It's hard to picture Birmingham without the modern Bullring shopping centre and the shiny aluminium discs of the Selfridges building. However, many Brummies will be able to remember the times before the iconic landmark was built in the heart of the city centre.
The old Bull Ring admittedly may have been showing its age long before it was demolished but its market stalls and shops were still beloved by many Brummies through the years. It had been opened by Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip all the way back in 1964 and was one of the biggest shopping centres of its kind outside of the USA at the time.
The Queen visited the following year and the centre lasted until the brand new Bullring we know today was built - now one word. The historic moment in 2003 was marked with Bully bursting out of his wooden crate in front of an excited crowd.
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Many other areas have been transformed by the arrival of new shopping centres over the past few decades. Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull was constructed on the Civic Hall car park in the town centre, costing £110million to build and opening its doors to the public in 2001.
Other centres like Perry Barr and Chelmsley Wood were only fields before their construction - and now it's near impossible to imagine these areas without their shopping spaces. Meanwhile, Birmingham New Street station now boasts dozens of shops and restaurants but used to be radically different.
The first New Street station was opened in 1854 as a joint venture by Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway. It had a single-span arched roof of iron and glass which was the largest of its kind in the world until St Pancras was unveiled in London in 1868.
The more modern concrete station from the 60s was deemed an eyesore and struggled to deal with growing passenger numbers. Work began on the New Street station in 2010 before the completed redevelopment - with The Pallasades now transformed into Grand Central - was officially opened by the Queen.
You can take a look at what Birmingham looked like before its shopping centres were built in the photo story below, which features dozens of historical pictures from our archives.
