Tricorn Centre

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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ReferencearchINFORM↗

The Tricorn Centre was a Brutalist shopping, nightclub, and parking complex in Portsmouth, Hampshire, designed by Owen Luder and Rodney Gordon in the mid-1960s. Named for its tricorn-hat silhouette when viewed from above, the structure housed one of the first Virgin Megastores and Europe's largest Laser Quest arena. Despite its architectural significance as a distinctive example of 1960s design, the building became notorious for its appearance, voted the third ugliest building in the UK during the 1980s and later named the nation's most hated building in a 2001 BBC Radio 4 poll—a distinction memorably reinforced by Prince Charles's scathing public critique. The centre was demolished beginning in March 2004, with the site subsequently converted to a ground-level car park.