Here we look back at some photos from the Oxford Mail archive from 1972.
It was 51 years ago when the Westgate shopping centre first opened. Following it revamp in 2017 it now looks very different.
Also in 1972, prisoners at Oxford prison protested about prison conditions by scrambling onto the roof.
Read again: Looking back at the early days of Westgate
It was the year the Westgate Centre in Oxford opened for the first time.
It reopened in 2017 followed a £440m revamp.
In 1972 the £1.8m Westgate Shopping Centre opened with a large Selfridges and a Sainsbury’s.
But plans to revamp it took many years and included many false starts.
READ AGAIN: Travellers cause large clean-up operation
In 1999, artists’ impressions of Capital Shopping Centres’ £220m revamped mall were unveiled.
In 2000, Oxford City Council approved the Westgate extension application but Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott threw out the plans.
The decision was overturned but CSC withdrew its application and in 2006 submitted fresh plans for the £300m redevelopment of the Westgate Centre.
In 2010, CSC sold the Westgate Centre to the Crown Estate and Land Securities, which forms a consortium named Westgate Oxford Alliance.
Read again: Twin town car rally leaves Blenheim Palace
In 2013, Westgate Oxford Alliance signed a development agreement with Oxford City Council and in 2014 plans for the £440m revamp of the centre are approved and it opened in October 2017, with 100 new shops and restaurants, a cinema and rooftop terrace.
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
Ben Hardy
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here