City centre standstill: When Worlds Apart opened Virgin Megastore in 1993
Pop group Worlds Apart at the Virgin Megastore opening in 1993 in Norwich, Norfolk. - Credit: Archant Library
Remember the days before online music streaming? When we had to buy vinyls, cassettes or CDs from dedicated music or record shops in Norwich?
Some of us still do, of course.
But many avid music aficionados will feel a twinge of nostalgia as they wander along Castle Meadow or White Lion Street and pass what used to be one of the largest music shops in the city: the Virgin Megastore.
One of the window displays at the new Virgin Megastore, Norwich in 1993. Picture: Archant Library - Credit: Archant Library
A customer listens to music at one of the sampling stations at the Norwich Virgin Megastore in 1993. - Credit: Archant Library
It first opened on May 20 1993, months ahead of other businesses in the Castle Mall shopping centre - now Castle Quarter - that was still being developed at the time.
Hordes of shoppers eagerly waited outside before the doors swung open and in no time at all the three floors heaved with customers.
Crowds gathered outside the new Virgin Megastore in Castle Mall, Norwich before the grand opening in 1993. - Credit: Archant Library
The official opening took place soon after in June. The sky filled with balloons, traffic stalled and high-pitched screams rang out from the gathered crowds as pop group Worlds Apart swooped into the Virgin Megastore for its grand opening.
Red and yellow balloons soared into the sky over Castle Meadow during the Virgin Megastore opening in Norwich in 1993. - Credit: Archant Library
It coincided with the half-term break so teenagers from across the county - and some slightly bemused parents - flocked to see the band.
Most Read
- 1 Teen slapped with six points on licence - but she can't even drive
- 2 City pub 'full of life again' after busy opening weekend
- 3 Mystery over how grotty sofa ended up on garage roof
- 4 Vandals smash charity dinosaur trail T.rex and leave kebab in its mouth
- 5 Changes on the way for listed pub after plans given green light
- 6 Efforts step up to protect city park from development
- 7 Quaint 'tucked away' house is for sale for the first time in almost 30 years
- 8 Norfolk cheese restaurant is launching bottomless brunch this summer
- 9 Glimpses of Norwich week 25: a picture a day from a week in our fine city
- 10 Norfolk areas with the most and fewest Covid deaths in 2020 and 2021
An estimated 4,000 people turned up on the day.
Youngsters try out computer games on the android at Virgin Megastore in 1993. - Credit: Archant Library
One of the first shoppers clasps their purchase at the grand opening of the Virgin Megastore, Norwich in 1993. - Credit: Archant Library
Worlds Apart performed alongside other support acts and the heartthrobs said the crowd was "wicked".
For more nostalgic content like this subscribe to our new Through the Decades newsletter by clicking here.
