Big Top (Birmingham)

 shopping mall  Add category

'Big Top' was the city's first shopping centre and was built in the 1960s on a site heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe during World War II. The office block, City Centre House, was the tallest in the city when completed.

It is now mostly owned by the Scottish Widows group, with the exception of a small area of frontage on the High Street side which has been redeveloped into a modern retail offer, contrasting with the strong postwar architectural tones of the rest of the block. The biggest occupant is Primark, who are currently expanding their store into other empty shop units in the complex. Plans are also afoot to block up one of the arcades running through the complex, allowing for a new retail unit fronting onto New Street. Scottish Widows also plan to then refurbish the entire complex although the details of this have not yet been unveiled.