[1] Situated behind the ruined Charles Church, preserved as the city's civilian war memorial, the building provoked a mixed reception.

[4] Just after it opened, the shopping centre won the inaugural Carbuncle Cup "for crimes against architecture", as the worst new building in the United Kingdom.

Drake Circus was originally a large oval roundabout built in the early 20th century at the junction of four main roads and several minor ones.

The roundabout consisted of Edwardian buildings housing shops, and from 1937 its south end carried the "Guinness Clock", which was visible to people travelling up Old Town Street[8] and was a landmark in the city of the time.

A two-level shopping centre with open malls and a large C&A store was built, partly over the site of the original circus.