor ski slope". news.stv.tv. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- Spencer, Ben (9 March 2006). "Lucky Xscape as Cinema Roof Collapses". Daily Record. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
- First section of new Renfrew Bridge arrives on Clyde, BBC News, 24 April 2024
- Final section of Renfrew Bridge floated up the Clyde, BBC News, 17 May 2024
- "Glasgow MSPs lose Braehead battle". BBC News. 7 May 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- "The Glasgow City Council and Renfrewshire Council Boundaries (Braehead) Amendment Order 2002".
External links
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