6-798: The Blue Planet Aquarium is a marine and freshwater aquarium located by the Cheshire Oaks retail and leisure complex in Ellesmere Port , Cheshire , England. When opened by the Queen Elizabeth II in July 1998, it was the largest aquarium in the United Kingdom, and is still the largest in North West England . The £ 12 million building was designed by Manchester-based Buttress Fuller Alsop architects to resemble
12-584: A variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The aquarium's shark dive won the Visit Chester and Cheshire Awards 2010 category for Best Tourism Experience of the Year. Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet is an outlet centre in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire , England. Located off Junction 10 of the M53 , it is the largest outlet centre in the United Kingdom, with 145 stores and
18-465: Is a leisure park, the Coliseum, located adjacent to the centre, with more shops, Tenpin bowling alley, a Vue Cinema , Freedome and Paradise Island Adventure Golf. Places to eat across the two sites include Frankie & Benny's , Miller and Carter Grill, Nando's , Chiquito , Prezzo, Harry Ramsden's , Spudulike , TGI Friday's , Giraffe , Pizza Express and Wagamama . From 2000-2012 The Coliseum
24-802: The first designer outlet village in Europe, when it opened in March 1995. It is run by McArthurGlen , and has a wide range of outlet stores run by large brands. As factory outlets, the stores primarily offer goods from previous seasons at discounted prices. It is a large local employer, with its own JobCentre Plus and retail training academy. Brands include, Bose , Levi's , Fila , Burberry , The North Face , Fred Perry, Calvin Klein Jeans , Karen Millen , Polo Ralph Lauren , Molton Brown , East, Diesel , Tommy Hilfiger, Warehouse , Whittard of Chelsea , Nike Factory Store , Joules and Henri lloyd. There
30-485: The shape of a crashing wave. It was built by Cheshire-based developer Deep Sea Leisure (now owned by Aspro Parks ), who also built Deep Sea World in North Queensferry , Scotland. Its stated aim is to "enlighten, increase knowledge and raise interest in the marine environment using an interactive, entertaining and sustainable approach." The interior houses tanks, pools and submerged tunnels designed to take
36-548: The visitor through different habitats of the marine environment. The main aquarium tank holds 4,000,000 litres (1,100,000 US gal) and features a 71-metre (233 ft) underwater tunnel . Themed areas include Tropical Rivers, Lakes and Ponds, Where Land Meets the Sea, and Seas and Oceans. The aquarium contains many varieties of marine and freshwater fish, including more types of shark than anywhere else in Britain. It also keeps
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