Having travelled about some parts of London I had not seen in a while, I realised how little I know about the shops and businesses in London. They are an important part of industrial archaeology in the city, but unrecognised architecturally and indeed from an IA viewpoint.
I was in Cardiff recently and apart from the Bay area there is little conventional IA, but it is certainly a shopping city with two department stores as well as fine examples of chain stores such as a Burtons with elephant head decoration.
A journey along London's Oxford Street on the top floor of a bus affords plenty of time to admire the 20th century splendours of Selfridges or Debenhams. There are also many anonymous art deco buildings which have always been retail outlets. Many fine stores are now in multiple occupancy which destroys the architectural integrity of the building.
I was in Cardiff recently and apart from the Bay area there is little conventional IA, but it is certainly a shopping city with two department stores as well as fine examples of chain stores such as a Burtons with elephant head decoration.
A journey along London's Oxford Street on the top floor of a bus affords plenty of time to admire the 20th century splendours of Selfridges or Debenhams. There are also many anonymous art deco buildings which have always been retail outlets. Many fine stores are now in multiple occupancy which destroys the architectural integrity of the building.
The trend recently is for smaller units rather than the spledid large edifices which once typified our High Street. The familiar names such as Swan & Edgar or Dickins & Jones may have gone but their legacy lingers on.
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