Merry Hill or Merry Hell? (Merry Hill Shopping Centre)

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Date:	17/05/01 (2596 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plenty of varied shops, Plenty of places to eat, UCI cinema

Disadvantages: Gets VERY busy at weekends and Christmas

Merry Hill is a big out of town shopping complex, just outside Dudley in the West Midlands. It was built on the site of former derelict factories and is signposted for miles around so you can’t miss it.

There is plenty of car parking space, unless you’re daft enough to go just before Christmas of course, and then it gets VERY crowded indeed. I haven’t been to see this for myself as it would freak me out completely, but it does get mentioned on local radio and television when the car parks are full and people are queuing to get in.

It also tends to get crowded at weekends and on Saturdays at any time of the year Merry Hill is no place for the agoraphobic! It is also a good idea to avoid the area completely if you're not actually visiting Merry Hill as the roads do get very congested when Merry Hill is busy.

There is a bus service from Dudley town centre to Merry Hill and further buses are laid on around the area near to Christmas. When you get there, there is also a free courtesy bus, which takes you around the site. There used to be a monorail but there was an accident on this some years ago and it hasn’t run since. Unfortunately the rails still stand and I have to say I think that they are a bit of an eyesore myself.

There is a large undercover shopping mall incorporating all the main High Street shops such as Marks and Spencers, H Samuel’s, Boots, W H Smith’s, Dorothy Perkins and many more. There are also shops such as the Warner Brothers Shop, The Gadget Shop, etc., so there’s something for everyone.

There are then further shops either standing alone or in smaller malls around the site, which is continually being expanded. The large furniture shops, carpet shops, household goods shops and pet shops are all represented here, as are Asda and Sainsburys.

There are plenty of places to eat and drink from teashops and cafes right up to restaurants. I have tried the bagu
ette shop on the corner of the first floor of this shopping mall and the food is gorgeous! I have also tried the pub down by the wharf, which is also very good for food and drink. Unfortunately the name escapes me but it is built in a converted warehouse so it is a building with a certain amount of character about it.

My real favourite place to eat at Merry Hill however has to be Harry Ramsdens. This is one of a chain of shops all originating from the original shop that Harry Ramsden opened in Yorkshire. The menu is almost all fish and chips, although there are one or two other things for the none fish lovers amongst us. The food is excellent, the service efficient and the restaurant itself is an oasis in the hustle and bustle. One more thing – the prices are very good too.

There are also branches of McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc on site so you can be sure of getting something that you like somewhere here!

There is a multi screen UCI cinema on site as well, which is fairly expensive as these things are, but we usually wait until we have some free tickets (from Ipoints or the like). We then go to see a film and have a meal at the aforementioned Harry Ramsdens. We know how to have a good time don’t we? LOL.

Summary: