Taking in Boots, Waterstones, John Lewis and Next, I’m on a tour of Exeter’s well known chain stores. But rather than looking at the latest product ranges on offer, my visit is taking me below these high street shops and I’m merely being told about their locations by […]
Anyone who is enthused by heritage is unlikely to get that excited by a city centre shopping complex. Exeter, however, has a claim to fame in modern history in that it boasts the country’s first pedestrianised shopping precinct. The current Princesshay development only dates back to 2007, but […]
Intersected by a main road and blighted by an open air car park, Cecil Square today seems little more than a busy traffic hub. While there are clearly some interesting heritage buildings on one side, the eye is drawn to the ghastly post war concrete library structure on […]
Birmingham grew rapidly in the 19th century as wave upon wave of immigrants arrived in the workshop of the world. In 1801 the population of the city was around 70,000, but by the end of the century it had more than 500,000. Many found work in the metal […]
In the shadow of the Shard at the southern end of London Bridge, there’s a curious looking grey spike sculpture jutting up in the sky. Skater boarders use the pedestal for performing tricks, while most people probably simply walk past it. But this feature has a great deal […]
Waking up after last night’s spectacular closing Olympic ceremony, I feel proud to be a Londonder. The opener two weeks ago showcased Britain, and our industrial heritage, while yesterday’s show was all about celebrating our amazing capital, reinforcing it as the greatest city in the world. From the […]
When the sun is shining there are few better places to be than sitting on the terrace of a dockside bar in Bristol. Even in the heat you can while away a few hours at ease as there is almost always a gentle breeze. Boats carrying tourists pass […]
After a long weekend of stag party shenanigans in Valencia I was shattered. I couldn’t even look at a beer, let alone drink one. And my body was rejecting all but the plainest of foods. So arriving in Taragona, about two hours north of Valencia by train, chilling […]
What is in a street name? Residents in Primrose Hill have won an important victory blocking Dumpton Place being given a more “upmarketket” name. Developers building luxury flats had wanted to change it to Jasmin Mews, a name they believed was amenable to buyers – and something which […]
Working as a journalist in Hull it wasn’t hard find to find bad news. With devastating floods, murders and large scale job losses some could say that the city was tainted. Yet from a selfish point of view, all of this meant there was usually plenty of choice […]
Past In The Present 