1. Clues to help building detectives investigate the age of a shop.
Investigating shops
The majority of High Streets are made up from lots of different styles of buildings leading to a mixture of roofscapes.
This presentation includes photos of buildings used as shops through the ages, starting with 16th century Tudor design to Modern shop buildings of the 1980s.
There a notes accompanying each slide/image which detail the architectural features to look out for when investigating the age of different shop buildings.
This PowerPoint can be used along side the pdf “Investigating Shops: Teacher Notes” available to download.
The PowerPoint “Images of Old Shops” is also useful for pupils to test their investigation skills of how shops have changed. Available to download
Clues to help building detectives investigate the age of a shop.

2. 16th Century Tudor in Chester
Carved wooden frame in filled with plaster.
Very small panes of glass.
Top floors jut out over lower floors.
You can see modern shops on the ground floor.
Unless you live in an historic town like Chester you are unlikely to see original Tudor buildings.

3. Lower Bridge Street Chester
Built in 1603.
There was a walkway (row) on the first floor which was later bricked up to create a front room.
The Georgian sash windows on the first floor were added in the 18th century.

4. Stone Tudor buildings in York
Jettied first floor (gives impression of first floor leaning over ground floor)

5. 18th Century Georgian (Unaltered) Covent Garden, London
Terraced row of flat fronted brick buildings.
Sash windows with linear embellishments above, fitted with slightly larger panes of glass. Panelled doors with fanlights.
Large covered porch (portico).

6. 19th Century late Georgian (with alterations) Brierley Hill, Dudley
This building has had lots of changes.
Georgian clues:- some of the 2nd floor windows still have small paned sash windows with linear decoration above.
The triangular pediment on the roof line.
Differences, many windows are changed, Victorian bay windows and new plastic frames.

7. 1830-1890 Victorian Brierley Hill, Dudley
This building is made of brick and terracotta.
Built Example of late Victorian architecture.
The bay windows have larger panes of glass than earlier buildings.
Lots of decoration to the windows and central roof gable.
Photograph taken in 2010.

8. Victorian. Original Corner Shop Smethwick, Sandwell
Bay windows.
Pattern in brickwork and window.
Arches.
Photo taken 1961.

9. Look out for dates carved on buildings. Kings Heath, Birmingham
This Victorian shop has an elaborate design.
Shop built in 1898.
Photo taken in 2010.

10. 1890-1914 Edwardian Birmingham City Centre
Simpler Edwardian design.
A very helpful date is carved above the door.
Photograph taken in 2010
This Birmingham city centre building is a coffee shop with offices above.

11. 1890-1914 Edwardian Kings Heath, Birmingham
This Edwardian “Tudor” shop is next to a Victorian building with a Gothic turret at the far end.
Kings Heath High Street, Birmingham
Photograph taken in 2010

12. Modern 1920-1950 Wirral Photograph taken in 1967.
Flat low rise building.

13. Victorian (altered) with ‘Modern’ 1930s shop Smethwick, Sandwell
Originally a Victorian building, but the Decoration to the doors and mosaic pattern to the entrance porches, suggests a modern 1930s alteration to the shop front.
Picture taken 1935.

14. Modern 1950-1980 Brierley Hill, Dudley
This was built in Formally the Co-op.
Horizontal metal windows.
Flat roof.
Modern materials – metal and concrete.
Picture taken 2010.

15. Modern 1950 -1980 Brierley Hill, Dudley
Made of Concrete, brick & glass.
Flat roof.
Horizontal windows.
Pilotis (columns supporting the building leaving a walk way).
Large scale structure.
Picture taken in 2010.

16. 1980 - present day Brierley Hill, Dudley
More use of glass, double and triple glazed.
Disabled access.