High Street Exhibition Content Resource
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
Introduction
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Do we really value our High Streets or are they simply past their sell-by date? With vacancies up and shopper numbers down, is it time to rethink? In Scotland the High Street began as a marketplace, a hub of social activity – busy, raucous and messy. The High Street exhibition showed its evolution, our changing shops and shopping habits, and the impact this has had today. Specially commissioned films gathered people's stories of the High Street and documented a recent journey through 15 Scottish High Streets. It suggested remedies to ensure our future High Streets are sustainable and thriving places. Arbroath Ayr Dumfries
Dunfermline Edinburgh Elgin
Forres Glasgow Kirkcaldy
Lanark North Berwick Paisley
Peebles Perth Sanquhar
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street People
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High Streets need people. They are sociable places with shopkeepers’ small talk and neighbourhood gossip, full of activity and interaction. They require shoppers, shop owners, entrepreneurs and original ideas. We talked to lots of people about High Streets, from long-standing family businesses and community co-operatives to planners, politicians and town centre managers. This is what they had to say.
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01_Cora McCormack High Street shopper, Paisley 02_Alan Steel High Street shopper, Paisley 03_Jane Wood Chair of the Dunbar Community Bakery and CEO Scottish Business in the Community 04_Murray Barnett Artisan Baker, G H Barnett Bakers, with five bakeries in the East Neuk of Fife 05_Lindsay Lennie Author of Scotland’s Shops and historic shop conservation expert 06_Liz Davidson Architectural conservationist and Principal: City Design, Glasgow City Council 07_Richard Johnston Director, Thomas Johnston Butchers, fourth-generation butcher with seven shops across central Scotland. 08_Derek Clyde Owner Glentress Bikes, High Street, Peebles 09_Jane McGarry Assistant Manager, Age Scotland, High Street, Peebles 10_Leigh Sparks Professor of Retail Studies, Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling 11_Andy Kennedy Stirling City Centre Initiative Manager, Stirling Council 12_George Adam MSP, Paisley Constituency, Scottish National Party 13_William Livingstone Retired Editorial Director of the Dunfermline Press Group, Chairman of the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and Dunfermline resident
See the interviews film http://www.ads.org.uk/access/projects/high-street-people-2
14_Bob Darracott Director of Planning and Transport, Renfrewshire Council 15_Wallace Glendinning Retired architect and native of Ayr 16_Sheena Andrew Retired librarian, Trustee of the Scottish Civic Trust and former secretary of the local Civic Society in Ayr
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“I was in Paris at the weekend and it’s just amazing how many shops there were, small shops, butchers, bakers, all making a living. There is such a vibrancy and buzz about it. How can we capture that for smaller towns?” 05_Lindsay Lennie Author of Scotland’s Shops and historic shop conservation expert
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street People
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“One of the frustrations we found is the lack of council support . . . we’re a social enterprise . . . and people not really understanding the value or the skills that go into creating these shops on the local High Street.” 03_Jane Wood Chair of the Dunbar Community Bakery and CEO Scottish Business in the Community
“If you don’t have a high street, what have you got?. . . houses, people floating about . . . you don’t have a centre that brings it all together.” 01_Cora McCormack High Street shopper, Paisley
“I love it, I love being on the High Street, I love the interaction, I love my customers, I love when they come into the shop. Living in a small town, you get your regulars, you know everybody on the High Street, all the shopkeepers know each other and look out for each other.” 09_Jane McGarry Assistant Manager, Age Scotland, High Street, Peebles
“A really good High Street is where you feel comfortable to linger and dwell a little bit and have a chat or just have a look around.” 06_Liz Davidson Architectural conservationist and Principal: City Design, Glasgow City Council
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street People
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“In the old days, the town was the area where everybody came to do their shopping. So it was like a magnet to people. And now that magnet is broken, because we’ve created a culture where the town centre is not the most important place to go.” 07_Richard Johnston Director, Thomas Johnston Butchers, fourth-generation butcher with seven shops across central Scotland
“We recognise that town centres are more than just pavements and shops, they are actually hearts of the community.” 14_Bob Darracott Director of Planning and Transport, Renfrewshire Council
“It’s the people that make the High Street buzz.”
15_Wallace Glendinning Retired architect and native of Ayr
“At night now none of the shops have lights on, the whole place is dead and you wouldn’t want to be there.” 16_Sheena Andrew Retired librarian, Trustee of the Scottish Civic Trust and former secretary of the local Civic Society in Ayr
“For independent traders, who are the lifeblood of the High Streets, there is not a level playing field in terms of competing with chain stores and supermarkets.” 05_Lindsay Lennie Author of Scotland’s Shops and historic shop conservation expert
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street History
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The Scottish High Street began in the 12th century with the reign of David I. He established the early royal burghs, which were Scotland’s first organised trading centres with the right to hold weekly markets and larger annual fairs.
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Edinburgh
Map of the royal burgh of Edinburgh and the separate burgh of Canongate, which was formally incorporated into Edinburgh in 1856, illustrating the buildings and structures that were commonly found on High Streets in Scottish burghs.
There were no shops on the High Street. Instead it widened to accommodate the marketplace, the burgh’s social hub – a place of exchange, gossip and commerce where people from the town and countryside would meet to sell local produce and buy imported goods from merchants. The sale of goods was strictly controlled within the royal burghs, with taxes paid to the King.
James Gordon, Edinodunensis Tabulam / Iacobus Gordinius P. Rothemayus, 1647, National Library of Scotland.
The High Street was lined with simple wooden houses with long narrow plots of land called rigs for cultivation and grazing animals. Gradually these filled up with buildings such as storehouses, workshops and houses with wynds or vennels created between them. From the medieval period to the 17th and early 18th century the street market was the main source for daily food and provisions. As the towns grew and developed, so did the public buildings and structures required to support the population, trading and the collection of taxes. 01
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01_ Weigh House
02_ Markets
03_ Tolbooth
04_ Church
05_ Mercat Cross
06_ Tron
07_ Port
In some burghs there was a purpose-built building for the weighing and measuring of goods for sale in the markets. Each burgh had a standard set of weights and measures which were used to check on the fairness of goods sold and to calculate taxes.
Outdoor markets took place in the widened area of the High Street, with people and animals crowded together. Markets often specialised, with separate markets for meat, fish, poultry etc. Late 19th century burgh reforms encouraged indoor markets which removed the need for street markets, a feature of High Streets for centuries.
The tolbooth was an important multi-functional public building where tolls, customs and taxes were collected, and where the council chamber, courtroom and prison cells were often located. Most towns had several successive tolbooth buildings, ending up with separate town houses and prisons by the 18th or 19th century.
To signify its importance the parish church or cathedral usually occupied a central and prominent position in the town centre, providing an architectural focus at the heart of the town.
The mercat or market cross often stood on steps in the centre of the marketplace, marking the right of a burgh to hold a market. Many crosses were moved during the 18th century when they obstructed traffic.
Weights and measures were regulated by burghs, and the public weighing machine or ‘tron’ was used to weigh goods in the marketplace to calculate taxes owed. Public meetings and punishments of petty offenders also took place here.
The ports or gates were positioned at the main entry points into the burgh. The burghs had boundaries with simple walls and ports: these were not defensive but controlled entry and exit for the collection of taxes and provided protection from the weather.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street History
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01 Tolbooth, Glasgow, inscribed ‘High Street from the Cross, 1868' Courtesy of RCAHMS (Corporation of Glasgow, Photographer: Thomas Annan) Licensor www.rcahms.gov.uk
05 Mercat Cross, Glasgow Newsquest (Herald & Times) Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
02 Tolbooth Steeple, Pittenweem Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
06 Tron, Stenton, East Lothian East Lothian Museums Service Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
03 Tolbooth, Crail Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
07 Mercat Cross, Kincardine St Andrews University Library Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
04 Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis, 1893 St Andrews University Library Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
08 Mercat Cross, Airth, photograph c. 1900 Falkirk Museums Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street History
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09 Ayr (Fish) Market Cross. Engraving of the Fish Cross in Ayr showing the activity of the 19th century marketplace in detail, by David Octavius Hill Image reproduced courtesy of South Ayrshire Council 10 High Street, Dumfries, showing the market cross in the foreground Dumfries and Galloway Libraries, Information and Archives
14 East Port, Cowgate, Dundee. Also known as Wishart Arch and dating from the 16th century, it is the only existing part of Dundee’s city walls Archive Services, University of Dundee Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
11 Fish Cross Ayr, 1814, painting by Robert Bryden, 1918 Image reproduced courtesy of South Ayrshire Council
15 Netherbow Port, High Street, Edinburgh. One of six gates in the Flodden Wall that surrounded the Old Town of Edinburgh, it was demolished in 1764 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
12 Weigh House, Dundee, photograph taken c. 1895. The building was demolished at the end of the 19th century Dundee City Council, Central Library, Photographic Collection Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
16 West Port, St Andrews. Built in 1589 and along with Dundee’s East Port the only other surviving port in Scotland St Andrews University Library Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
13 Weigh House, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh. Built in 1660 to replace an earlier version and demolished in 1822 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 09
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street History
09 01 High Street, Peebles, c. 1900 National Museums Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 02 High Street, Edinburgh, c. 1900 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 04 High Street, Perth, c. 1935 St Andrews University Library. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 03 High Street, Dumfries, c. 1900 Dumfries and Galloway Libraries, Information and Archives 05 High Street, Elgin, c. 1900 – 1910 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 06 High Street, Glasgow, c. 1870 – 1900 Glasgow University Library. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
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High Street Shops
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
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Scotland’s medieval shops were simple lean-to timber booths offering shelter and security which existed alongside open market stalls. In the 17th century ground floors of piazzas provided shopping under cover and were encouraged by burgh authorities for their fireproof stone construction.
01 Butcher’s shop, St Andrews, c. 1900 St Andrews University Library. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
Early Shop Types
Glass was pivotal in shop design. Initially expensive, it restricted windows to small panes until the Glass Tax was lifted in 1845. From 1850 onwards window panes increased in size, slowly at first, along with architectural cast iron mass-produced in Scottish foundries, streetscapes were transformed. The 20th century witnessed construction of elegant Edwardian shops and substantial department stores, but traditional styles were eclipsed by the Art Deco movement of the interwar period. World War II halted development, and post-war enthusiasm for minimalist designs waned. Vitrolite and chrome gradually diminished in favour of plate glass, aluminium and plastic.
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Buith or booth A small timber booth Chop, choppe or shop A shop Crame, creame or krame A very small booth or shop Luckenbooth or luckenbuith A locked booth or small lock-up shop Pent or pentice A sloping lean-to roof or porch Laigh houses The ground or lower floors of buildings
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Shops
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01 Arcaded tenements, High Street, Glasgow, c. 1876 Courtesy of RCAHMS (Corporation of Glasgow, photographer: Thomas Annan). Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 02 Arcaded building, Elgin, c. 1850 University of Strathclyde. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
05 West Nicholson Street, Edinburgh Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright 06 High Street, Dunkeld, c. 1809 three storey tenement with early ground floor shops Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright
03 Barlass Ironmongers, formerly at 58 High Street, Perth Courtesy of Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council 04 Post Office which is the oldest continuously working Post Office in the world dating to 1712, High Street, Sanquhar Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright
Piazza
Bow-fronted
Georgian arched
Stone tenements with wide-arched ground-floor openings were erected in Scottish burghs in the 17th century. Inspired by continental architecture, burgh authorities encouraged their construction as both elegant and fireproof. The small, dark shops were unpopular with shopkeepers, and the openings were filled in around 1800 and the shops brought to the front.
Bow-fronts emerged in response to increasing affluence in the late 18th century. They improved light and display but also were visible statements of shops in the High Street. They varied from shallow to deep bows or sometimes more elaborate serpentine shapes. They used multiple panes of crown glass, predating the availability of plate glass. The fashion ended in the early 19th century.
From the 1790s narrow arched openings were used for shops and were fashionable in the early 19th century. Elegant classical architecture created a sense of regularity and rhythm for the streetscape but still offered flexibility in shop size. Pilasters were applied to the openings to formalise and enhance their appearance.
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Shops
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07 Decorative cast iron columns, Church Street, St Andrews Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright 08 Console bracket, McEwens Boutique, Perth Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright 09 Interwar jewellers shop dating from 1936 with vitrolite frontage, Victoria Street, Rothesay Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright
11 Newsagents shop front designed as part of the LUV shop front project, Govan Road, Glasgow Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright 12 Tinderbox Café designed by Graven Images, Ingram Street, Glasgow Renzo Mazzolini
10 Walkers Shortbread shop, High Street, Aberlour on Spey Historic Scotland, Crown Copyright
Victorian plate glass and cast iron
Post-war
Contemporary
The availability of cheaper plate glass combined with cast iron to open up shopfronts. Cast iron was both structural and decorative, used for heavy columns, slim colonnettes or even entire shopfronts. Large windows improved display and increased natural light as shops became deeper. Designs became increasingly decorative and elaborate with scrolled console brackets and cut and gilded signage.
The 1950s followed some of the trends of the 1930s, using chrome, terrazzo and Vitrolite. Windows were angled, mirroring the wider design approach of square and angular styles, sometimes with ‘fish-tank’ style windows. With the availability of aluminium, plate glass and plastic, shops became more uniform in the 1960s.
Unlike earlier periods, contemporary shopfronts are more difficult to categorise. There is great variation in styles, approaches and materials. Designs vary from pastiche Victorian to ultramodern, and occasionally quirky and innovative. Few match traditional shops in quality of materials, but successful examples often use higher quality timbers and metals.
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Change Timeline
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Internet shopping sales are 8% of total UK retail sales.
(2011)
1830s 1844 1849 1871 1879 1884 1898 1904 1914 1909 1912 1927 1929 1939 1940 1940 1948 1950 1950 1954 1955 1958 1958 1962 1962 1964 1970 1971 1971 1972 1973 1974 1990 1990 1990 1994
High Streets began developing into retail centres. Equitable pioneers of Rochdale formed the world's first retail co-operative. Boots the Chemist was founded. First Liptons grocers opened in Glasgow. William Low and Co grocers opened in Dundee. Marks and Spencers opened in London. Liptons had 242 branches in Britain. Buttercup Dairy Company was formed. By WWI the co-operative movement had three million membersand 15% of all food sales. First UK Woolworths opened in Liverpool. Cellophane patented by Jaques E Brandenberger and used as a food wrapper. Buttercup Dairy has around 250 shops in Scotland. First Tesco store opened in London. Burtons had 595 shops across the UK. WWII rationing began in Britain. Private car ownership in UK at one car for every 23 people. First charity shop opens in UK, Oxfam in Oxford. Sainsburys opens their first self service shop in Croydon Fewer than 8% of households had fridges. End of WWII rationing enabling the economy to boom in the 1950s and 1960s. Britain’s first pedestrianised shopping precinct opens in Coventry. Green shield stamps became available until 1991. First self-service William Low's in Scotland. Approx 12,000 supermarkets and self-service stores in the UK. Around 33% of households have a fridge. First multi-level shopping centre in Scotland opened in Cumbernauld. Marks and Spencers first uses sell-by dates on the shop floor. Britain adopted decimal currency. Around 69% of households have a fridge. Mearns Cross shopping centre opened on the outskirts of Glasgow. Green Shield Stamp catalogue shops were rebranded to Argos. Wester Hailes shopping centre opened on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Traffic volumes increased by 630% in the UK from the 1950s. Distance travelled to shops has increased by 60% since 1975. Creation of the World Wide Web. Tesco bought out Wm Low's 57 supermarkets, 45 in Scotland.
1994 1994 1995 1995 1999 1998 2002 2006 2007 2009 2009 2009 2011 2011
25% of UK retail space found in out of town shopping centres. Tesco started small scale online shopping in the UK. Amazon launched on the internet. First UK loyalty card, Tesco Clubcard is launched. Braehead shopping centre opens near Paisley. First UK farmers market opened in Bath. Aberfeldy becomes Scotland's first Fair Trade town. Wedgecard, local shop loyalty card launched in London. Business Improvement Districts came into being in Scotland. Scottish Government town centre regeneration funding of ÂŁ60 million allocated. Closure of all 807 UK branches of Woolworths. High Street chains, Zavvis, Borders and Barratts go into administration. Vacancy rate for Scotland's High Streets and town centres is 11.1%. Internet shopping sales are 8% of total UK retail sales.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Change
14 Our lifestyles, income and mobility have changed dramatically over the last century, directly affecting what happens on the High Street. We now have far fewer shops and travel much further to get to them. The most regular trips we make are still for groceries but 76% of this demand is met by just four supermarket companies. We have convenient 24 hour internet shopping, one stop out-of-town shopping centres and big box retail parks, with acres of free parking. Alternatives that our local High Streets often find hard to compete with.
01 In the early days of retailing, most products were fetched by an assistant from shelves behind the counter, they often had to measure out and wrap the precise amount desired by the customer. The process was slow but allowed time for conversations between staff and customers. Courtesy of the Sainsbury Archive. 02 A branch of Liptons on the High Street, Perth showing the large numbers of staff that were employed to serve customers. Courtesy of Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council. 03 A branch of Wm Lows in Glasgow, the grocer eventually became a common supermarket in Scotland before being bought out by Tesco in 1994. Carol Foreman. 04 Self-service grocers allowed shoppers to select their own pre-packaged goods and pay for them at the end, this revolutionised shopping, was quicker and required less staff. Courtesy of the Sainsbury Archive. 05 Co-operative branch number five in Perth at the end of the 19th century. Perth Museum and Art Gallery. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
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06 A branch of the Buttercup Dairy once a common High Street shop in Scotland. Courtesy of Monica Leggeat. 07 As car ownership grew so did the distances people would travel to shop giving them greater options away from the town centre. The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Change
15 08 Purpose built shopping centres away from the High Street became more common. This shopping centre consisting of 12 shops was opened in 1954, the second centre to be built in Glenrothes new town. Fife Council. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 09 Large scale out-of-town supermarkets and retail parks drew shoppers away from the traditional town centres. The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
12 Decimal prices in the window of Hay & Co licensed grocers in Edinburgh. The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 13 Self-service grocers grew in scale into supermarkets and provided a huge range of pre-packaged products. Newsquest (Herald & Times). Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
10 Purpose built indoor shopping centres provided protection from the weather, ample car parking and a wide range of shops. This is the newly built Wester Hailes shopping centre in 1974. The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk 11 Owning a fridge meant that fewer trips to the shops were needed as food could be kept fresh for longer periods of time. The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
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High Street Places
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The media frequently reports retail job losses, chain stores going bust and the independents that are left struggling. The result is vacant shop units that have a degrading effect on the overall centre. But this is not the whole picture: there are still places in Scotland where the High Street remains a vibrant commercial and civic centre despite these challenges. A film was presented in the exhibition that documented a journey through 15 High Streets in Scotland. It presented a visual mix of locations and populations, from wealthy commuter towns to former industrial towns. In each town or city visited, every shop on each street was noted, and the results highlight the make-up of the street and types of businesses on the High Street today.
Glasgow Edinburgh Dunfermline
583, 300 454, 280 78, 550
Paisley Ayr Kirkcaldy
74, 100 60, 880 48, 630
Perth Dumfries Arbroath
44, 820 31, 610 22, 110
Elgin Forres Lanark
21, 040 9, 540 8, 400
Peebles N-Berwick Sanquhar
8, 160 6, 530 2, 030
Mid 2008 Population Estimate Scotland, General Register Office for Scotland.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
The 15 towns and cities we visited
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
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Elgin Forres
Arbroath
Perth
Kirkcaldy Dunfermline North Berwick Edinburgh Glasgow Paisley Lanark Peebles Ayr
Sanquhar
Dumfries
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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r John Wood and were published between 1818 and 1826.
All maps, with the exception of North Berwick and Sanquhar, are by North Berwick and Sanquhar are Great Reform Act maps of 1832.
John Wood map photographs courtesy of University of Dundee Archive Services. Reform Act maps reproduced by permission of the Trustees of the National Library of Scotland.
Elgin Elgin dates back to King David I and became a royal burgh in 1136. The High Street grew between the Castle in the west and Elgin Cathedral in the east. Over time Elgin evolved from a market town and ecclesiastical centre to an affluent and grand city. The High Street had a wide and generous marketplace at its centre. Today this contains the elegant St Giles Kirk and forms the heart of the retail centre of the town.
Forres Forres is one of Scotland’s oldest market towns. The High Street follows the traditional Scottish pattern of long vennels running at right angles to the main street. The High Street widens in the middle where the market would previously have been held. Although the vennels are no longer distinctive, much of the High Street’s form is still intact. This includes many important buildings such as the Tolbooth and Market Cross.
Arbroath The development of Arbroath started as a village around the Abbey along with a small hamlet by the harbour. The High Street developed to link these two areas and formed one of the three principal streets along with Marketgate and Millgate. The town became a royal burgh in 1559 and grew rapidly with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The High Street has remained at the heart of the town and houses many shops and civic buildings.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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Perth Situated on the highest navigable point of the River Tay, Perth dates back to the 12th century, when it was formed as a new town and royal burgh. The compact town developed on a gridiron pattern that can still be seen today. The High Street runs east–west across the city from the river’s edge. Today the High Street is pedestrianised with a mix of independent and chain shops punctuated by some vacant units.
Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy is a former royal burgh located on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. The town High Street stretches over four miles in a westerly direction from the port. The town developed in plots for residents, running in narrow strips from the back of the High Street. Much evidence of this historical development, along with the original marketplace, has been lost over time. The modern High Street is part pedestrianised along its length and functions as a retail centre for the town.
Dunfermline Dunfermline is a former royal burgh established by Malcolm III as the new royal seat in the 11th century. The town became extremely powerful and gained ecclesiastical influence with the foundation of Dunfermline Abbey. The High Street runs right through the centre of the town, starting from its western edge. It remains a busy retail centre for Dunfermline, dominated by chain stores with very few vacant units.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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North Berwick Situated on the shore of the Firth of Forth, North Berwick grew through trade to become a royal burgh in 1373. The High Street runs parallel to and inland from the shore. Unlike many other royal burgh towns the High Street is uncharacteristically narrow and provides no open space for a market. Due to a wealthy population of Edinburgh commuters and a bustling tourist trade, many independent shops thrive on this High Street.
Edinburgh Edinburgh’s High Street is one of the world’s most distinctive and recognisable streets. Dating from medieval times, the street opened up along its length to house important buildings such as St Giles’ Cathedral and civic functions such as markets. Closes lead downhill from the High Street providing narrow enclosed and defensible spaces that could be shut off from attack. Today the High Street remains alive with an abundance of tourist traders jostling next to the historic civic buildings.
Glasgow Glasgow was originally a bishopric with the same trading rights as a royal burgh and grew around the historic High Street, which runs from the Cathedral in the north to the Tolbooth Steeple at Glasgow Cross. The arcaded shops and overcrowded medieval vennels of the High Street were demolished during the city improvements in the 19th century. It was superseded as a trading street by the growth of the city westwards and is now completely overshadowed by the shopping streets in the city centre.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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Paisley Paisley dates back to the 6th or 7th century when St Mirren established a chapel here. This was followed in 1163 by Paisley Abbey. The High Street runs from the crossing point of the Cart Water across from Paisley Abbey in a westerly direction. The High Street grew with its town, incorporating a range of impressive buildings. Today the street is pedestrianised and lined with shops. These have suffered in recent years due to the town’s proximity to Glasgow and out-of-town retail developments.
Lanark Having become a royal burgh in 1140, Lanark has been an important market town since medieval times. This is reflected in the generous width and length of the town’s High Street, which would have housed a market along its length. The street opens up to the west to frame St Nicholas Church, creating an attractive focal point. Today the High Street functions as a retail centre for the town, but this has declined in recent years because of competition with places such as Glasgow.
Peebles Peebles became a royal burgh in 1152 and has continued to function as a market town for centuries. The Market Cross can be found at the eastern edge of the High Street where it widens to accommodate the former market. The High Street is wide and generous along its length and has many fine buildings, including the old Parish Church at the western edge of the street. Today the attractive High Street has many independent shops catering to both tourists and locals.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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Ayr Ayr became a royal burgh in 1205. The High Street along with Sandgate was laid out at this time, originating at the crossing point of the River Ayr. The High Street was an almost continuously fronted street with longer vennels running behind. The street opened out along its length to house a generous market space. The High Street has remained largely intact over time and Ayr is still a busy retail centre, though the northern end of the street has recently declined, with many vacant units.
Sanquhar Sanquhar grew due to its position along one of the main routes from the centre to the south of Scotland. The High Street is unusually long and is lined by small, largely two-storey buildings providing a mix of retail and houses. The street is home to the oldest Post Office in the world and is terminated at its south-western end by the Tolbooth building that is now the local museum.
Dumfries The market town of Dumfries was made a royal burgh in 1186 and later awarded a royal charter in 1395. Located inland and parallel to the River Nith, the High Street widens to contain two large open spaces, one the old market, the other the more formal Queensberry Square. These spaces are separated by a series of buildings, including the town’s ‘Mid Steeple’ dating from 1705. Today the High Street is pedestrianised and largely dominated by chain stores.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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Overall High Street use for all 15 places. October 2011.
Independent businesses
42%
Chain businesses
41%
Vacant units
11%
Public, cultural and civic
6%
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Independent Businesses - Percentage on each High Street. October 2011. North Berwick
70%
Glasgow Peebles / Forres Sanquhar Edinburgh
61% 57% 56% 54%
Arbroath
50%
Lanark
46%
Perth Kirkcaldy Elgin
40% 38% 36%
Paisley
34%
Dumfries
21%
Dunfermline
18%
Ayr
15%
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
24 f Vacant Units - Percentage on each High Street. October 2011.
Paisley
29%
Ayr
18%
Glasgow / Kirkcaldy
17%
Perth
14%
Dumfries / Sanquhar
12%
Arbroath
10%
Peebles
7%
Dunfermline / Elgin / Lanark
5%
Forres
4%
North Berwick
3%
f Chain Businesses - Percentage on each High Street. October 2011.
Dunfermline
75%
Ayr
66%
Dumfries
64%
Elgin
52%
Lanark
48%
Kirkcaldy
43%
Perth
39%
Arbroath Edinburgh Peebles Paisley
34% 31% 30% 29%
Forres
27%
North Berwick
23%
Glasgow
18%
Sanquhar
14%
Edinburgh
0%
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
25 Definitions Retail
Entertainment and leisure
Service and professional
All shops providing goods such as supermarkets, butchers, bakers, clothes, household items, electronics, gifts, newsagents and charity shops.
All places providing leisure activities such as cafes, take-aways, pubs, betting shops, bingo halls and amusement arcades.
All places providing a service such as hairdressers, opticians, dry cleaning, travel agents, banks, solicitors and estate agents.
f Overall High Street business types for all 15 places. October 2011.
Retail
51%
Entertainment and leisure
19%
Service and professional
30%
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Places
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f
Retail - Percentage on each High Street. October 2011. Dunfermline
66%
North Berwick
59%
Perth
56%
Edinburgh
50%
Lanark
44%
Paisley / Elgin
42%
Glasgow
30%
f Service and Professional - Percentage on each High Street. October 2011.
Glasgow
48%
Paisley Forres / Arbroath Lanark Sanquhar Dumfries Elgin Perth Kirkcaldy Dunfermline Ayr
37% 36% 34% 33% 32% 31% 29% 28% 26% 25%
North Berwick
23%
Peebles
15%
Edinburgh
7%
Ayr
67%
Peebles
62%
Dumfries
58%
Kirkcaldy
53%
Arbroath
47%
Sanquhar
43%
Forres
41%
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f Entertainment and Leisure - Percentage on each High Street. October 2011.
Edinburgh
43%
Elgin
26%
Peebles / Sanquhar / Forres
23%
Glasgow
22%
Lanark / Paisley
21%
Kirkcaldy
19%
North Berwick / Arbroath
17%
Perth
15%
Dumfries
10%
Ayr / Dunfermline
8%
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Remedies
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Are we happy to let our High Streets slowly decline, be dominated by clone chain stores or increasing numbers of To Let signs? There are remedies to create a future High Street that is unique, distinctive and thriving place.
Keep it local Supporting local businesses within the community
Wigan Plus Card
The Bakery
Lewes Pound
The People’s Supermarket
The Wigan Plus reward card supports local businesses and encourages residents to shop locally. Cardholders can access exclusive offers from local businesses relative to their location and interests. Businesses can also target specific customers groups in the area more effectively to increase footfall. The Wedge Card is a similar scheme in London.
Traditional shops such as butchers and bakers have been disappearing from our High Streets as they face tough competition from supermarkets. In reaction to this the community of Dunbar have formed a co-operative to run a bakery on their High Street. Shareholders that invest in the bakery receive a discount on quality hand-baked goods. The Bakery meets a local demand, provides a source of employment and apprenticeship training.
Between 1789 and 1895 the county of Lewes in East Sussex had its own currency. The Lewes Pound has been re-introduced as an alternative to Sterling. It helps maintain the circulation of money in the local economy by encouraging custom and trade between local businesses. This helps Lewes build resilience against national chain stores that draw income away from their area. Other successful examples are the Bristol Pound and the Totnes Pound.
The People’s Supermarket in London has reinvented the supermarket. Members receive a discount on their shopping provided they donate four hours per month to work in the shop. The money saved by the volunteer workforce is then reinvested into the scheme to keep the food at affordable prices. Members have a say in how the shop operates and what it sells, resulting in a supermarket that is run by the people for the people.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
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More than retail The High Street can be used for more than shopping
Super Hero Supply Store
Workshop 24
Allotment
Theatre Absolute
In New York there is an unconventional shop that sells super hero supplies. A secret door in the shop hides a place where school children can go for reading and writing tutoring from volunteer writers. The imaginative surroundings within the shop help to instill enthusiasm and creativity in the students and items sold in the shop help to support the project. 826 National who run the project now have similar stores located throughout the world.
For five months in 2010 the Empty Shops Network transformed a vacant shop in London into a hub of community activity, with everything from poetry readings and patchwork quilting to urban exploration and guerrilla gardening. It became a temporary home to artists, writers, makers and thinkers; and generated a platform for members of the community to meet with each other while discovering hidden qualities about their area.
In 2009 the National Theatre of Scotland produced a unique evening of live performance, new art and music in a vacant unit of Govan Shopping Centre, Glasgow. A team of artists, community groups and businesses transformed a vacant shop into a performance space. The allotment events drew attention away from the image of decline associated with Govan and brought together a mix of locals and visitors to celebrate the creativity and spirit of the area.
In 2009 Theatre Absolute established the UK’s first professional shop front theatre within the City Arcade in Coventry. Situated in a former chip shop, the theatre company staged 54 different events and performances over an 18 month trial period. The central location, low cost tickets for performances and writing workshops proved popular with locals. Coventry Council has since offered Theatre Absolute an extended lease to remain in the Arcade.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
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Change your image Create something unique and special about your town
Book Town and Food Town
Incredible Edible Todmorden
Pavement to Parks
Copenhagen
Specialised High Streets use a concentration of distinctive products and unique events to attract visitors. In 1998 Wigtown became Scotland’s National Book Town. It now has more than 20 book businesses and a popular annual book festival, enticing visitors to the town specifically for books. Nearby Castle Douglas has specialised as a food town where food and cooking based events serve to create another distinctive place to visit.
The Incredible Edible movement in Todmorden actively seeks out under-used land and reclaims it as public growing space. Fruit, vegetables and herbs can be found springing up anywhere from planters next to bus stops to flower beds outside the police station. The project provides more food locally and supports food-based learning projects. Support from the council has added momentum to the project and access to more land for cultivation.
In San Francisco areas of under-used space are brought to the attention of the city authorities through the Pavement to Parks website. Selected redundant areas are temporarily closed off to traffic and reclaimed as public parks with cheap seating and quick planting installations. They are tested for a trial period allowing the city and community to evaluate them. If successful the park will become permanent. Inspired by Park(ing) Day, an annual event that transforms city parking spaces into public spaces, Pavement to Parks introduced parklets. These permanently take over parking spaces to widen the pavement, provide seating areas and bike parking for citizens.
Since the 1960s the streets of Copenhagen have radically changed. Car use has been marginalised and citizens have been encouraged to cycle with improved cycle routes, ample bike storage and traffic systems that give cyclists priority. Around a third of Copenhagen’s commuters travel by bike and the city is aiming for half by 2015. These measures have boosted the image of the city, now regarded as one of the most livable places in the world.
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Reclaiming vacant space Imagine the potential of vacant properties on your High Street
Start Up Street
Retail Rocks
Meanwhile Space
Adaptable Neighbourhoods
This initiative re-thinks King Street in Stirling as a place that supports successful start-up enterprises, social and commercial. People with ideas and talent in Stirling are matched with spaces available on the street. It aims to create a community of people doing things together, and supporting each other in making enterprise work. The project is in the early stages of development.
Retail Rocks is a regeneration initiative that assists entrepreneurs who want to start their own business on the High Street. The Scottish Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund backed Aberdeen City Council to pilot the scheme. A competition for new business proposals for vacant units on Torry High Street was held. Mnemonic Photography were one of five winners who now have a unit free of charge for up to 18 months with business mentoring. The new photography studio has already had a positive impact on the street.
Meanwhile use and pop up are terms for the temporary use of vacant shops. Meanwhile use helps to avoid the negative effects that vacant shops can have on a town. Meanwhile Space is a company that helps community groups realise temporary projects in vacant properties by providing advice on liaising with local authorities and property owners. An online forum encourages the sharing of ideas and displays successful meanwhile projects, such as temporary exhibitions and pop-up shops that have come to fruition.
Adaptable Neighbourhoods advocates urban renewal from the ground up through a diverse network of small enterprises. By endeavoring to make the most of community talent and local heritage the project suggests that instead of clearing redundant urban areas we should look for opportunities and assets that can be exploited. Ash Sakula Architects initiated this proposal suggesting Leicester Waterside as an ideal case study.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Feedback
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“A high street should be a place where people can gather not just because they have to but because they want to support the local and independent stores where they can find interaction.”
Within the exhibition visitors could comment and give their own ideas for the future of the High Street. Blank tin cans were stacked in a shopping trolley and visitors could write their responses on them. We received a huge variety of responses a selection of them are listed below.
How often do you use your High Street and why? • Every week- Linlithgow- friendly shopkeepers and nice environment. • Only for take-away shops - there’s not much else there. • Three times a week - I want to keep it alive. • Not often enough - use it or loose it! • Rarely - it’s a desolation of empty shops for sale or rent. • Internet is easier. • I come from Renfrew and all you can do there is go to the Co-op supermarket. Its very depressing, when I look out my window I dream I’m somewhere else. What are the best parts of your High Street? • Inverurie - a town that is kept thriving by indepent shops - original stuff. • Getting the bus home- Kirkcaldy is dead. • Real people interacting, being inspired by others’ style, expressing individualism. • Window shopping, trees, food smells, people watching pigeons, street musicians, recycling bins, sculptures. • Break out spaces to enjoy city life. • We like local shops, independently owned - part of the community. • Nail bars, charity shops and estate agents - but at least they’re independent. • If it has a Greggs. I’m not complaining.
• Cultural things- museums, public spaces for interaction to take place. Are High Streets important? What should they be used for?
• •
• Very important they should be kept alive for local people - social gathering place - should offer local produce unique to their area - but can they compete with Tesco on price? • Its not a case of making things the way they were - the High Street should adapt or die. • Allow internet shopping in the High Street with a diversity of cafes where the business owners are knowledgeable on what is being sold. • Yes more culture please! • A place to live work, play and visit - not just shop. • Yes! They bring communities together and give them something to share - they should promote creativity. • Hugely important - meeting people, going out, learning, living, observing, talking, walking performing. • A high street should be a place where people can gather not just because they have to but because they want to support the local and independent stores, where they can find interaction
•
What would make your High Street a better place? • More independent shops - people with a passion for what they sell, less multinational. • An indoor picnic area. • The High Street opens from 9am - 5pm - every one’s at work. • Mini local library. • Councils and retailers should be placing their
• • • • • •
creative communities at the centre of their thinking and at the heart of their town centers like in Dumfries. A museum about local history and its future. I would like to see more communal areas so we can all get to know each other. Better pavements, Sunday afternoon opening, no litter, no dog fouling, no graffiti, good buses. Shared space! Less division between cars and people makes cars drive more carefully and means less barriers to pedestrians. High street is dying - convert empties into flats to bring back life. Needs more events: book signings, buskers, parades and arts - not just money grabbing. Use vacant units for community projects (not just charity shops). Make it attractive enough to enjoy without actually shopping. More variety and independent shops, local produce easily available, performance, music, art, buskers.
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Visitor Comments
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“A very intelligent, stimulating exhibition. It deserves wide recognition. I hope it is truly influential. Very thought provoking. Not so much a traditional exhibition as a research thesis - but so much better presented than those normally are.” John R Hume & Kate Byrne, Scotland.
Very interesting. As a current MSc Urban Studies student this exhibition is giving me great knowledge and interest in the city and retail. Thank you! Rachael Treacher, Liverpool UK.
Great exhibition, well laid out, mix of media, props and graphics. Maybe take this data and research into analysis of space and footfall, size of street, pavement etc. Green space seating.
Glasgow planners do little to enhance the look of our shopping streets. A plethora of ugly cheap shop fronts ruin tenement buildings at ground floor level. There should be strict planning controls and restoration of appropriate historical dimensions to shop facades on old buildings to make them more welcoming. John Nicolson, Scotland.
Very interesting. Found things out that I did not know about my own High Street and others. Sam Valutin, Elgin.
Excellent presentation - but regretfully our local town has 12 empty shops - very few locals and only a few nationals left after the march of the supermarkets. David and Anne Thomson, Glencoe.
Entertaining and educational. Wonderful exhibition!
Neil, UK.
Jamie Forman, USA.
Very relevant as our city centre is half vibrant shopping experience, half ghost town. I miss smaller independent shops, but they don’t survive long in Plymouth due to their higher prices and low wages down there.
Really good valid debate. It effects the whole of the UK. Saying that, I am loving the space in the streets of Glasgow (not so crowded, less cluttered lovely)!
Well presented and organized - a valueable resource.
Teresa and Sophie McMeakin.
Angela and Leah Acherton Roberts, London.
Good exhibition on such an important subject with the internet stripping out many products from Town Centres. We need to find a way of providing a new happy shopping experience in towns, for example free and good car parking. Glasgow’s west end certainly provides great community shopping.
The filmed interviews were a fascinating collection of views - many interesting; some not. This is a complex subject, which I’m not sure we understand yet, but the solution/s is/are not simple. I agree with Mary Portas - if we make our streets interesting and pleasant social spaces - eg where you can sit (sheltered in Scotland) and talk with your friends, the economic activity will follow.
Reflective of not only the High Street but sadly the disconnected state of communities today, which ultimately affects the individuals sense of belonging, a capitalist downward spiral! Great this is being highlighted!
L and P Greenberry, England (enclosed one Totnes Pound).
Colin McLean, Peebles.
Interesting - as commercialism is such a huge part of our culture - questioning how / why this is IMPORTANT - combine positives from successful economy and supporting community.
I think that it’s a great subject to raise. I think that there should be more to do other than shopping and eating. Not just museums, but somewhere that is a social hub to meet new friendly people.
RSB Melville, USA.
Quyen Pitan, England.John R Hume & Kate Byrne, Scotland
Very impressed with the clear (and well designed) product descriptions for the displays. Very interested in the Lewes pound initiative.
Very relevant to today’s society. Looking back to see how we got here, and looking forward to see what the current trends might ultimately lead to.
Stewart McCardie, Glasgow.
Mary Tibbet, Bristol.
Celia, Spain.
Rachel Acton, Plymouth.
L. Logan, Glasgow.
Time we got Kirkintilloch moving again - your exhibition’s got me motivated . . . very good! Colin Barrows, Scotland.
Great thanks! Brilliant design. Sin Ching Wom, Hong Kong.
Acknowledges a real problem - not just in Scotland - in an interesting way. Makes me think things can actually be done - and should be - to help High Streets across Britain, etc. Frances, England.
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
High Street Exhibition Images by Alan Dimmick and Graham Wylie
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
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High Street Exhibition Content and Resource
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High Street Resources
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High Street Cross Curricular Learning Resource
High Street (Remedies) Digital Resource
Designed as a cross-curricular project for upper primary or lower secondary classes this resource has been designed so that you can develop a week long, fully immersive project or pick and choose one off elements to enhance normal classroom practice.
Wigan Plus Card www.wiganplus.com www.ads.org.uk/access
The lesson plans are intended to provide inspiration and guidance for using your local built environment as a teaching resource across all areas of the Curriculum for Excellence, developing the four capacities through issues of sustainability, environmental education, heritage and citizenship. The suggested activities promote creativity and reflective thinking through applying learning across subjects and tasks to extend and develop skills.
Lewes Pound www.thelewespound.org www.ads.org.uk/access
A downloadable PDF version of this pack is available on the Architecture and Design Scotland website: www.ads.org.uk/access
Workshop 24 www.ads.org.uk/access www.workshop24.tumblr.com
This resource is also available as a printed toolkit, please contact: education@ads.org.uk for your free pack, which includes: - High Street tote bag. - Teacher booklet, with 5 lesson plans, additional links and a glossary. - A2 wall poster. - Photocopy student sheets. - 2 postcard kits on architectural details and signage. - 6 cards on shop front design styles.
Re-imagining Alternative High Street Futures Workshop To accompany the exhibition Architecture and Design Scotland hosted a day of workshops to explore the possible futures for Scottish High Streets and to gather contributions that would help shape the emerging action plan on town centres by the Scottish Government. In two separate sessions policymakers, practitioners and researchers in the field of town centre management and creative industry practitioners were invited to share their ideas for creative and alternative High Street futures. Writer and commentator Julian Dobson started the discussion with a presentation on re-imagining the High Street as a social space. Julian’s submission with Urban Pollinators informed the recent Mary Portas Review of High Streets. Further details of the workshop and a pdf summary can be found here: www.ads.org.uk/news/ re-imagining-alternative-high-street-futures-seminar
The Bakery www.thebakerydunbar.org www.ads.org.uk/access
The Peoples Supermarket www.ads.org.uk/access www.thepeoplessupermarket.org Super Hero Supply Store www.ads.org.uk/access www.superherosupplies.com
Allotment www.ads.org.uk/access www.nationaltheatrescotland.com Theatre Absolute www.ads.org.uk/access www.theatreabsolute.co.uk Book Town and Food Town www.ads.org.uk/access www.wigtown-booktown.co.uk
www.cd-foodtown.org
Incredible Edible Todmorden www.ads.org.uk/access www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk Pavement to Parks www.ads.org.uk/access www.sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org Copenhagen www.streetfilms.org/copenhagen www.ads.org.uk/access Start Up Street www.startupstreetstirling.wordpress.com www.ads.org.uk/access Retail Rocks www.retailrocksaberdeen.com www.ads.org.uk/access Meanwhile Space www.meanwhilespace.com www.ads.org.uk/access Adaptable Neighbourhoods www.ads.org.uk/access www.adaptableneighbourhoods.com/waterside
High Street Credits
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The High Street Exhibition was present at The Lighthouse December 2011 - April 2012
Curated by Architecture and Design Scotland Design and Films Stone Opera Graphic Design Suisse Model Maker Chris Wotherspoon Exhibition Fabrication Touchwood High Street Shops Text Lindsay Lennie
With thanks to All Film Participants Ann Halliday Ash Sakula Architects BBC Scotland Bill Scott Carol Foreman Charles McKean Dumfries and Galloway Libraries Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura Elspeth Baird Fiona Hayes Glasgow Life (Glasgow Museums) Historic Scotland Irene Wallace Lindsay Lennie National Theatre of Scotland Pat Leggate Sainsbury Archive Snook South Ayrshire Council Wigan Plus
Exhibition Partner Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
High Street Exhibition Content and Resource