Kirkgate Shopping Centre should not be listed, says report

The heritage body has said the brutalist building should be immune from listing, a decision that will free up owners Bradford Council to demolish the huge centre.

But some architecture fans have criticised the decision, with one saying the loss of the centre will be “looked back on with huge regret in thirty years". 

The 1970s shopping centre is due to be demolished in the coming years to make way for the City Village development of housing.

The market inside the centre will be shut when neighbouring Darley Street Market opens, and anchor tenant Primark is due to move to The Broadway shopping centre.

Although the Kirkgate Shopping Centre is criticised by many in Bradford for its appearance, a modern concrete structure in a city centre dominated by Victorian buildings, it does have its supporters among fans of the brutalist architectural style.

In 2022, another brutalist building earmarked for demolition, Richard Dunn Sports Centre, was listed by Historic England following a submission by the 20th Century Society – a group set up to preserve post-war buildings.

Last year Bradford Council asked Historic England to consider giving Kirkgate a “certificate of immunity” from becoming listed – essentially preventing the building from being listed before demolition starts like the Richard Dunn was.

The 20th Century Society objected to this move, arguing the building was a fine surviving example of brutalist shopping centres, and should be listed.

Historic England has now produced its findings, and argues that Kirkgate should not be given protected status.

The shopping centre was built in 1976 and replaced the city’s Victorian Kirkgate Market. It quickly became the shopping hub of the city, and in 1979 won a European award from the International Council of Shopping Centres.

Kirkgate Shopping Centre (Image: T&A)

The recently published Historic England report says: “The Kirkgate Shopping Centre is a huge, imposing building built in pre-cast concrete that occupies an entire city-centre block in the centre of Bradford.

“It lacks the architectural flair, design or technological innovation found in exemplar Brutalist buildings of this period.

“It has a bulky, monolithic appearance due to the uniform elevations, repetition of key features and continuous flat roof line of the rooftop car park.

“The ribbed concrete panels, projecting towers, plum brickwork and tinted/mirrored windows provide some texture and detail, together with the cantilevered metal-framed roof over the market hall, but these features fail to enliven a building of this size and scale.”

It points out that it “is mundane and repetitive” when compared to the best examples of brutalism.

Kirkgate Market also includes murals by acclaimed artist William Mitchell. These are expected to be re-housed by Bradford Council once Kirkgate is demolished.

Referring to this art, the Historic England report says: “While the murals in Kirkgate Shopping Centre undoubtedly enliven the interior of the market hall, they lack the innovation and complexity of design input seen in Mitchell’s listed works.”

The report concludes: “(The centre) of some historic interest for its role in urban rebuilding programmes of the 1970s, but this does not compensate for its lack of architectural interest.

“After examining all the records and other relevant information and having carefully considered the architectural and historic interest of the case, Kirkgate Shopping Centre does not meet the national criteria for listing and it is recommended that a Certificate of Immunity from listing is issued.”

After the report was published, the decision was criticised online by fans of brutalist architecture.

Dr Otto Saumarez Smith, an architectural and urban historian with a speciality in leisure and shopping centres, said: “Gutted Bradford's brutalist Kirkgate Centre has been given a Certificate of Immunity from listing by Historic England, meaning that Bradford Council will now celebrate their year as city of culture by demolishing this splendid unique building.

“I disagree that it lacks 'architectural flair, innovation and quality of detail.’

“Like it or loath it, I utterly reject that Kirkgate is 'built to a standardised design with mundane, repetitive features that lack ambition'.”

Emily Greenaway replied to his post saying: “It’s maddening when you can say today with almost absolute certainty that this decision will be looked back on with huge regret in twenty/thirty years.”