IT is hard to imagine a time Colchester’s retail centre did not have Culver Square but these images go back to the early 1980s when it was merely an artists impression.

More than three decades later and the centre has had its fair share of famous visitors and gone through a number of changes, including to its major retailers.

In the early days and for many years C & A and the Lighthouse Restaurant were among the major names, seen here in our archived images.

Work began on the Culver centre in the mid 1980s and was completed in around 1988.

Debenhams was one of the only original stores within the centre before it closed in May 2021. 

The former Debenhams site in Culver Square and Culver Street West is set to undergo a radical transformation.

The new site will include a variety of entertainment and leisure activities, including a Boom Battle Bar, mini golf, go kart track and more.

Plans to transform the site were submitted by Flip Out last year.