For two generations of Peterborians, Queensgate Shopping Centre has been ever-present in their daily lives.
Granted planning permission in 1976, Queensgate opened six years later and quickly became the city’s main shopping complex.
When it opened in 1982, the shopping centre boasted more than 100 shops and also featured four car parks.
At the time, Queensgate was one of the biggest construction projects ever undertaken in Peterborough, with contractors Laing drafting in resources from far and wide.
Requiring thousands of tonnes of concrete and steel, the project took four years to complete.
Infrastructure around the shopping centre was also improved during construction in the late 1970s, including the modernisation of the current Queensgate roundabout.
This involved the construction of two subways connecting Peterborough Railway Station to Cowgate.
With these two subways now closed as part of the wider City Link project, we thought we’d have a dig through the Peterborough Telegraph archives to see if we could find any photos of Queensgate being built.
Full gallery below:
