In Reading, Berkshire, England by the banks of the River Kennet is The Oracle which is a huge indoor shopping mall and recreation center. It was constructed and acquired by both Hammerson and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Reading being the 8th best town in the country in 2002 and the Oracle Centre got 16th position in a league table for best performing retail mall in the entire UK shopping destination by a survey conducted by Experian. Other survey revealed Reading at the 10th place for UK shopping destinations. A perfect spot for people to hangout with friends and family enjoying the shopping process as well as grabbing lunch or a snack found all in one place. Being in the focus of reading this shopping centre can be easily reached through a taxi in reading within your budget.
History
The shopping centre got its name from the seventeenth century where there was a workhouse named Oracle created by a local man John Kendrick. This was built on a small piece of land that is presently a part of the mall. It is also a much hyped up place among the people of Reading. In 1997 the property planner Hammerson got a 22 section of site which was in undeveloped and very bad condition which was on the south side of the town. The Simond’s Brewery was the previous owner of that site along with the Reading Buses stop which was earlier known as Reading Corporation Tram Depot. The brewery later moved to a new site near the M4 motorway and the bus station moved west of the town central during the redevelopment period.
Hammerson wanted to build a place where all the big retailers can come together and sell their stuff which also included some major international brands which were all new to the Britain. The retail store should be high end and offer unique stylish products that are much better than the usual Reading’s street shops. The development officer working for Hammerson stated that they want to upgrade the quality of retail that was already there to meet the demands of certain shopping enthusiasts who love to spend a bit higher on big brands and quality products. The first shopping centres opened in the stage one in September 1999 and in November it continued to Riverside eating area and certain bars and a cinema hall concluding the stage two. After the completion of stage one the Debenhams retail store was moved from its previous spot of Broad Street to the mall. This way the reconstruction of the Debenhams site was considered as stage three of the Oracle which was connected through a bridge to stage one on Minster Street. In 2000 The Princess Royal inaugurated the stage three finished Oracle which was connected to Broad Street.
Facilities and Stores in Oracle
The shopping mall has approx 90 shops that include the retail shops from the Debenhams and also House of Fraser chains. Another bigger name is John Lewis and Partners which is situated at the entrance but still not a part of the mall. It has 22 cafes and restaurants and bar all along the Kennet riverside and also an 11 screen Vue Cinema hall. Because of the popularity the retail film industry increased by 33% which resulted in getting a lot of big retailers to open stores in Reading which they might have not done otherwise. The Oracle shopping mall with all its restaurants and bistros includes the Brewery Gut which is a quite narrow stretch of the river Kennet and has outdoor tables and the seating is done in stadium style which is granite seats. There are connecting bridges around it to connect all the big names to one another and making the access super easy and reachable.
The Free Form Arts Trust was given the task for contracts with different artists to design and increase the aesthetic of the place. The art work includes the Crystal Beacon which is a reflective clear crystal made by Welsh artist John Gingell placed at the top of the multistory Car parking. The main plan was made by Haskoll and Co from London. They were asked to make a fun retail place which also connects the timeless beauty of the town. The mall has an enormous car parking that can give space to 2300 vehicles. Although the prices of the parking are a bit higher when compared to other car parkings in central Reading especially for long term parkers. All in all a perfect place to shop and eat and instead of opting for public transportation or your own vehicles it’s better to go for mini cab reading which is very affordable.
