21 Metro Centre
From the collection of
RRS James Clark Ross
- Wallsend
- 1992
21 Metro Centre
Frankie Howerd has a lot to say about the Rome of the North, and the Metro Centre is giving him a forum to do it in.
The Metro Centre was home to Europe's largest indoor amusement park when it opened in 1988. Metroland was a fantasy-themed venue, with rides including bi-plane waltzers, a pirate ship swing boat, hot air balloon Ferris wheel, and a steam engine rollercoaster.
The Metro Centre specialised in themed offerings; their more eccentric shopping precincts included a Roman Forum, an old English village with a watermill powered by a man-made stream, and a Greek town square complete with dummy buildings and Juliet balconies. The designer, Sir John Hall, intended to create a revolution in retail, giving people more than faceless capitalism and injecting humour where he could.
Tags
The North East in Business
Bigger and better is the motto of the North East: businesses build to outstrip European rivals and sporting events are world-class.
After the loss of many crucial industries from the area in the 1980s, the North East began the slow but steady process of rebuilding. Heavy industry was replaced in part by tourism, and overseas manufacturers saw the benefits of operating in the region. However, not all of these developments were long-lived, and the struggle to replace traditional industries with entirely new sources of prosperity continues.
10 videos in this collection
1
RRS James Clark Ross
2
The Power to Deliver
3
Northumberland Challenge
4
Moving Ahead
5
A Stroke of Inspiration
6
Millennium Travellers
7
Part of Sunderland Life
8
The New Red Mall
9
Tyne and Wear Foundation
10