Changing face of square fit for a King

GLOUCESTER city centre was one huge building site this week 47 years ago when King’s Square was being redeveloped.

Here’s a description of the upheaval taken from a Citizen report.

“King’s Square, which used to be the city’s main car park and housed the bus station and public conveniences, is a vast, deep hole with yellow machines grubbing about making it into yet a bigger hole.

“Out of this scene of carnage is to arise a new King’s Square, an open space with playing fountains, surrounded by buildings of the age, another multi storey car park, a supermarket, other shops and offices.

“The Victorian buildings on the east

»

side of the square have been demolished.

“All that there is is the fairly recently erected showroom premises of the Midlands Electricity Board. These stand among the girders of the new development and will be conspicuous as a relic of the past”.

Readers of ripening years will recall the site occupied by King’s Square was the cattle market until the 1960s.

And going back even further, part of the site was home to the St Aldate garage, Gloucester’s main dealer for Austin, Talbot and Chrysler cars.

The new-look King’s Square was revealed in 1972. Since then further evolutions have taken place with the ABC Regal cinema becoming a pub in 1990.

King’s Square with its famous fountains in the 1970s

King’s Square in the 1920s and, right, 1950s

Gloucester Cattle Market in what became King’s Square

Bon Marche – which became Debenhams – in the final phase of construction at one end of King’s Square

King’s Square in the 1960s and, right, the 1970s