New chapter waiting in wings for long city Debenhams saga

AS TALKS CONTINUE ON HUGE SITE'S FUTURE, WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT ITS HISTORY

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

LONG-AWAITED news on the potential future of the city's former Debenhams building marks the latest chapter in its rich history.

The Post understands that the city centre building's owners want to demolish part of it to build a multi-storey block of luxury apartments.

Accommodation would also make up the rest of the site under the plans, although the building's owners stress that discussions remain at a very early stage.

But the news was the first light to be shed on the potential future of this site since Debenhams closed in May 2021.

The building is formed from a collection of historic sites that were once used for either retail or leisure purposes.

As discussions continue before an initial planning application which city leaders hope to receive soon, we have taken a look back at the creation of the impressive building.

GRIFFIN AND SPALDING

The Debenhams building is formed from smaller buildings gradually acquired by Griffin and Spalding, Debenhams' forerunner.

The story dates back to 1846, when the large Dickinson's drapery shop opened in Long Row.

It was bought by businessmen William Griffin and John Spalding in 1878. The pair first rebuilt the shop in the late 1880s and it became the Griffin and Spalding department store - the name it would keep for 100 years.

The main element of the current site - the Portland stone-clad structure on a corner of the Old Market Square most associated with the Debenhams building - was completed in two stages between 1920 and 1927.

As Griffin and Spalding's success grew, the business acquired several properties to the east on Long Row and to the north on Market Street.

Other elements of the complex therefore include numbers 2 to 10 Market Street, built as five individual shops by renowned Nottingham architects TC Hine and Son.