St George's Shopping Centre — Local services in Gravesham

The lift got turned off by the centre at 6 due to the possibility of getting vandalised however this left me 5 weeks post partum with my newborn baby, all his stuff, his pram and my shopping, luckily my husband had finished work early and was with me who knew how to get back to the car however, had he not have been I would have been left very vulnerable having to go out around the back of the centre and walk through the car park and up the ramps like a car would from the bottom up. I called the centre to complain and the gentleman on the phone explained why the lift was turned off and was very understanding to my situation, he offered to help me which I did appreciate. If I was on my own I wouldn't have know where to go and I would have ended up in an emotional panic instead and probably wouldn't have called to complain as I'd have been having a meltdown with my 5 week old baby. I understand it's unfortunate people choose to vandalise the lifts but more should be done to stop them rather than turning off the lifts causing inconvenience to the people that need them. Or there should be signs stating the time they get switched off as I checked the time the carpark closed before parking to ensure I wouldn't get stuck and if i'd have seen a sign to say the lift would be unavailable i'd would have parked elsewhere, the sign stats the carparks open until 10:30 but doesnt mention anywhere about the lifts being purposefully switched off. There was no sign on the lift explaining where to go either. But like I mentioned had I been on my own I would have felt very uncomfortable and at risk being forced to take the alternative route back to my car. Do NOT park here if you have any reason to need the reliability of the lifts as you might end up being forced into a vulnerable situation, dread to think how an elderly or disabled person would manage. Hopefully this review will help someone else avoid this situation and maybe prevent something worse from happening. I've added pictures to show the only sign I could find prior to parking and a picture of both lifts being...

There are very few major shops here now. BHS/Dorothy Perkins went into receivership, M&S decided it wasn't worth refurbishing their shop, Argos and W H Smith pulled out (and the town centre Post Office was inside Smith's. Fortunately, at last, the Post Office now has a counter in a shop that opened recently within the St George's Centre). St George's Café shut very recently, a great shame, as its food was excellent. That leaves Boots', Ryman's, Pound Land, and a discount shop as the main attractions. Fortunately, the Arts Centre, once based in the former St Andrew's Church on the waterfront, now occupies three units, and has a café (but with a very limited menu - see my separate post - but it shuts at 3.30).

An aside - there's a service of Matins in St Andrew's on his feast day each year, when the lovely stained glass, reredos and memorials...

Today I visited the St George Shopping Centre. The Centre consists of many shops that are varied and cover many aspects for most peoples needs.

To make it easier for you I have literally taken a photo of every shop in the Centre, in order of walking the around whole place. (Picture’s below)

(Further Information) The security Guard’s patrolling the centre were, friendly, approachable, professional and full of helpful information.

(The Centre also consists of) Toilets downstairs and a Baby Change. A Car park that brings you straight into the George’s Shopping area. Benches placed around to sit and rest, or relax and recuperate. The whole place was very clean and tidy. Lifts or Stairs to access different levels Definitely worthy of a visit and a lovely, safe environment to shop...