Crystal Peaks

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Crystal Peaks is a shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It was the city's largest shopping centre when it opened in March 1988 and until the opening of Meadowhall in 1990. The UCI cinema complex was the largest in the city, until the construction of a Virgin Cinemas at Valley Centertainment; UCI has since closed. Sainsbury's has had a supermarket on the site since the beginning, though it moved to a larger site in 2007. An extension has recently been built to the rear of the main shopping centre.

Shopping centre

The centre is small compared with the Meadowhall shopping centre but it features quite a few high street stores and popular fast food restaurants. Crystal Peaks is unusual in the UK in that part of the centre is given over to an indoor market. Across the road is the Drake House retail park.

The shopping centre does not have as many larger-name stores as Meadowhall, but it features big names such as JJB, Next, Burton, WH Smith and Topshop. The centre also has two supermarkets with Iceland and Sainsbury's.

Original Appearance

The interior of Crystal Peaks has deteriorated over the years. At first the main entrance and heart of Crystal Peaks, where the escalators and elevators are situated, had features such as a waterfall and river, a clock tower elevator and an LGB model railway.

Originally as one entered through the main entrance and down the first lane, including a Mcdonalds and two restaurants, there was a modern looking clocktower with a partially glass front revealing a single elevator inside.The clocktower was made of silver metal, mirrors and glass with a basic, modern large clock, below the glass roof above. Next to the elevator was the stairs which ascended to the overhanging upper level, visible from below. Next to the stairs was a waterfall, surrounded by fake grey rock, which fell straight from the upper floor and down into a narrow river, also made from the same style rock. The river went on to surround the elevator, and the customers would enter it from the back.

A model railway was also present, which was used to promote the train themed cafe which was accessible from the entrance corridor. The train was situated inside a large display case of glass and wood panel. The train was an LGB Stainz, carrying a carriage with a jeep inside it and a yellow crane on wheels. The track was a simple oval shape and would go underneath a mountain and past a train station with people waiting. On the mountain was another section of track. It would start at the base of the mountain and end at the top. This was the cliff railway and conttained a single car which would "transport" people up the cliff. The model trains were visible from the cafe with a glass panel on that side as well, which would reveal a small section of track you wouldnt see a the otherside as it was concealed by the mountain. At Christmas the main train would be replaced with a blue train of the same style with a minature Father Christmas driving.

The model train layout was the first casualty of the main hall. It was removed first and then the river was removed, but still leaving the waterfall with only a rock pool for the water to fall into. Then the clock tower elevator and waterfall were removed and were replaced with two basic glass elevators, revealing the mechanism at the top and bottom making them look like temporary elevators. The final casualty was the two grey stone "peaks" which originally had the 'Crystal Peaks' logo on them. These stood on the two small hill at either side of the entrance road but were recently removed.

Transport connections

Crystal Peaks is situated in the southeast of Sheffield and is served by the Mosborough Parkway. Around 1,500 car spaces are available in four colour coded car parks. A bus station and two Sheffield Supertram stops facilitate access to the centre, linking it to Sheffield City Centre and the surrounding townships of Beighton, Hackenthorpe, Owlthorpe, Sothall, Waterthorpe and Westfield, which the tram and centre were built to serve.

List of shops

A list of shops as of January 2010:

• adams
• Amraj
• Argos Extra
• BB's Café
• Birthdays Pure Party
• Blockbuster Videos
• Blundells
• Bonmarché
• Boots
• Boots (Retail Park)
• Boots Opticians
• Brighthouse
• British Heart Foundation
• Burton
• Buzz
• Camille Lingerie
• Card Factory
• Claire's Accessories
• Clarks
• Clinton Cards
• D2 Jeans
• Domo
• Dorothy Perkins
• Dr & Herbs
• Evans
• F Hinds
• Game
• Greggs
• Greggs Café
• H. Samuel
• Halifax
• Haybrooks
• Holland & Barrett
• HSBC
• Iceland
• JJB Sports
• Johnsons
• jonathanjames
• KFC
• Klick Photopoint
• Library & First Point
• Livsstil
• Lloyds Pharmacy
• Loaf Hair
• McDonalds
• Medical Centre
• Milestone Pub
• Mothercare
• NatWest
• New Look
• NEWinterior
• Next
• Northridge
• O2
• O'Briens
• Orange
• Peacocks
• Phones 4 U
• Pizza Hut
• Play Gamez
• Poundland
• Poundworld
• Publishers Book Clearance
• Regis
• Sainsburys
• Sam Jones Health Club
• Shoe Zone
• Specsavers
• Springfield Veterinary Surgery
• Store 21
• Superdrug
• The Body Shop
• The Carphone Warehouse (Mall)
• The Carphone Warehouse (Retail Park)
• The Perfume Shop
• The Works
• Thomas Cook
• Thomson
• Thorntons
• TK Maxx
• Topshop
• Vodafone
• WHSmith
• Wilkinsons
• William H Brown
• William Hill
• Williams

Awards

• Mentor Award for trading excellence.
• Two nominations by the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for an ease of access award.

External links

• Official website

53°20′31″N 1°21′05″W / 53.341919°N 1.351262°W / 53.341919; -1.351262Coordinates: 53°20′31″N 1°21′05″W / 53.341919°N 1.351262°W / 53.341919; -1.351262

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