Traditional High Streets

[hc4361]

Sorry that this is such a loose question, but when did the traditional High Street with butcher, baker et al become common place in the UK?
How did people shop before the high street?

[Buenchico]

Possibly of interest?
http://www.buildinghi...buildings/shops.shtml

Chris

[sherrardk]

Hi, did you see this - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v7p71

[jno]

this goes way back into the middle ages - shopkeepers usually lived above the shops. Plus there were also markets in market towns, annual fairs, and travelling salesmen who went round smaller places sharpening knives, selling triknets etc.

[wheaten]

They probably bought from farms or trade-carts, most high streets are now losing traditional shops in favour of big-brand outlets or the internet. It is a shame when you see how the high street is dying because of this. My parents live in a village where they swap produce but for clothes, out-of-season goods etc they have to travel to a bigger town.

[dotty.]

You need to look at what is referred to as The Enlightenment, a time when new ideas and prosperity from the impact of the Industrial growth created a consumerism that had not been known before, Shop windows did not exist prior to that era, the wealthy gentry class demanded a home service and everyone else managed with what they had.

[Mosaic]

Just taking slight issue with Dotty's use of 'enlightenment' - this describes a philosophical movement. While it is arguable that philiosphical changes led to consumerism, I'd suggest there's a stronger link between the growth of factories,town growth, the creation of a huge weekly-waged workforce, greater prosperity and by the later 1800s the growth of printedmedia that contained adverts.
Large shop windows became possible with the production of sheet glass.
But I don't think enlightened philiosphers did any of this.....

[dotty.]

it is historically linked otherwise I wouldn;t have had to give a 15 minute presentation on consumerism during the enlightenment for my final year at uni

[VHG]

During the Roman occupation of Britain, when a new Roman garrison was built then often just outside the garrison a Vicus would grow up.

A Vicus was a collection of houses/businesses who hoped to offer services to the soldiers in the Garrison. These would be food, drink, clothing etc as well as metal or glass working.

One assumes there would be a main road leading into or out of the garrison, and I suppose the prime spot for one of these "shops" would have been alongside the main road so any Roman soldier entering or leaving the garrison would see the things available for sale.

I guess this may have been the first "high street", though I am not sure what businesses would have been available - hairdressers maybe, or shoe menders that sort of thing.

I guess a lot of these Vicus would have collapsed when the garrison closed or moved, but I am sure many grew up to become vilages or towns in their own right, and the collection of businesses would form the basis of the high street.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicus

[Mosaic]

Dotty, I'm guessing this angle of enquiry was something one of your tutors had a 'thing' about?

[dotty.]

I don't know if she did but she didn;t like me very much as i kept laughing at the philosphy, the one about the peasant leaving home to search for his lost cow had me is fits

[Mosaic]

'the one about the peasant leaving home to search for his lost cow had me is fits'

i'm lost...

However, it's worth taking individual academic's hobbyhorses with a pinch of salt - they don't always have wider or lasting credence.