the bookshop, the draper, the candlestick maker: a history of the high stree

The modern-day cry is that the British high street is dying. But are our present concerns so different from those of the past? Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts still standing today. Peeping inside the windows of tailors, tearooms and grocers, we explore everything from the toyshops of yesteryear - places where curiosities were sold for adults rather than children - to the birth of brands we still shop at today. Vibrant with historical detail and surprising wares, THE BOOKSHOP, THE DRAPER, THE CANDLESTICK MAKER is an essential reflection on how we shopped and lived in days gone by - and what the future may bring.

Annie Gray is an historian, cook, broadcaster and writer specialising in the history of food and dining in Britain from around 1600 to the present day. She has presented TV history documentaries including Victorian Bakers and The Sweetmakers, and appears on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. She is the author of a number of books, most recently At Christmas We Feast, also from Profile.