What makes a high street?
It's certainly not just about the shopping; these thoroughfares are often the beating heart of our towns and cities and, by extension, of the people who use them. As spaces where local life and culture unfolds, our high streets can be playgrounds of personal indulgence and community spirit, or sites of contentious debate and politicking.
Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts of the twentieth century.
Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts of the twentieth century.
Peeping through the windows of tailors, tearooms and grocers, we explore everything from the toyshops of yesteryear - where curiosities were sold for adults, not children - to the birth of brands we shop at today.
We explore the High Street with our Year 7 students. It is one of the more convenient places for many schools to explore urban change and regeneration and it reflects the changing nature of society.
For example, many High Streets in big cities will have communities of delivery drivers on e-bikes waiting for the next 'gig'. The nature of shops has changed more towards services - nail bars, vape shops, tattooists and cafes.
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