Victoria Place

Victoria Place is a multi-storey shopping and leisure centre in central Woking, Surrey, England. The complex was formerly known as The Peacocks and was also referred to as Woking Shopping during an earlier phase of its history. It was developed as a large town-centre destination combining conventional retail with food, entertainment, cultural and community uses. The centre opened in April 1992 after construction of a development measuring approximately 500,000 square feet, or about 46,000 square metres. At opening, its facilities included a department store, around 90 consumer-service and retail units, a 1,200-seat theatre, three cinemas, a nightclub and a library. The design also incorporated links to the wider leisure and cultural offer in the area, including entrances connecting the shopping centre with the theatre and cinema facilities. Food and beverage provision included daytime restaurants, fast-food outlets and cafés. The project was developed by the London and Edinburgh Trust in partnership with Woking Borough Council and designed by Chapman Taylor Partners. Its scale and mixed-use format reflected the role of Woking town centre as a regional shopping and entertainment destination. Rather than operating as a single consumer-goods brand, Victoria Place functions as a property-based retail environment that accommodates multiple independent and national businesses, hospitality operators and leisure venues. A £1.5 million extension was completed in 2010. The work included a new entrance facing Town Square and was intended to improve the centre's connection with the surrounding public realm. Ownership later changed hands: British Land owned the centre until selling it to a private investor in 2008 for £116 million. The available reference material does not identify the current owner. Further changes were made in the late 2010s, when an extension formed part of the adjacent Victoria Square development. This connected the centre with a broader programme of town-centre regeneration and added to the site's role within Woking's retail and leisure district. The centre is now identified as Victoria Place, while The Peacocks remains an important former name associated with the property. Victoria Place's positioning is therefore local and destination-oriented rather than international. Its principal offer consists of retail units, food and drink, entertainment, cultural facilities and access to neighbouring town-centre attractions. The centre's historical significance lies in its integrated approach to shopping and leisure, its partnership-based development model and its subsequent adaptation through extensions and redevelopment.

Victoria Place originated as a major mixed-use redevelopment of Woking town centre. The project was developed by the London and Edinburgh Trust in partnership with Woking Borough Council and designed by Chapman Taylor Partners. Its purpose was to create a substantial central shopping and leisure complex rather than a standalone retail building. The development brought together shops, consumer services, food outlets and entertainment facilities in one multi-storey site. The centre opened in April 1992 under the name Woking Shopping and became associated with the name The Peacocks. At approximately 500,000 square feet, or 46,000 square metres, it was a significant town-centre complex. The initial scheme contained a department store and approximately 90 retail and consumer-service units. Its wider leisure offer included a 1,200-seat theatre, three cinemas, a nightclub and a library. Restaurants, fast-food businesses and cafés provided additional daytime uses. The centre also included links to the area's principal theatre and cinema facilities, with access points both inside and outside the complex. The development's format reflected an effort to combine shopping with entertainment and civic activity. This gave the property a role beyond conventional retail accommodation, allowing it to function as part of Woking's broader cultural and social infrastructure. The available sources do not provide a complete tenant list or detailed information about the centre's trading performance. In 2008, British Land sold the centre to a private investor for £116 million. The transaction marked a change in ownership after British Land's period as owner, although the supplied reference material does not identify the subsequent investor or the current ownership structure. Because the sale value is tied to a specific transaction, it should not be treated as a current valuation of the property. A £1.5 million extension was added in 2010. One reported element of the project was a new entrance facing Town Square, improving the centre's relationship with the surrounding pedestrian and public-space network. The extension represented an incremental modernisation of the original 1992 complex. The property later became known as Victoria Place. During the late 2010s, another extension was constructed as part of the adjacent Victoria Square development. This work placed the centre within a wider town-centre regeneration context and expanded or strengthened its physical connection with neighbouring development. The supplied sources do not specify the precise additional floor area, tenants or facilities created by this phase. Victoria Place is consequently best understood as the current identity of a Woking shopping and leisure complex whose earlier public identity was The Peacocks. Its history is defined by its 1992 opening, its integrated retail-and-entertainment design, the 2010 Town Square extension, the 2008 ownership transfer from British Land and its later integration with the Victoria Square development.

• 2010

  Town Square extension completed

  [1]Victoria Placeen.wikipedia.org

  A £1.5 million extension added a new entrance facing Town Square.

• 2010

  Centre identity develops into Victoria Place

  [1]Victoria Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The complex became known as Victoria Place after its earlier identities, including Woking Shopping and The Peacocks.

• 2010

  Victoria Square-related extension

  [1]Victoria Placeen.wikipedia.org

  A further extension was constructed in the late 2010s as part of the adjacent Victoria Square development.

• 2008

  British Land sells the centre

  [1]Victoria Placeen.wikipedia.org

  British Land sold the centre to a private investor for £116 million.

• 1992

  Shopping and leisure centre opens

  [1]Victoria Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The approximately 500,000-square-foot complex opened in April as Woking Shopping, with the facilities and retail accommodation that later became associated with The Peacocks.

A town-centre shopping and leisure destination serving Woking and the surrounding Surrey area.

• Retail accommodation · 1992

  Retail units

  Victoria Place provides a multi-storey retail environment containing approximately 90 consumer-service and retail units in the original complex. The centre accommodates multiple businesses rather than selling products under one proprietary brand. The available reference material does not identify the individual tenants or specify the current retail mix.

• Dining and hospitality · 1992

  Food and beverage facilities

  The centre's original offer included daytime restaurants, fast-food outlets and cafés. These facilities complement the shopping and entertainment functions of the complex and contribute to its role as a town-centre destination. Specific current operators are not identified in the supplied sources.

• Entertainment and leisure · 1992

  Theatre and cinema connections

  The original development incorporated links to a 1,200-seat theatre and three cinemas, with entrances from both within and outside the shopping centre. These connections formed part of the site's integrated shopping-and-leisure concept.

• Cultural and community facilities · 1992

  Leisure and civic facilities

  At opening, the complex also contained a nightclub and a library. These uses broadened the centre beyond conventional retail and helped establish it as part of Woking's central cultural and social infrastructure.

• 2010

  Town Square-facing extensionStrategy

  Background

  The centre was expanded after its original 1992 development to improve its town-centre interface.

  Action taken

  A £1.5 million extension was completed, including a new entrance facing Town Square.

  Aftermath

  The work strengthened the centre's connection with the surrounding public space. No further operational or financial outcome is specified in the supplied sources.

  Extension cost. £1.5 million extension (2010)

  Source

• 2010

  Extension linked to Victoria Square developmentStrategy

  Background

  The centre was incorporated into the wider Victoria Square town-centre development during the late 2010s.

  Action taken

  A further extension was constructed as part of the adjacent development.

  Aftermath

  The work expanded the site's relationship with the broader Woking town-centre regeneration area. Specific changes to floor space, tenants and trading performance are not stated.

  Source

• 2008

  Sale from British Land to a private investorM&A

  Background

  British Land had owned the shopping and leisure centre before disposing of it in 2008.

  Action taken

  The centre was sold to a private investor for £116 million.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended British Land's ownership period. The supplied material does not identify the buyer or provide later ownership details.

  Transaction value. £116 million sale (2008)

  Source

1. 1Victoria Placeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Victoria Place Woking official websitevpwoking.co.uk