The Belfry
A shopping centre in central Redhill, Surrey, England.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Belfry is a shopping centre in the centre of Redhill, Surrey, England. It opened on 15 October 1991 on the site of a former car park and became a significant part of the town's retail redevelopment. The centre was designed as a two-level shopping destination serving local residents and visitors, with the lower High Street Mall opening toward the High Street and the upper Station Road Mall opening toward Station Road. At the time of its launch, it introduced several major high-street retailers to Redhill, including Marks & Spencer, Our Price and WHSmith. Boots also expanded its nearby store and created a direct entrance into the centre. The Belfry covers approximately 248,000 square feet, or about 23,000 square metres, and was described as containing 43 shops at the time of the available historical account. Its offer combines general merchandise, fashion, health and beauty, household goods, entertainment, toys, telecommunications and food-related services. The centre's role is primarily local and convenience-oriented rather than that of a regional destination mall, although its tenant mix and central location have given it an important position in Redhill's town-centre economy. The centre has periodically invested in customer facilities, safety and environmental management. In 2004 it became the first shopping centre reported in the available reference material to receive ISO 14001 certification for environmental management. The centre also reported recycling 48% of its waste and sourcing all of its electricity from renewable sources at that time. Its car park received ParkMark recognition for visitor safety. A major refurbishment was announced in January 2007. The nine-month, £1 million programme was intended to modernise the centre while limiting disruption to retailers and shoppers. Contractors carried out most of the work at night, and the project was completed in September 2007, two months earlier than planned. Improvements included work to the large glass atrium, a new smoke-detection system, a fire-sprinkler system, replacement ceilings, brighter wall finishes and approximately 800 upgraded lights. The centre's scenic lifts were modernised by KONE, partly to improve accessibility for disabled visitors. Energy-efficient lighting and changes to toilet hand-drying facilities were also included. Marks & Spencer, one of the centre's largest tenants, refurbished its own multi-level store during the same period and added features including a café, bakery and Per Una range. Events have been an important part of The Belfry's local marketing strategy. Its seasonal programme has included a large artificial Christmas tree and a free Santa's grotto, which proved sufficiently popular in 2006 that opening hours had to be extended. In 2005, the centre staged Modelsearch, a competition intended to identify modelling talent while increasing footfall and giving retailers a promotional platform. The event subsequently won the Best Single Event category at the Purple Apple National Retail Awards, announced in February 2006. From 2016, The Belfry began a further reconfiguration of its retail space. Several smaller retailers, including Mr Simms, O2, Robert Dyas and Toy Barnhaus, were relocated to release nine units across the two levels. The freed space was combined into a larger unit, which was confirmed in March 2017 as being destined for H&M. The Royal Earlswood Museum, a small collection concerning the former Royal Earlswood Asylum and once housed on the car-park level above Marks & Spencer, has since closed. The available sources do not identify a current owner, parent company or detailed present-day tenant list.
History
The Belfry was developed as part of the modernisation of Redhill's town-centre retail environment. It opened on 15 October 1991 on land previously used as an old car park. Its arrival changed the physical and commercial character of central Redhill by creating a sizeable covered shopping destination and attracting national chains that had not previously operated in the town. The opening tenant mix included Marks & Spencer, Our Price and WHSmith. Boots expanded its Redhill branch so that customers could enter the shopping centre directly from the store. The centre was arranged over two principal shopping levels. The lower level, known as High Street Mall, connects with the High Street, while the upper Station Road Mall connects with Station Road. The approximately 248,000-square-foot complex was described as containing 43 shops in the historical source. Its role has been to provide a broad range of everyday shopping and services in a compact town-centre setting, supported by customer parking and seasonal programming. Environmental management and visitor facilities became notable elements of the centre's operating profile. In 2004, The Belfry was reported to have become the first shopping centre to receive ISO 14001 environmental-management certification. The centre also reported that 48% of its waste was recycled and that all of its electricity came from renewable sources. Its parking facilities received ParkMark certification, which recognises standards associated with safer parking. The Belfry developed a programme of public-facing events to support footfall and strengthen its connection with local shoppers. Its Christmas programme included a large artificial tree and a free Santa's grotto. The grotto was particularly popular in 2006, when opening hours reportedly had to be extended to serve demand. Another promotional initiative was Modelsearch, a competition designed to identify modelling talent of different types while generating visits and creating opportunities for retailers to showcase merchandise. The event was recognised in the Purple Apple National Retail Awards, where it won the Best Single Event category; the award was announced in February 2006. In January 2007, centre manager Richard Cowlard announced a £1 million renovation lasting approximately nine months. The investment followed a strong Christmas trading period and was intended to update the centre's appearance, infrastructure and accessibility. Kier East acted as contractor, with work scheduled largely at night so that shops could continue trading and shoppers would experience less disruption. The programme finished in September 2007, two months ahead of schedule. The refurbishment addressed both visible and technical features. Specialists worked on the 70-foot glass atrium, while new smoke-detection and fire-sprinkler systems were installed. Ceilings were replaced, walls were repainted in a brighter finish and about 800 higher-specification lights were introduced. KONE modernised the centre's scenic lifts, improving their ability to serve disabled visitors. Environmental changes included energy-efficient lighting and the replacement of electric hand-driers with hand-towel dispensers. Marks & Spencer simultaneously undertook a complete refurbishment of its large store, adding an in-store café and bakery and introducing its Per Una line. A later phase of change began in 2016, when The Belfry reconfigured its retail units. Mr Simms, O2, Robert Dyas and Toy Barnhaus were among the stores moved as the centre released nine units across its two levels. These spaces were consolidated to create a larger unit. In March 2017, H&M was confirmed as the new occupier, with the store expected to open in spring of that year. The centre also previously housed the Royal Earlswood Museum on car-park level one above Marks & Spencer. The museum displayed a small number of surviving objects and exhibits associated with the Royal Earlswood Asylum, which opened in 1847 and closed in 1997. The museum has since closed. Available reference material does not establish the current ownership structure, current management team or a complete present-day tenant roster.
- 2017
H&M announced as new anchor tenant
[1]H&M was confirmed as the occupier of the newly configured large retail unit.
- 2016
Retail-unit reconfiguration begins
[1]The centre began relocating tenants and consolidating nine units to create space for a larger store.
- 2007
Major refurbishment completed
[1]A £1 million renovation modernised the centre's interior, safety systems, lighting, lifts and environmental facilities, finishing two months ahead of schedule.
- 2006
Modelsearch wins retail award
[1]The Belfry's Modelsearch event won the Best Single Event category at the Purple Apple National Retail Awards.
- 2004
ISO 14001 environmental certification
[1]The centre was reported to have become the first shopping centre to receive ISO 14001 environmental-management certification.
- 1991
Shopping centre opens
[1]The Belfry opened in central Redhill on 15 October, occupying the site of a former car park and introducing a major new retail complex to the town.
Products and positioning
A centrally located community shopping centre combining national high-street retailers, everyday services, seasonal events and convenient town-centre access.
Fashion
Fashion and apparel retail
The Belfry's fashion offer has included national high-street clothing retailers. The centre's later retail reconfiguration was partly intended to create a larger unit for H&M, reinforcing its role as a venue for mainstream fashion shopping.
General merchandise · 1991
General merchandise and department-store retail
General merchandise has been represented by retailers such as Marks & Spencer and WHSmith. Marks & Spencer has been one of the centre's largest tenants, occupying space across both shopping levels and offering clothing, household and food-related products.
Food and beverage
Food and café services
Food-related activity forms part of the centre's everyday shopping offer. During the 2007 refurbishment period, the Marks & Spencer store added an in-store café and bakery, complementing the wider retail environment.
Events and experiences
Seasonal events
The Belfry has used seasonal experiences as a customer attraction, particularly its Christmas programme featuring a large artificial tree and a free Santa's grotto. The programme became a recurring local draw and was expanded when demand exceeded available opening hours.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Christmas grotto and seasonal programme
United Kingdom
The Belfry promoted a major Christmas programme built around a large artificial tree and a free Santa's grotto for local families.
Outcome. The grotto was reported to have attracted enough visitors in 2006 that the centre extended its opening hours.
- 2005Modelsearch
United Kingdom
Modelsearch was a promotional competition intended to identify new modelling talent across both male and female participants and a broad range of appearances. It also aimed to increase visits to The Belfry and provide participating retailers with a platform for showcasing products.
Outcome. The event won the Best Single Event category at the Purple Apple National Retail Awards, with the award announced in February 2006.
Brand decisions
2016
Consolidate retail units for a larger storeStrategyBackground
The centre sought to release space across its two levels and create a larger, more commercially useful unit.
Action taken
Several retailers were relocated and nine units were reconfigured into a single larger space.
Aftermath
H&M was confirmed in March 2017 as the occupier of the newly configured store.
2007
Approve a £1 million centre refurbishmentStrategyBackground
The centre reported stronger-than-expected Christmas trading in 2006 and judged that a major investment was appropriate to modernise the ageing shopping environment.
Action taken
The Belfry commissioned a nine-month renovation covering the atrium, ceilings, walls, lighting, fire and smoke systems, lifts, accessibility and environmental facilities.
Aftermath
The work was carried out mainly at night and completed in September 2007, two months earlier than planned.
Refurbishment investment. (2007)
Recent events
- 2017
H&M confirmed for newly configured unit[1]
Product launch
In March 2017, H&M was confirmed as the occupier of the newly consolidated store space, with the opening planned for that spring.
- 2016
Retail-space reconfiguration begins[1]
Other
The centre began relocating several existing stores to release nine units that could be combined into a larger retail space.
- 2007
One-million-pound refurbishment announced[1]
Other
The Belfry announced a nine-month refurbishment focused on modernising the interior, improving fire and smoke systems, upgrading lighting and lifts, and reducing environmental impact.
- 2007
Refurbishment completed ahead of schedule[1]
Other
The refurbishment was completed in September 2007, two months earlier than planned, with much of the work conducted overnight to limit disruption to shoppers and tenants.
- 2006
The Belfry wins Purple Apple award for Modelsearch event[1]
Campaign
The centre's Modelsearch competition won the Best Single Event category at the Purple Apple National Retail Awards after combining local talent promotion, increased visitor traffic and retailer participation.
- 2004
The Belfry receives environmental management certification[1]
Other
The centre was reported as the first shopping centre to receive ISO 14001 certification for environmental management and highlighted recycling and renewable electricity measures.
- 1991
The Belfry opens in central Redhill[1]
Other
The shopping centre opened on 15 October on the site of a former car park, bringing a substantial new retail development and major high-street tenants to Redhill.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-belfry · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled