The main entrance to the Harlequin Centre is on the southeast side of Queens Road, near the High Street, you enter the upper level facing southeast. The doors are set back, southeast from the main wall, there are two large pillars in front of the entrance, which has five sets of double doors. The fifth set (at the northeast end, separated by a short section of wall from the rest) is automatic.
The Centre is arranged on two levels, named the Upper and Lower Mall.The
main entrance brings you into the Upper Mall, at the northwest end of a passage
leading to a concourse area. We will call this the Upper Southwest Passage,
which leads to the Upper Concourse. Another passage, which we will call the
Upper Northeast Passage, leads from the Upper Concourse to the upper level of
Charter Place.
Note that the floor of this upper level slopes gradually upwards as you move anti-clockwise
through the Centre so that you cross Queens Road via a bridge before reaching the upper level of Charter Place.
The Lower Mall can be entered via:
There are also various escalators, lifts and stairs within the Centre. The Lower Concourse mainly comprises the food court. There's a very short Lower Southwest Passage leading to toilets and the Lower Northeast Passage is divided into two sections by Queens Road.
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The Upper Southwest Passage The Upper Concourse The Upper Northeast Passage The Lower Southwest Passage The Lower Concourse The Lower Northeast Passage |
The Upper Southwest Passage is a wide corridor which runs east from the main entrance before bearing slightly right (southeast, parallel to the High Street).
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Monsoon, women's clothes French Connection, women's clothes passage veers right Ann Harvey, clothes Virgin Megastore, on the corner into the Upper Concourse |
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Waterstone's Books French Connection, men's clothes David Clulow, opticians Silver Mine, jeweller and fancy goods 3-door fire exit Trade Secret, toiletries Vibe, clothes, closing Wall juts out The Perfume Shop |
The Perfume Shop has one entrance in the passage, the other in the Upper Concourse. There's a large pillar to your left, about a metre from the shop front. The entrance is on the corner with a sharp post which holds shutters.
The pillar indicates the beginning of the Upper Concourse, however the right hand frontage continues southeast.
The Upper Concourse is generally rectangular in shape with the two passages (Upper Southwest and Upper Northeast) leaving from the northwest side. This concourse is otherwise bounded by shops as describe below. The concourse is also a balcony around an atrium which allows some natural light to the Lower Concourse. This atrium is bounded, largely by a metal rail, except where lifts, escalators and stairs use this space. A bridge crosses the atrium, about in the middle, running northwest/southeast.
Note that there are several large pillars in the concourse, some distance away from the shop fronts.
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main entrance to Virgin fire exit, 2 double doors, in recess Game Dixons Vision Express, opticians Accessorize, ladies accessories floor slopes up to your left into the Upper Northeast Passage. |
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Carphone Warehouse Jessops, photographic |
Bear slightly left
| John Lewis |
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John Lewis Jewels fire exit, one set of double doors, not set back WH Smith |
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Boots the Chemist Adams, children's ware, set back., large pillar outside entrance Perfume Shop |
The Upper Concourse Balcony has a number of stalls whose positions and tenants may vary from time to time.
The rail continues up the slope. Just after the top of this slope, the rail bends sharply right onto the bridge. The bridge is slightly hump backed.
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stall (at time of survey) plant pot trolley park pillar with leaflet rack (at north corner). |
Turning right
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information desk (opposite John Lewis) pillar with leaflet rack |
Turn right again
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information board to left, in cut-out of corner staircase down to Lower Concourse 2 lifts |
The lifts have call buttons (up and down) in a circular plate. The Lower and Upper Malls, plus levels 1 to 5 in the car park are served. The internal buttons are located on the right-hand wall of each lift, as you enter. The layout is:
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Alarm level 5 level 3 level 4 level 1 level 2 Upper Mall Lower Mall doors open doors close |
Between the lifts is a glass panel and semi-circular column before you reach the panel with the call buttons.
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stall in alcove (at time of survey) southeast end of the bridge pillar in line with the rail at the southeast end of the bridge pillar also in line with right hand rail escalator, right hand one you need, goes down southwest to Lower Mall |
The other escalator comes down from Level 1.
Important - you need to veer left about 11 o'clock to avoid the escalators, particularly the left hand one coming down towards you. As you find the rail again, there's a large pillar in front of you.
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The floor slopes down seat on your left pillar, about half a metre from the rail seat rail turns right towards the up escalators, you need the left-hand escalator, pass the first one coming up from the Lower Mall. |
There's a gap between the two escalators, the escalators go up northeast. The rail continues northwest, (opposite the Perfume Shop)
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stall back to the corner opposite Virgin |
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fire exits, two sets of double doors Body Shop Ann Summers, sex shop Envy, clothes Oasis, women's clothes Suits You, men's suits Birthdays, card shop Morgan de Toi, women's clothes Gymboree, children's clothes Ernest Jones, jeweller Uniqlo, clothes |
There's a seam across the floor, the corridor veers slightly right.
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Westgate, dept store Barratts, shoes H & M, clothes Miss Selfridge, women's clothes River Island, clothes Marks & Spencer Whittard, tea and coffee sales Bookworld recess to one single and one double blank door Yogurtland, icecream and yogurt Micco, leather clothing and goods BHS |
The corridor bears left at the top of the slope.
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area with various photo booths and novelty machines Dr & Herbs, Chinese medicine recess to double blank doors Style, Mobile accessories Going Places, travel agent La Brioche Doree, cafe mat in front of doors leading into Charter Place |
There are five sets of double doors, the left-hand set is automatic.
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fire exit, two sets of double doors Warehouse, clothes Faith, ladies' shoes Sephora, toiletries Bay Trading Company, clothes Wallis, clothes, juts out slightly La Senza, lingerie Ciro Citterio, men's clothes passage to stairs, lifts, public phone and fire doors. |
| blank |
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Three sets of double doors, fire exit Public phone |
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Double doors leading to stairs, (complex route) two lifts to Management offices, Play Group, Baby Change (level 1). |
The lifts have a panel between them with common call buttons. The destination buttons are on the panel to your left of the doors as you enter the lift. The layout is:
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Alarm level 5 level 3 level 4 level 1 level 2 Uppper Mall Lower Mall doors close doors open |
Note that these are touch sensitive buttons, no announcements.
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pillar at northwest corner of the passage, just in from the main frontage New Look, women's clothes passage veers left, presenting Superdrug at an angle across you notice board about a metre from the window between the doors to Superdrug Vodafone Frangi Tie Rack Sunglass Hut Watch Station fire exit, three sets of double doors Ravel, shoes Clarks, shoes H Samuel, jeweller Jacques Vert, women's clothes Disney |
The Disney store curves right to a three double door fire exit.
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Next, men's clothes Two lifts |
There's a glass panel between the door of each lift and the panel with the call buttons on a circular metal plate. The destination buttons are on the right-hand side of the lift as you enter, the layout is:
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Alarm level 5 level 3 level 4 level 1 level 2 Upper Mall Lower Mall Doors Close Doors Open |
| Next, women and children |
There's an interconnecting passage to the men's store behind the lift shaft.
There are escalators, in the middle of the corridor, opposite Next Women's and Children's. These escalators link the Upper Mall to level 1. You need the left-hand escalator which goes up northwest.
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Druckers, cafe patisserie vacant Clinton Cards Select, women's clothes, pillar in middle of entrance Bag Boutique, closed Birds, women's clothes Victoria Health Foods passage to right |
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wall with billboards, slope down blank double door 4 blank doors recess to 4 doors, fire exit baby change area sharp pillar in middle of passage |
This is a T-junction into a passage running northwest/southeast.
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gents toilet parent and child toilet disabled persons toilet, (opposite the end of the passage from the mall) ladies toilet |
| blank |
| blank door |
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blank wall passage from Upper Mall, with a pillar in the middle attendant's room |
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blank door fire hydrant billboards slope down billboards customer lockers blank wall two vending machines |
As we go beyond this passage, we're on the matting before the doors to Charter Place. The escalators serving the Lower Mall are in the middle of the passage, opposite the doors from Charter Place, you need the left-hand escalator, going down southeast.
Note that there's a round pillar between the entrance and escalators, avoid this to the left to locate the down escalator.
Note, there are pillars around this concourse.
| Boots the Chemist |
The down escalator from the Upper Mall emerges virtually opposite the entrance
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Ponti's Restaurant passage to High Street |
You go up nine steps, going southwest, through doors, turn right, then left towards the High Street, you come out via Carey Place.
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blank wall La Brioche Doree Little Chef Express, going round corner |
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Burger King KFC Lower Southwest Passage Pillar, just beyond the passage, about 1.5 metres from the shop front County Book Shops USC, clothes First Sport Alexander Craig, jeweller Lower Northeast Passage |
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vacant John Lewis |
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John Lewis BB's Coffee and Muffins fire exit, 3 double doors in recess WH Smith |
| Boots |
In the middle of the Lower Concourse is a large seating area partially surrounded by a rail and sometimes by tables with chairs and plant pots.
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escalator, coming down from northeast entrance to seating area virtually opposite the passage to the High Street passage through the seating area, opposite County Book Shops, with a pillar in the middle at the southwest end, you go up 5 steps opposite John Lewis entrances to the seating area with 5 steps down are opposite First Sports, opposite the Lower Northeast Passage and opposite John Lewis. |
As you continue, opposite John Lewis beyond a pillar, are the stairs up to the Upper Mall. Go up 10 steps, turn right (180 degrees), up 10 steps, turn right (180 degrees) then up 10 steps to the Upper Mall.
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recess between the stairs and lifts, occupied by plant pots 2 lifts, up only, as per Upper Mall 5 steps down into the passage from County Book Shops |
The rail continues towards the up escalator, in front of you, going up
southwest.
Note, you could find yourself in the recess between the escalator and rail.
The rail continues beside the escalator. There's a pillar on each side of you. The right-hand one forms the back of a Lloyds TSB cash point. Beyond the cash point is a recess to the rail beside the down escalator moving from right to left.
This Lower Southwest Passage leads northwest from the Lower Concourse.
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billboard 7 phones, two lowered for wheelchair access fire doors, two double doors across the passage, central pillar 2 blank doors recess to blank double door billboard ladies toilets baby change area rail juts out parent and child toilet gents toilet disabled persons toilet vending machine disabled persons toilet |
| 2 sets of fire exit double doors, up steps to Queens Road |
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window to County Book Shops blank wall to two double fire doors, across the passage, centtral pillar billboards customer lockers wall with billboard to end |
A seam on the floor marks the start of this passage.
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2 double door fire exit Globe the Discovery Store Best Jeansware Millets Naughty, women's clothes Monserrat, men's clothes O 2, mobile American Express, foreign exchange Puccino's Espresso Bar The Watch Hospital Swag, jewellers |
Exit doors, across the end, to Queens Road. There are five sets of double doors either side of Queens Road the doors on the extreme southwest end are automatic, on each side of the road.
Go through the doors into Queens Road, continue across the road into the remainder of the Lower Northeast Passage.
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Westgate, dept store Cromwells Mad House, clothes Evans, women's clothes Eisenegger, clothes Clinton Cards Marks and Spencer |
The slope levels off then resumes outside M & S. Just after the slope restarts, the stairs to the Upper Mall are to you right. You go up 3 x 10 steps curving left, coming out facing the lifts between the two sections of Next.
As you come down these steps, you're facing M & S.
Continuing northwest
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Millie's Cookies Thorntons, chocolate one single and one double blank door Caprice, jeweller BHS |
Since the floor of the passage slopes upwards and the front of BHS is level, you go up four steps into the entrance near Caprice, whilst you have level access via the entrance near Colorama.
Continuing northwest
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Colorama, photo processors recess to blank double door Network News, newsagent blank double door Shoecare Sony doors to Charter Place, across the end. |
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fire exit, two sets of double doors Dune, ladies shoes Jane Norman, women's clothes Time, women's clothes Partners, stationers All Sports vacant Beaverbrooks, jeweller passage to right, running northeast |
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Beaverbrooks window vacant |
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windows of Supercuts lifts, as above stairs to Upper Mall and car park |
Note, there's a complex route to these stairs.
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entrance to Supercuts, at angle pillar on corner just beyond entrance Bear Factory, teddies Gordon Scott, shoes, recessed entrance with pillar in middle doors across the end, to Queens Road. |
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Randall's Coffee House Claire's, teenager's accessories Stead & Simpson, shoes Sport & Ski Early Learning Centre Foot Locker, shoes and sportsware Gadget Shop recess to fire exit, four sets of double doors Dorothy Perkins/ Burtons lifts, below Next HMV Guardi, women's shoes, etc. Phones 4 U Extra Vacant JD Sports The Link Panasonic The Natural World Vacant doors to Charter Place. |
There are escalators opposite Panasonic and Network News, going up northwest towards Charter Place and the Upper Mall. The left hand one is the one you want.
Note, it's possible to walk between the escalators, and that there's a pillar in line with this gap about 2 metres from the foot of the escalators.
There's various seating in the middle of both sections of this passage. There's a stall opposite BHS, Belts.
Note, you can walk underneath the stairs, we suggest you keep to either side of the walkway. Another stall is a little way southeast of the stairs, opposite M&S; or Burtons.
In the southeast section of the passage, the foot of the escalators is opposite O 2 and Beaverbrooks. You go up northwest, via the left-hand escalator. There are two phones on each side and a Lottery booth to the northwest of these escalators.