The Bull Ring market has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages. The market began in the year 1154 when Peter de Birmingham a local landowner, obtained a royal charter. Initially a cattle and food market, it developed into the main retail market area for Birmingham as the town grew into a modern industrial city.
In 1964 the 'new' Birmingham Bull Ring was constructed, a mixture of traditional open-air market stalls and a new indoor shopping centre, one of the first of its kind in the UK.
The 1960s Bull Ring was very much a product of its time. At the time of its opening it was considered the height of modernity, but unfortunately it did not age well and soon became generally regarded as an unfortunate example of 1960s architecture, with its boxy grey concrete design and lack of air conditionning, and was, in later days, much disliked by the public. It was nicknamed "The Mistake."
The 1960s Bull Ring was demolished in 2000, and has been replaced by a new centre mixing both traditional market activity with up-to-the-minute retail units. A new indoor shopping centre, the "Bullring" (as the commercial entity is branded) opened in September 2003 and features a dramatic new landmark building, a branch of Selfridges department store. The new Selfridges store is a novel, futuristic design from the Future Systems architectural practice, clad in 15,000 shiny aluminium discs.
It is part of the Birmingham redevelopment plan.
One surviving component of the 1960s development is the adjacent Rotunda.
The Bullring's first year
In the new Bullring's first year in service, it recorded 36.5 million visitors, making it the most visited shopping centre outside of London's West End. This exceeded even the most optimistic predictions, and for the Bullring's supporters has justified the £530 million cost of building it.
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