The Victoria Centre stands on the site of the old Nottingham Victoria railway station, which was demolished in 1967. The clock tower and the former Victoria Station Hotel were the only parts of the old station to survive. The shopping centre was built between 1967 and 1972 by Taylor Woodrow. Above the shopping centre rise the 26 floor, high Victoria Centre Flats, which run north–south along their length. There are 464 flats and of office space. In 1970, the kinetic sculptor Rowland Emett was commissioned to design and build a "water-powered" clock known as The Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator. The clock was installed in late 1972 and chimed on the hour and half-hour, playing "Gigue en Rondeau II" from Rameau's "Pieces de Clavecin" Suite in E minor. This musical animated sculpture was originally located on the lower mall and was a popular meeting place. The clock was later modified to chime and play the music every fifteen minutes. In February 2014 the clock was dismantled and refurbished by engineer Pete Dexter and the Rowland Emett Society. It was reassembled for exhibition in Millennium Point, Birmingham, during the summer of 2014 before being dismantled again and stored until December 2014. The parts were then transported back to Nottingham, where Dexter and Intu Victoria Centre staff carried out further refurbishment work. It was reassembled in its new location, at the north end of the upper mall. Its stature, colour scheme, and most of its original water features were restored. It was officially restarted on 17 June 2015. In 1997 the centre was extended to provide more retail space and allow the addition of a new anchor, House of Fraser. Following this the rest of the centre was refurbished. In 2010 it was announced that the Victoria Centre would be expanded to compete with Westfield's nearby Broadmarsh Centre and new centres in Derby and Leicester. In November 2011, Capital Shopping Centres purchased the Broadmarsh Centre. The purchase prompted an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission, which was concerned the company's monopoly over the city's shopping centres could negatively impact competition. Following the purchase, the owners wished to begin the planned development of the Victoria Centre, but Nottingham City Council insisted that Broadmarsh must be their "priority" and offered £50 million towards its redevelopment. The deputy leader of Nottingham City Council said the council would withhold planning permission for the development of the Victoria Centre until they "see bulldozers going into the Broadmarsh Centre". In February 2013 the parent company, Capital Shopping Centres, changed its name to Intu Properties. The centre was rebranded Intu Victoria Centre as part of the company's £25m nationwide rebrand. In 2013, plans were revealed for the centre to be refurbished. The refurbishment started in February 2014 and was completed in summer 2015. It was undertaken by Laing O'Rourke and features a new restaurant quarter in the clock tower area and new lighting, flooring, entrances, and toilet facilities. This is the second refurbishment of the centre since the last major refurbishment in 1997. There are plans for an extension to the centre to increase floor space, but these will not be considered until plans for Intu Broadmarsh have been submitted.
Victoria Centre Market
On the first floor, opposite John Lewis, is Nottingham's largest indoor market, the Victoria Centre Market. It sells a range of goods, including fresh food, meat, and fish. There are also speciality stalls selling items such as books, jewellery, and haberdashery. The market is open from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. In 2008 it won the award for the Greenest Market in the Midlands from the National Market Traders Federation.
