IT is hard to imagine a time Colchester’s retail centre was not dominated by Culver Square but these images go back to the early 1980s when it was merely an artists impression.

More than three decades later and the centre has had its fair share of famous visitors and gone through a number of changes, including to its major retailers.

In the early days and for many years C & A and the Lighthouse Restaurant were among the major names, seen here in our archived images.

Work began on the Culver centre in the mid 1980s and was completed in around 1988.

Debenhams is one of the only original stores within the centre.

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