Shopping for a piece of history

Today’s pictures have a retail theme and look back to the days when the High Street was king.

Now, after the shopping revolution brought about by the internet High Street stores are struggling for survival.

Three of today’s pictures were sent in by Mr Keith Boyer to my predecessor in the Looking Back hotseat, but they are so evocative they are well worth another airing.

The picture top left shows the Westgate Arcade still very recognisable as it is today. Hats and headscarves were the order of the day.

The splendid image top right shows a bustling Cathedral Square (although it was probably still known as Market Place then) with shoppers on the lookout for a bargain. The Gates Memorial is in the background. It is now located in Bishops Road Gardens.

The last of Mr Boyer’s picture shows a Bridge Street so packed with shoppers there’s barely room on the pavement

Does anyone remember the stores such as Maypole and Pearks Self Service?’

The picture, middle right,is a view of Lincoln Road – traditionally one of the city’s busiest retail areas. I think the junction with Westgate is in the background.

The building of the Queensgate centre represented another revolution in retail for the city and the final picture is an aerial shot showing the vast area that was cleared to make way for it.