Originally four shops, these premises are part of the shopping centre which was officially opened in 1965. The new centre helped to transform Yate from a village into a town. The shopping centre was built on land which was once part of Thorn’s Farm. The 17th-century farmhouse was owned by the Thorn family until 1784. It was then owned by a succession of farmers, until its demolition to make way for the ‘new town’ of Yate.

Text about the history of Thorn’s Farm

The text reads: Yate Shopping Centre, the nearby leisure centre and magistrates’ court all occupy land that was once part of Thorn’s Farm. The 17th-century farmhouse was owned by the Thorners family, until 1784. It was subsequently owned by a succession of farmers and demolished to make way for the ‘new town’ of Yate.

Farming had been a way of life in Yate for centuries. The sheep farming of the Middle Ages later gave way to dairy farming. In the 18th century there were more than 40 dairy farms in the parish. Farming also provided work for blacksmiths, thatchers and other related trades. After the Second World War, farms were replaced by housing estates and local factories. By the 1960s, most of the dairy farms had disappeared.

Text about Yate Shopping Centre

The text reads: These licenced premises are an amalgamation of four former shops, part of the shopping centre built in the 1960s. The ‘American-style precinct’ was designed as the focal point of the transformation of Yate from a village into a new town.

Yate Shopping Centre was officially opened, on 21 September 1965, by Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street; Mary Rand, winner of the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics the previous year, and the comedian Ted Ray. The centre of the shopping centre was Four Seasons Square. The square featured a fountain, each of its four sides representing one of the seasons. The Four Seasons public house stood opposite, on the site now occupied by Lidl supermarket.

Old photographs of Yate

A photograph of Thorn’s Farm

External photograph of the building – main entrance