Shop till you drop in the town of the Golden Gates! (Shopping Areas in Warrington)

Member Name: Caldes

Product:	Shopping Areas in Warrington
Date:	27/11/08 (464 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy parking, shops in close proximity, covered mall for those rainy days

Disadvantages: Lot of empty shops due to expansion, uninspiring eateries, no Primark

I would like to say that I was born and brought up in Warrington but in reality I was born on the Wirral and moved to Warrington at the tender age of two weeks.

I am going to tell you a few things about my home town. Located in Cheshire, equidistant to Liverpool and Manchester, Warrington is a medium sized town (pop. just short of 200,000) which underwent a great boom in business and property owing to it's rather central location and close proximity to major motorways and trainlines.

Warrington New Town and Eileen Bilton were the phrases of the day when I was growing up in the Seventies and early Eighties. The one thing that always struck me was that the shopping wasn't that great for a town of its size. I moved away from Warrington in 1990 and only came back in 2002 (having lived in such exotic locations as Mallorca, Valencia and Liverpool!) and things were beginning to change. It was announced around this time that major expansion was due to take place at the existing shopping mall, The Golden Square. I was so excited, we were going to get a Debenhams of all things. Well 6 years later, let me tell you how it panned out.

As I mentioned the main shopping area in Warrington is called The Golden Square Shopping Centre, this is a large mall opened in the mid seventies which is undercover. In it ,you will find the usual suspects, a large-ish Marks and Spencer, BHS, Superdrug, HMV and Waterstones. In 2006, the aforementioned expansion to the mall was completed and other big stores were added to the mix, these included Debenhams (not the biggest branch you have ever been in but proportional to the size of the town), Boots, Next, Oasis, Zara, H&M and Warehouse to name a few. Some eateries had also been added although the general theme seems to be coffee houses so that the mall now boasts Costa Coffee, Starbucks and a local rival Be Offee. I am fairly impressed with expansion but one of the downsides of any development is that not all the units are filled straight away so there are still some gaps which can be somewhat disappointing for a shopaholic like myself!

Outside of the Golden Square are the other shopping streets of Warrington, Sankey Street which houses a main branch of Woolies (for now, sob), Miss Selfridge and TJ Hughes plus a smattering of charity shops, opticians and banks. Turn right down Sankey Street and you will find Bridge Street, once a busy and bustling thoroughfare for shoppers, now sadly a little neglected as most of the 'big boys' have moved to the Golden Square. Main shops of note here are Hancock and Wood, a home grown department store in the style of Grace Brothers (I'm Free!?) but less grand and frankly less choice, Peacocks and a small independent shop called Desire which seems to be very popular amongst the young ladies of the town.

Behind Bridge Street you will find Warrington Market, a mixture of foodstuffs, textiles and nic-nacks. Sadly lacking now in atmosphere and clientele, the market has seen many family run stalls close over recent years.

The other shooping streets of Warrington, don't have much going on these days apart from Ethel Austin and a Pound Shop (Buttermarket st) and Toni and Guy and The Waysiders (china, giftware) (Horsemarket St)

Outside of the Golden Square near to Horsemarket St you will find what is known as the Old Fish Market, a popular place in the summer which often houses merrygorounds and bouncy castles for the kids. This is currently becoming established as an eatery area in the town. Nandos and ASK have both set up shop here (although we are still waiting an opening date for ASK), plus a coffee shop, an incredibly old pub (The Barley Mow), Baked Potato shop and Caffe Nero. There is also a small branch of the Early Learning Centre and the town's main post office. Moving away from the Golden Square Shopping Centre, you come across the Cockhedge Centre, here you will find a big Asda, TK Maxx, Argos, Wilkinsons and bizarrely an artificial ice rink!

Just a couple of miles away from the centre you will find the Gemini Retail Park. This was the site of one of the first Ikea's in the UK and if you saw the carpark at the weekend you would think it was still the only Ikea in the UK. Cunning planners have coupled Ikea with one of the largest Marks and Spencer in the UK, plus a Next and Boots and Toys R Us. Dining options are limited to McDonalds, the cafes in M&S and Ikea or alternatively there is a nice carvery pub called The Memphis Belle within walking distance.

So in a nutshell, albeit rather a large one, this is a guide to some of the shopping areas in Warrington. Like any town you will also find a selection of shops in some of the 'suburbs' such as Culcheth and Stockton Heath but the greatest concentration of shops is in the centre.

In terms of practicalities the town is well served by public transport (buses and trains run to the central bus and train stations from all outlying areas of the town and beyond, although the train is more limited). Parking is good particularly as the expansion of the Golden Square led to the demolition and redesign of one of the town's major multistoreys. The most popular areas for parking are at the Golden Square and Cockhedge Centre although cheaper parking can be found at Museum St (next to the registry office) which is £2 all day at the weekend.

Finding somewhere to lunch is not difficult although a little uninspiring with a glut of coffee bars and pub meal style places although Cafe Caruso (near to Warrington Market, Times Square) is well worth a visit for authentic Italian food and a warm welcome.
Toilets are plentiful in Warrington, you just need to know where to find them! (Debenhams, TJ Hughes, ground floor of Golden Square Carpark, back end of Warrington Market, near to Horsemarket St entrance to Golden Square).

I like Warrington and I think it is good for shopping, particularly if you need to 'nip' and get something. I hope that in time more shops fill up the unlet units in the expanded Golden Square and the recently abandoned Bridge Street, as I feel a little bit of the vibrance has been removed. I also think that the town would benefit from a Primark!!! (maybe that is just me though???)
A little more thought and inspiration in developing further eateries wouldn't go a miss either.
Maybe you should come and see what you think one of these fine days???

Summary: Worth a visit, but might not be big enough for hardened shopaholics!