Step inside the shops of yesteryear as we take a trip through the history of the Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes.
Planned in the late 1940s as one of Scotland’s first post-Second World War new towns, Glenrothes soon experienced a population boom.
The residents needed somewhere to meet all their consumer needs and the Kingdom Shopping Centre opened in 1963.
Initially intended to be a collection of outdoor shopping streets, a series of extensions transformed it into the domed building recognisable across Fife today.
Now, to mark 40 years since its final extension was completed, we have opened our archives to discover it’s not just the prices that have changed over the years.
The Kingdom Shopping Centre development occurred in four phases.
The first, back in 1963, had a very different vision to the enclosed space it is now.
Designed initially as a modern, pedestrian square, the Kingdom Shopping Centre was a series of streets alongside a large fountain and a post office.
But it wasn’t just the shops that provided endless fun for its visitors.
With a steep ramp at its old entrance, the Kingdom Centre was the perfect spot for roller skating.
A glazed roof was added to give protection from the Scottish weather!
The Co-op department store was added to the complex and opened in 1964.
Gone were the days of easy shoplifting when consumers were asked to leave their bags in a locker and wander around the store with a basket.
Their bags would be returned only when they paid for their goods!
In a time before internet shopping was a thing, you had to walk around the shops to find something you liked or, even better, something on sale.
The shopping square was soon a bustling centre of activity, but its innovative designs quickly proved more aesthetically pleasing than functional.
Its glazed roof had started to leak and the square’s open entrances saw shoppers caught in a wind tunnel when the weather whipped up!
The town fountain right outside the door would blow water over everyone on particularly blustery days.
The Kingdom Centre was less well equipped to handle the weather than they’d hoped.
Change was coming!
A £1 million enclosed extension was announced in 1972 by the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC).
The Kingdom Shopping Centre suddenly became the largest enclosed and heated shopping mall in Scotland.
It was then that Woolworths appeared in Glenrothes for the very first time.
The high street retail chain was affectionately known as “Woollies” and was renowned for its pick and mix selection, although its goodies didn’t stop there.
It had its own Ladybird children’s clothing range, the WorthIt! value range, and Chad Valley toys.
Locals described it as “the Amazon of its time”, with everything you needed under one roof.
This was old-school shopping in the days before contactless!
All 807 Woolworths stores in the UK were closed between December 27 2008 and January 6 2009, including the one in Glenrothes.
Who still misses the pick and mix?
On Tuesday March 30 1982 the Fine Fare supermarket opened its doors for the very first time.
The popular supermarket created 150 jobs for the former miners’ town.
The distinctive, brightly-coloured branding could be seen from the entrance of the centre.
Do you have fond memories of shopping there back in the 1980s?
Fine Fare’s Yellow Pack budget own-label range of goods was the first own-brand basic range to be introduced in the UK.
Cheques were cleared in advance at the reception’s information desk so all shoppers had to do was fill in the amount at the check-out.
It later became Gateway.
In the ’80s you could also get a cone of chips from Crawfords, and browse the records in John Menzies.
Both are long gone but certainly not forgotten!
In 1993 Glenrothes was given a central government grant for any last major projects in the new town.
That saw £16.5 million spent on developing the Rothes Halls.
The multi-purpose community facility was home to a café, theatre, library, and conference rooms.
However, since 2000, the floorspace of the Kingdom Shopping Centre has halved.
The once-bustling shopping centre has now lost several of its iconic shops from those glory days when they were packed every day of the week.
In March 2021 a masterplan was approved by the Glenrothes Area Committee to save the once-thriving shopping mall.
Officially named the Glenrothes Masterplan, the 42-page blueprint developed by Fife Council identifies how the Kingdom Centre will be regenerated through a series of medium and long-term initiatives over the next 10 years.
The masterplan supersedes an earlier Glenrothes town centre action plan that was approved at Glenrothes Area Committee in 2014.
It is proposed that older parts of the Kingdom Shopping Centre, at Albany Gate, are demolished and replaced with new architecture and more green space.
A progress report is to be presented to councillors annually, with another update expected this year.
With its latest planned extension, it’s clear that the Kingdom Shopping Centre will continue to provide good memories to Fifers for years to come.
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