Cabot Circus opening - your reaction
As shoppers crammed inside the long-awaited centre, This is Bristol asked their reaction to what they saw.
Brian Thompson, 77, of Hanham: 'It was jolly good, very exciting. I’ve come down specially for it. It was great to see all those kids enjoy themselves.'
Peter Edmonds, 75, of Wrington: 'I was quite impressed by the master of ceremonies, who I assume was supposed to be Brunel, and the tumblers. The procession was quite attractive and filled in the time before the shops actually opened.'
Mitzie Richardson, 75, of Redcliffe: 'It was very nice, and enjoyable with the children doing their bit. We’re always out here on a Thursday so thought we would come along.'
David Richardson, 79, of Redcliffe: 'It was very good, though my wife is more excited about Cabot Circus than me. I think you’ll find it will be 95 per cent women in there but the opening was very enjoyable.'
Mervyn Cox, 84, of Kingswood: 'It was very good, you’ve got to look forward to things in Bristol because they take so long to happen. They’ve said that this has been 10 years coming but it’s more like 20.'
Christine Hudson, 60: 'We were waiting a long time for the opening as we were told it was going to start at 10am. But this is what Bristol needs, a decent shopping centre.'
Les Hudson, 52: 'The ceremony was very good. But the pavements are a bit uneven, they’ve done it so quick. It’s a bit of a rush job and probably won’t be ready until Christmas.'
Neeley Upward, 25, of Whitchurch, with son Alfie, three months: 'I thought it was brilliant. I like how they were playing all the music. It’s nice to have some shops back although I’m disappointed there are no baby shops, you still have to go out of town for those.'
Laura Binding, 29, of Whitchurch, with daughter Kaila, three months: 'I thought the opening was very good, it was different. Cabot Circus is a lot more open than I thought it was going to be, I think it will be good so long as they don’t let Broadmead die down.'
Val May, 69, of Whitchurch: 'From what we saw of the ceremony, I thought it was very good. I did think this area needed improving and brightening up.'
John May, 77, of Whitchurch: 'I couldn’t have done better myself, although I was disappointed they left out Whitchurch and Hengrove. This is why we’ve come down here today.'
Susan Winter, 53, from Fishponds: 'I mainly shop for household stuff at House of Fraser. This new store is very nice. It's spacious and there's plenty of new stock. I really like it.'
Joan Brice, 76, from Nailsea: 'It's a lovely atmosphere in the new House of Fraser. A touch of luxury. I wouldn't have been so encouraged to shop at the old store. I'm looking around generally to get a feel for the place.'
Terry Beven, 68, from Spain: 'I used to live just outside of Bristol and me and my wife are back on a visit so I thought I would come and take a look. I like House of Fraser for shoes and shirts but it's mainly my wife who does all the shopping.'
George Torrington, 17, Bedminster Down: 'I shop here for clothes. It's a lot bigger than the old store and there are a lot more brands so I'm quite impressed.'
Danielle McNamee, 18, St George: 'I like to shop in the Warehouse department and DKNY and I'm really impressed by the bags. It's really lovely.'
Samantha McNamee, 43, St George: 'It's absolutely lovely. I think it's fantastic for the city and it was a brilliant opening ceremony. Bristol as a community needed this because a lot of people who would go shopping in Cardiff or London for decent brands can now get it here.'
Marlene Thompson, 43, St George: 'I come to House of Fraser for the perfume department and the clothes. It's a great new store, really big and open. When the development started it was such a mess and has been for such a long time that to see the finished product is amazing.'
Ricky Wood, 20, city centre: 'It's great. the House of Fraser store is big and new and has lots more to offer as does the whole of Cabot Circus. But I'm not a person to go out and spend loads of money on clothes. I looked in Harvey Nichols and saw a coat for £1,600 and it actually made me feel a bit sick to think someone could spend that kind of money on one item of clothing.'
Anton Crawford, 30, Whitchurch: 'It looks pretty amazing. Because it's new it's a lot nicer and fresher than the old store.'
Martin Sault, 25, from Bournemouth: 'I have been working in Bristol so I thought I would take a look. We have a House of Fraser in Bournemouth but this one's much bigger and better with far more brands. I like brands like Paul Smith and Armani. I will definitely be travelling from Bournemouth to come shopping in Bristol now.'
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