Old Selfridges Hotel transformed into Britain's largest free indoor skatepark

 
Starting out: our reporter Miranda tries out the indoor skatepark in the former Selfridges Hotel
26 March 2014

Full of expensive luxury items and shiny surfaces, Selfridges is not an obvious location for extreme sports.

But from tomorrow Londoners can experience what it might be like just a few metres away from the department store at a new indoor skatepark.

The Old Selfridges Hotel, which is located next door on Orchard Street, has been transformed into a skater’s paradise featuring rails, benches, banks and ramps inspired by the London streets.

The 18,500 square foot HTC One Skatepark, which has been built as part of Selfridges’s skate and surf initiative Board Games and is the largest indoor skatepark in London, has been decorated to give the impression of an urban setting with yellow road markings and an industrial “distressed” finish.

The temporary facility, which opens to the public tomorrow and is open until April 19, is free to use, offers free equipment hire and will offer free lessons to beginners at weekends.

It also has a cafe where skateboarders - and spectators - can go to relax when they are not skateboarding.

Designers said they have tried to imitate areas of London streets used by skaters such as a handrail in Moorgate, the area behind Southwark Station, a wavy bench from near the Thames Barrier that has been appropriated by skateboarders and a marble bank in Euston.

The park also features elements alluding to Selfridges such as a giant yellow shopping bag sunglasses and books.

The Standard was given an exclusive preview of the skatepark and a lesson with skateboarder and instructor Dave Chesson featuring basics such as pushing, stopping, kick turns, 180s, 360s and the quarter pipe.

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Phil Young, who designed the space and is creative director of agency Prime and Fire, said: “The idea of this is that we wanted to think ‘what if Selfridges was a skate park?’ It would be outside before you get to Selfridges. We’re trying to replicate some of the more skateable features of the London streets.”

The park will be open midday - 9pm Monday-Friday, 10am-9pm on Saturdays and midday-6pm on Sundays.

Inside Selfridges there is also a dedicated skateboard shop, The Board Room, where customers can buy limited edition skateboards by designers such as Erdem, Kenzo and Mini Cream for £75.

There are also one-off designs such as a £2,000 Margiela board which incorporates high-heeled hoof-shaped shoes and a stone Rick Owens board that costs £9,470.

Skater Domas Glatkauskas, 22, said: “I think it’s a really good place to practice your skills and because these spots have been inspired by places in London, you can practice on these and then go and try them out afterwards. That’s where skating started, in the streets.

“It is illegal basically to skate in the city. There’s not too many places to skate. You can go to Southbank now but we’re fighting for it to keep it safe. It’s the only actual space that’s not a skate park that we can skate legally.”

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