Conceived as an experimental retail and social housing complex in the 1960s, the Brunswick was neglected throughout the 1980s and ’90s. In 2006, however, the Grade II-listed centre was given a much-needed £24 million facelift by an architectural partnership that included the building’s original designer, Patrick Hodgkinson. The concrete-heavy complex has retained its 1960s character but it is now brighter, whiter and considerably more popular.
The retail outlets are largely of the high street chain variety (River Island, Office, New Look, Hobbs, Oasis), but on a summer evening the central walkway buzzes with shoppers and al fresco diners (at Carluccio’s, Yo! Sushi and Las Iguanas, among other eateries) creating a lively continental vibe. And the crowning glory is still here – the arthouse Renoir cinema, (now officially known as Curzon Bloomsbury).