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A High Street highlight
Kathryn Morrison’s Chain Stores in the Golden Age of the British High Street, (‘Cathedrals of commerce’, Chris Catling, CA 426) excellently complements books on other types of buildings such as bandstands, the co operative movement, and public houses.
An ‘anorak’ of mine, much to the bemusement of my non-archaeological friends, is to spot former branches of Burton (see above for an example from Weston-super-Mare). This is easily done even when local sensibilities are met, as in Carlisle, where it is built in the city’s sandstone. Among the best preserved is Cradley Heath, on the preferred prominent corner, with a largely intact facade and black marble ‘foundation stones’ at each end. New owners often rebuild the frontage and have the stones removed. But they may also be painted and, I suspect, also survive under a later covering, waiting to be rediscovered.
Regretted are prominent branches which have been demolished, such as in High Street, Birmingham; fortunately, its bland replacement is overshadowed by the former Times Furnishing building, now a Waterstones.
In the ‘Buildings of England’ series, the late Sir Nikolaus Pevsner occasionally mentions a Burton store with great disdain and, one may argue, architectural snobbishness. However, as Chris Catling comments, ‘Many of the previously derided stores… are now recognised as having their own architectural merit’ and such judgements are being revised.
One hopes that in their redevelopment of Burton and similar stores, owners will respect and conserve the buildings’ past, uncovering and celebrating what remains as part of the history and archaeology of the High Street.
John Latham, Birmingham
Edible Archaeology
This is ‘Digging for Gin’, a birthday cake made for the co-author of one of this month’s features, Dr Rebecca Jones (see here). It was a gift from Barbara Neil and was commissioned from Shannon at Linton Bakes in the Scottish Borders.
Rebecca Jones, Peebles
CA ONLINE: What you shared with us this month
Dr Francis Young @DrFrancisYoung
Reading a brilliant account in this month’s @CurrentArchaeo [CA 425] about the excavation of Wroxeter Farm – a derelict farm slap bang in the middle of Viroconium that’s now been bought by English Heritage, meaning the centre of the city can be revealed!
NTS-Archaeology @nts-archaeology.bsky.social
For #TombTuesday ordered this back copy of @currentarchaeology.bsky.social magazine from 1972. Looking at the chambered cairns of Scotland. We will be heading out next week to excavate close to the chambered cairn in Crarae Gardens @n-t-s.bsky.social
NTS-Archaeology @nts-archaeology.bsky.social
The Bare Bones is a fantastic bit of work and that was where I got the reference to the 1972 @currentarchaeology.bsky.social special issue from.
Save the date!
CA Live! 2026 will return to the UCL’s Institute of Education, London, on Saturday 28 February. Tickets are available from http://www.archaeology.co.uk/live at an early bird rate of £49 until 15 January; £65 thereafter. Watch out for further details, coming soon!
Write to us at: CA Letters, Current Publishing, Office 120, 295 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 4HH, or by email to: letters@archaeology.co.uk For publication: 300 words max; letters may be edited.
