Spires Shopping Centre

Spires Shopping Centre, also known as The Spires Barnet, is a shopping centre in the centre of Chipping Barnet in north London, England. It occupies a prominent position on the High Street and functions primarily as a local and district-level retail and services destination rather than as a regional enclosed mall. The scheme includes shops, cafés, open-air circulation areas and an attached multi-storey car park serving both centre visitors and people using the neighbouring high street. The centre's identity is closely linked to the religious building that previously occupied the site. Its name and architectural character derive from the two steeples of the former High Barnet Methodist Church, which were retained and incorporated into the shopping centre's frontage when the church was demolished in the late 1980s. The church's foundation stone was laid in 1891, and the building opened in 1892 under the Reverend Dr Thomas Bowman Stephenson, who was also associated with the founding of the National Children's Home. Preserving the twin spires gave the modern retail development a distinctive local landmark and maintained a visible connection with Barnet's Victorian civic and religious history. The Spires was developed in 1988 by the Lovell Group. Property consultants Hillier Parker arranged a forward sale of the development to Norwich Union. The ownership history later included UBS, from which the William Pears Group acquired the centre in April 2013 in a transaction reported at approximately £34 million. During the William Pears Group period, the high-street frontage underwent extensive remodelling. The property was subsequently acquired by the Canadian investment fund AIMCo. In December 2015, Hunter Real Estate, acting as manager for AIMCo, announced proposals for a further improvement programme reported at £7 million. Architecturally, The Spires is an open-air shopping centre rather than a fully enclosed mall. Two open atria run along its length and provide pedestrian routes through the development. These spaces have also accommodated seating associated with cafés, contributing to a more informal neighbourhood-centre environment. The centre reportedly receives about 70,000 visitors per week, although the available reference material does not establish the measurement period or provide a current footfall figure. The centre is integrated into Barnet's wider transport network. Multiple bus services, including routes 614 and 234, serve the area, while High Barnet Underground station is approximately a ten-minute walk from the High Street. The surrounding location allows The Spires to serve residents, commuters and visitors to the wider Barnet town centre. Its positioning is therefore based on convenience, local accessibility, everyday shopping and services, and the reuse of a historically significant site rather than on destination retail or international brand reach.

The site occupied by The Spires has a documented connection with High Barnet's Methodist community. The foundation stone of the former High Barnet Methodist Church was laid in 1891 by Miss Wyburn of Hadley Manor. She had also supported an earlier Wesleyan Methodist chapel in East Barnet, opened in 1915. The High Barnet church itself opened in 1892, with the ceremony conducted by the Reverend Dr Thomas Bowman Stephenson, a religious leader associated with the National Children's Home. The church remained an important local building until the late 1980s, when it was demolished to make way for a modern retail development. Rather than removing every element of the former church, the redevelopment retained its two steeples and incorporated them into the new building's façade. These twin spires became the source of the shopping centre's name and remain its most distinctive architectural feature. The decision created a visual link between the area's nineteenth-century heritage and its late twentieth-century commercial redevelopment. The Lovell Group developed The Spires in 1988. Before or around completion, property consultants Hillier Parker arranged a forward sale of the scheme to Norwich Union. This established the centre as a professionally managed commercial property asset while allowing the development to operate within the existing High Street environment of Chipping Barnet. The centre was designed as an open-air suburban shopping scheme. Unlike a fully enclosed mall, it uses two open atria along its length as pedestrian routes. Over time, parts of these areas have been used for seating by cafés, giving the centre a combination of retail circulation and informal public space. An attached multi-storey car park was provided for visitors and also supports access to the surrounding High Street. The scheme has been described as receiving approximately 70,000 visitors per week, although the available reference does not specify the date or methodology for that figure. Ownership changed again in April 2013, when the William Pears Group acquired The Spires from UBS. The transaction was reported at approximately £34 million. Under the William Pears Group, the centre's High Street frontage was extensively remodelled, indicating an effort to refresh its appearance and relationship with the town-centre environment. The property was later acquired by AIMCo, a Canadian investment fund. In December 2015, Hunter Real Estate, which managed the centre on AIMCo's behalf, announced proposals for a further improvement programme reported at £7 million. The available material does not provide a complete account of which works were ultimately carried out, nor does it identify later owners or operators. Today, The Spires remains part of the retail and transport fabric of Chipping Barnet. Its location on the High Street, proximity to High Barnet Underground station and access to numerous bus services support a convenience-oriented local catchment. The centre's character is defined by the combination of everyday shopping, cafés, services, open-air pedestrian areas, parking provision and the preserved twin spires of the former Methodist church.

• 2015

  Improvement programme proposed

  [1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  Hunter Real Estate announced proposals for a reported £7 million programme of improvements while managing the centre for AIMCo.

• 2013

  William Pears Group acquires the centre

  [1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  The William Pears Group bought The Spires from UBS in April 2013 in a transaction reported at approximately £34 million.

• 1988

  The Spires is developed

  [1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  The Lovell Group developed the shopping centre after the former church was demolished, retaining its twin spires in the new frontage.

• 1892

  High Barnet Methodist Church opens

  [1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  The former church opened under the Reverend Dr Thomas Bowman Stephenson.

• 1891

  Foundation stone laid for High Barnet Methodist Church

  [1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  The foundation stone was laid for the Methodist church that later occupied the site of The Spires.

A locally oriented suburban shopping centre combining everyday retail and services with open-air public areas and a preserved historic architectural landmark.

• Retail · 1988

  Retail shops

  The centre provides a cluster of shops serving the everyday needs of the local Barnet catchment. The available reference material identifies the development as a shopping centre but does not provide a reliable current tenant list or a complete breakdown of retail categories.

• Food and beverage

  Cafés and food outlets

  Cafés and other food-oriented uses occupy parts of the centre, including seating areas within the open atria. They contribute to the centre's role as a local meeting and refreshment destination as well as a place for shopping.

• Transport and property services · 1988

  Visitor parking

  An attached multi-storey car park supports visitors to The Spires and users of the neighbouring High Street. It forms part of the centre's convenience proposition by providing direct vehicle access in a town-centre setting.

• 2015

  Proposed centre improvement programmeStrategy

  Background

  AIMCo had acquired the property, with Hunter Real Estate managing it on AIMCo's behalf.

  Action taken

  Hunter Real Estate announced proposals for a programme of improvements to The Spires.

  Aftermath

  The available reference does not establish the final scope or completion status of the proposed works.

  Reported improvement programme value. Approximately £7 million (December 2015 proposal)

  Source

• 2013

  Sale from UBS to William Pears GroupM&A

  Background

  UBS owned the property before the April 2013 transaction.

  Action taken

  The William Pears Group acquired The Spires.

  Aftermath

  The centre's High Street frontage was extensively remodelled under the new ownership.

  Reported transaction value. Approximately £34 million (April 2013)

  Source

• 1988

  Redevelopment preserves the former church spiresStrategy

  Background

  The former High Barnet Methodist Church was demolished to permit construction of the shopping centre.

  Action taken

  The two steeples were retained and incorporated into the new centre's frontage, shaping the development's name and visual identity.

  Aftermath

  The retained spires created a continuing architectural link to the site's nineteenth-century religious history.

  Source

• 2015

  Hunter Real Estate announces proposed improvements for The Spires[1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Hunter Real Estate, managing the centre for AIMCo, announced proposals for an improvement programme reported at £7 million.

• 2013

  William Pears Group acquires The Spires from UBS[1]The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The William Pears Group purchased The Spires from UBS in April 2013 in a transaction reported at approximately £34 million.

1. 1The Spires Barneten.wikipedia.org