Category Archives: Design

Some more on Singapore’s Shophouse and Art-Deco Heritage

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Leigh Sparks

In the short time I had in Singapore this January, we decided to continue to seek out the old amongst the new. It was, as I noted last year in my piece on shophouses good to see pockets of old … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco, Branding, Cinemas, Design, Historic Shops, Places, Retail History, Singapore, Streetscapes, Tiles, Uncategorized, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Singapore Shophouses and Tiles

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Leigh Sparks

It was a pleasure to be back in Singapore at the end of September for our latest graduation of students from our partnership with SIM (Singapore Institute of Management). I am no great fan of monolithic corporate hotels, so arranged … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Azulejo, Design, Heritage, Historic Shops, Singapore, Streetscapes, Tiles, Uncategorized, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Clapped Out

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Leigh Sparks

The last two weeks of June saw a mammoth effort in the University of Stirling to catch up on graduation events for our 2020 and 2021 cohorts as well as our 2022 graduands. Ten ceremonies over the two weeks saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Architecture, Buildings, Campus Central, Design, Places, Reinvention, RICS, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Design Awards, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Departing Stores and Place Vandalism

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Leigh Sparks

“Loss of local identity is a powerful factor that can influence the social and economic wellbeing of a town. By preserving the fabric of distinctive historic buildings, particularly those as prominent as former department stores, residents can recover a sense … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, City Centres, Department Stores, Design, Edinburgh, Heritage, High Streets, Historic Shops, Marks and Spencer, Oxford Street, Places, Town Centres, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ghostsigns: A London Story

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

Anyone who follows me on twitter will have seen my fascination with ghostsigns and especially retail ones.  They have also featured at various points in this blog (for example Scotland, Montana, Dublin, London).  Most notably (for I am undoubtedly in … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Books, Buildings, Crowdfunding, Design, Ghost Signs, Heritage, High Streets, History, London, Retail History, Signage, Streetscapes, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Architecture of England’s Co-operative Movement

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

Over two and a half years ago I attended a seminar at the Engine Shed in Stirling called ‘Talking Shops’ and my blog discussion of the event can be found here.  In that post I noted the presentation by Lynn … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Buildings, Community, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Corporate branding, Corporate History, Department Stores, Design, Historic Shops, History, Hull, Localisation, Places, Retail Change, Retailers, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Supermarket Nightmares: Keeping your Distance

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

In, what seems like an eternity ago.  I got into a degree of trouble for suggesting that food retailers, for good or bad, were ‘social engineers’ and we needed to recognise and understand the implications of this.  This was on … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Amazon Go, Behavioural Economics, Consumer Change, Consumer Choice, Consumers, Dark Stores, Design, Employment practices, Food Retailing, Food Standards Scotland, Health, Panic buying, Retail Change, Retailers, Social Inequality, Supermarket, Uncategorized, University of Stirling, Well being | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fading Glory: the Ghost Signs of London

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

Anyone following me on twitter will know of my enduring fascination with ghostsigns.  It has also appeared on this blog a few times.  These traces of the past are, in my view, something worth capturing and preserving (or at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Design, Ghost Signs, Heritage, London, Places, Retail Change, Retail History, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Hull and Beyond

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

  I’ve never knowingly been to Hull.  It’s not that I’ve anything against Hull, just that the question of going there has never arisen.  I became a little more aware of it when it owned the accolade as UK City … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, BHS, Buildings, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Department Stores, Design, Historic Shops, History, Hull, Places, Public Realm, Regeneration, Retail History, Spaces, Uncategorized, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Shopfronts – some recent sightings

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

Some people have been a bad influence on me: @historicshops @KA_Morrison (see Building Our Past) and @ghostsigns spring to mind. Their encyclopaedic knowledge – and delight in and willingness to share – means that I am forever on the search … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Corporate branding, Corporate History, Design, Heritage, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Places, Public Realm, Retail History, Shopfronts, Signage, Small Towns, Spaces, Streetscapes, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments