Brunel Shopping Centre celebrates its 50th anniversary today

Brunel Shopping Centre opened in the town centre in 1973, bringing exciting modern shops to Swindon. 

The building design was inspired by the town's railway heritage, and the centre as a concept pioneered the idea of having entrances to shops both on the inside and the outside.

But 50 years later, the centre is very different to when it initially opened, with a number of businesses moving, or leaving it in favour of stores on the high street itself, leaving behind empty units.

More empty units inside the Brunel Shopping Centre (Image: Newsquest)

A lot of this has been prompted by owners FI Real Estate Management's plans to build two tower blocks containing nearly 300 flats in the northern half of the centre to the north of Canal Walk, next to the David Murray John tower.

Businesses in that section are being helped to find alternative premises so that it can be empty for partial development, and others are not having their leases renewed. 

Boswell's cafe is in the process of moving from there to the high street, and other businesses like Shaws and Jungle Mania have closed. 

This section of the Brunel now only has seven open businesses, which are City Mazes, Sweets Galore, Aqua G Salon, Professional Footcare and Buzz Gym. 

Then, you would walk through the Crossing, a new food hub which opened in 2018 and was hailed a success. There are a few empty units here as well, most notably The Confessional, formerly known as Burger Priest which shut suddenly in 2022.

Things are a lot more positive in the more populated half of the centre, with large chains like Marks and Spencer and Boots still there, as well as the newly opened High Score Arcade and the moving of Go Gym Stuff, now called Whey Okay, to that side. 

Other big chains like Waterstones, F. Hinds and Holland and Barrett as well as smaller shops like the Swindon Artists Forum have also relocated out of the Brunel into the town centre itself. 

After fifty years of being open, members of the public have bemoaned the state of the once-bustling shopping centre

"I was born in '89 and I remember going in town during the 90s with my family and we used to actually spend the day in town with so many shops there and it was so much better than it is now. Such a shame how it has all become," one said. 

Another added: "I like what they’ve done with the food court area, but either side is dry and boring."

A third person said: "Used to get my sweets as a child from the indoor market upstairs. Bought clothes and make-up from Rhapsody and used to love shopping in town. Now I hardly go in as there are not many shops I want to shop at."

Empty units in the Brunel Shopping Centre, Swindon (Image: Newsquest)"We went through Brunel at the weekend, seemed to be more empty units than shops. Unless something radical is done, don't see it lasting much longer. As for good memories, the giant inflatable snowglobe from Xmas about a decade ago was fun," another person said. 

In a previous statement about the centre's future, FI Real Estate said: "We have a long-standing commitment to Swindon, having had a presence in the town for several years, both as a property developer and asset manager.

"Most recently, we have been working with Swindon council, our tenants and the local community to explore ways we can enhance the future potential of the town centre through the ongoing redevelopment of the Brunel Shopping Centre and surrounding areas, and the creation of a new landmark residential and leisure scheme."