A colourful history of one of our most loved and ever-changing public spaces. The modern-day cry is that the 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.