Category Archives: Streetscapes

Traditions and Ghosts in Scotland’s Shops

Posted on September 3, 2017 by

Anyone following my twitter feed (@sparks_stirling) will have encountered my fascination and interest in ghost signs. It has also been included in some musings from me and a guest contribution to this blog.  I had a previous tendency to focus … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Architecture, Buildings, Edinburgh, Fife, Ghost Signs, Heritage, Historic Shops, History, Places, Retail History, Royal Mile, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Shopfronts, Streetscapes, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Retail change and why we fell in love with supermarkets?

Posted on February 5, 2016 by

My long-term colleague, Anne Findlay has just sent me a newspaper clipping that she recently found in her parent’s house. A quick bit of research (or Googling as we now call it) dated it to February 7th 1962. Anne knew … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Charity Shops, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Cooperative Group, Coopers, Food Retailing, Glasgow, Historic Shops, Planning, Retail Change, Retail History, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Spaces, Store Closures, Streetscapes, Supermarket, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Wonder of Woolies – continued

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

Just before Christmas I found myself in Brixton – as one does – and in wandering the streets passed by the H&M. As you might see from my photograph below, it is housed in a fine building. My immediate reaction … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Buildings, High Streets, Historic Shops, Property, Public Realm, Retail History, Shopfronts, Streetscapes, Urban History, Woolworths | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Market Time

Posted on January 13, 2016 by

I suspect that my interest in markets was sparked at a young age when my father would take me to the livestock market and my mother would take me to the open-air market (Cheapside) and to the covered food market, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Experiential, Farmers Markets, Festivals, Food, Krakow, London, Markets, Places, Spaces, Streetscapes, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Simplifying Town Centre Planning

Posted on December 9, 2015 by

There are many reasons why out-of-town development/greenfield development is the preferred option for many activities and development. Beyond retail we see cinemas, offices, hotels, sports facilities, schools – the list goes on – moving out of town centres. Some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Governance, High Streets, Places, Planning, Proactive Planning, Public Realm, Regeneration, Retail Planning, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Simplified Planning Zones, Streetscapes, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Sense of Place

Posted on April 21, 2015 by

A few months ago I was approached to write a short piece for “Context – the magazine of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation” as part of a collected set of items on The Changing Face of Retail. A couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Places, Signage, Spaces, Streetscapes, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments