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| No. of stores and services || 140
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| No. of anchor tenants || 3
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| Total retail floor area || 1,200,000 ft² (110,000m²)
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| Parking ||
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| No. of floors || 3
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Selfridges at the Bullring
St Martin's Church, with Selfridges in the background
The interior of the Bullring
The Bullring Bull
Statue of Lord Nelson
The Bull Ring market has been an important feature of Birmingham, England since the Middle Ages. The market began in the year 1154 when Peter de Birmingham a local landowner, obtained a royal charter. Initially a cattle and food market, it developed into the main retail market area for Birmingham as the town grew into a modern industrial city.
In 1964 the 'new' Birmingham Bull Ring Centre was constructed, a mixture of traditional open-air market stalls and a new indoor shopping centre, one of the first of its kind in the UK. The 1960s Bull Ring Centre was very much a product of its time. At the time of its opening it was considered the height of modernity, but unfortunately it did not age well and soon became generally regarded as an unfortunate example of 1960sBrutalist architecture, with its boxy grey concrete design and lack of air conditioning, and its isolation within ringroads connected only by dangerous subways. It was, in later days, much disliked by the public.
The 1960s Bull Ring Centre was demolished in 2000, and has been replaced by a new design, mixing both traditional market activity with up-to-the-minute retail units. The first building to be completed was the Nationwide bank which is not directly connected to the shopping centre however was part of the development. A new indoor shopping centre, the "Bullring" (as the commercial entity is branded) opened on September 42003 and features a dramatic new landmark building, a branch of Selfridges department store. The latter is a novel, futuristic design from the Future Systems architectural practice, clad in 15,000 shiny aluminium discs. The first week saw the shopping centre under considerable pressure due to the large crowds it attracted. Queues formed behind escalators as people waited to board and all seating areas were taken up. Warnings were placed at numerous places in the shopping centre warning that the floor was polished which could result in someone slipping.
The shopping centre is comprised of two main buildings which are connected by an underground passage lined with shops and is also accessible from St. Martins Square via glass doors. Touchscreen computers are located through out the building which provide a service where the user can search for the location of a certain store or browse a map of the building.
The doors to both wings from New Street can be removed when crowds get large and queues develop at the doors. This is also there so that cars which are often on display can be driven into the building.
It is part of the Birmingham redevelopment plan. The centre contains one of only four Apple Stores in the UK and a large Dixons store named Dixons XL. Dixons XL has had disappointing sales and a section of the store which has been used predominantly for the sales of video games and games consoles has been closed from the public.
In 2004/ 2005 a small café dubbed the Spiral Cafe was constructed alongside the steps leading towards to New Street from St. Martins Square. The building's shape resembles that of shell found at the coast with both ends being covered with glass and the roof being made of bronze.
Numerous pieces of artwork are located within the centre such as three cube-shaped fountains which are illuminated at night into different colours. They are of varying sizes, situated near St Martin's Church. Another piece of art includes a 120m2 glass mural which faces the entrance to Birmingham New Street Station by artist Martin Donlin. At the entrance to both buildings infront of the Rotunda stands three "light wands". Each of which are varying in height. The wands sway in the wind and the reflective surface of the platforms which protrude from the main carbon fibre core, reflect light to create a beacon effect. At night the cores are illuminated into the colours of the shafts which are blue, green and red.
At the entrance to the west building stands the Guardian, a 2.2 metre tall bronzesculpture of a turning bull. It was created by Laurence Broderick and has become a common feature for photographs for visitors to Birmingham. The statue was sabotaged in 2005 and was removed for repairs and was put back on the spot again later that year. The sculptor approved that the statue could be called Brummie The Bull.
Looking over St. Martins Square is the statue of Lord Nelson. The bronze statue originally was located on the edge of the previous Bull Ring and fell into neglect however it was restored after 40 years. It sits on top of a podium which rises above the public. The 1960spodium is stepped at the base and became an area of seating for the public however, the threat of people climbing up to the statue resulted in railings being erected around it. The statue was the first commissioned statue for Birmingham being placed in the city in 1809 and was sculpted by Richard Westmacott.
As Christmas approaches, a silver coloured structure is erected in St. Martins Square which resembles a modern Christmas tree. Large chrome balls hang within the conical shaped structure which is adorned in chrome stars. Large 3-dimensional stars hang between both buildings. Both the stars and chrome sculpture are illuminated at night.
One surviving component of the 1960s development is the adjacent Rotunda which is currently being converted into apartments by Urban Splash. A poem is engraved into one of the stones in the wall of the Bull Ring dedicated to the Rotunda. This is one of several poems or rhymes engraved into the walls of the Bull Ring.
The Bullring's first year
In the new Bullring's first year in service, it recorded 36.5 million visitors, making it the most visited shopping centre outside the West End of London. This exceeded even the most optimistic predictions, and for the Bullring's supporters has justified the £530 million cost of building it. The new Bullring is now one of Europe's largest city centre shopping centres.
An advertising campaign begun during the year to attract visitors. The campaign consisted mainly of television advertisements which used the slogan; "Europe's shopping capital is no longer on the main land." The advert often showed infuriated and upset women.
Leaflets were handed to the public so that the managers of the shopping centre could hear of the views of the people who visit it.
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