Investigating Shops: Teacher Notes and Activity Ideas
These notes can be used alongside the PowerPoint presentation “Investigating Shops: classroom detectives” (available as a download).
There are worksheets included in this document which you can use with your pupils and help them to become‘classroom detectives’; deciding the age of shops, from images, or in your local high street or historic shopping area.
Teacher Notes
Towns and cities are full of shops with modern frontages and signage although many of the buildings are very much older. Independent shop keepers have redesigned their shops to suit their needs and large retail companies have fitted out their shops with the same corporate image throughout the country.
Included in this guide are clues to help building detectives look above the shop fronts to help work out how old the building might be. Even quite new buildings have undergone lots of changes so sometimes it can be very difficult to decide exactly when they may have been first built.
This information will help your pupils understand the most common styles of shops found in our towns and cities, although there will be regional variations where locally produced materials dominate the built environment.
This guide has been put together with the help of the “Our Street” booklet published by the Commission for Architecture and the built environment, more detailed information about building styles can be found in the
Notes: Building age and architectural features
16th and 17thCentury
Most timber framed buildings known that survive today are likely to be from the 16 -17th century. The black and white timber framed style of building is rarely found now in cities but is more common in historic towns. Not all buildings of this time were made from wood as stone was another important form of building material.
18th - early19thCentury Georgian (1720-1830)
Building designs became available in pattern books for developers to use, leading to standardised buildings appearing in towns and cities. “Classical” became the most dominant style for buildings influenced by ancient Greece and Rome. The most noticeable architectural features were: columns, pediments and porticos; and buildings had proportion, simplicity and harmony.
1830-1890 Victorian
The industrial revolution meant a greater variety of mass produced building materials were now available. Cast iron and larger sheets of glass could be used to build bigger structures such as large railway stations. Towns and cities expanded on a massive scale and many new public buildings such as schools, libraries, hospitals and museums were built. The “Classical” style continued and the popular “Gothic Revival” emerged as architects started to use medieval castles and cathedrals for ideas. The new railways helped to transport building materials around the country.
1890-1914 Edwardian
The “Arts and Crafts” movement lead towards greater simplicity in design. Tudor, Classic and Gothic styles still remained popular but with much less ornamentation. Towns and cities were continuing to grow quickly so buildings were made from an increasing amount of materials produced in bulk in factories.
1920-present Modern Period
As technology continued to produce new materials and methods of building, different styles of architecture developed. Frame construction using steel and reinforced concrete created new possibilities, buildings became taller and walls could be made from glass.
The information above is presented in the table below. This Classroom Detectives crib sheet can be used in conjunction with the Activity Sheet which follows after.
Classroom Detectives Crib Sheet
1830-1890 / 1890-1914 / 1920-1950 / 1950-1980 / 1980-today
Building Materials / Timber frames with plaster infill.
Stone / Brick
Stone / Brick
Stucco (exterior plaster finish intended to look like stone) / Brick
Stone / Concrete
Brick
Glass
Steel / Concrete
Brick
Glass
Steel / Concrete
Brick
Glass
Steel
Style / Wooded Jettied storeys, where the higher floors overhang those below.
Stone buildings with very low floors.
Comparing the height of the doors, first floor windows and roof will help interpret the height of the floors inside the building.
One building on its own or just a few buildings together. / Simple flat fronted buildings built in terraces (rows) / Terraces
Some Gothic style with pointed arches, turrets and castellation. / Simpler design with long elegant lines
Black and white (imitating Tudor style) / Terraces, along high streets.
A corner shop was often built on the corner of a row of terrace houses / Pilotis (concrete columns to support buildings leaving an open space underneath). / Eccentric shapes developed as advances in computer technology allowed designers to create buildings in a variety of different shapes.
Greater use of glass as a building material.
Decoration / Timber often carved with decorative details / Classical details, columns, pediments (embellishments over the top of a door), and porticos (large covered porch or walkways). / Rich decoration using bands of decorative brickwork, carvings, terracotta, wood and metalwork / Very little decoration / Concrete, brick and glass became an obvious part of the design. / No decoration, buildings needed to be produced quickly after the war. / Use of coloured films on Glass.
Recycled materials
Doors / Low (people were generally a lot shorter than today.) / Wooden panelled doors with fanlights above. / Larger Porticos over doors / Main entrances incorporate disabled access.
Windows / Very small pieces of glass in either diamonds or squares. / Flat Sash windows with timber glazing bars and larger panes of glass. Glass could now be around A4 size. / Bay windows
Glass much larger approx 1m2 / Metal frame windows / Horizontal metal windows.
Plate Glass in shops and public buildings. / Plastic framed windows in every style.
Dotted about not always in lines.
Roofs / Slate roofs. Welsh slate could be easily transported by the new railways. / Some Flat / Plastic guttering
High energy consumption / Double glazing for energy efficiency.
Solar panels
Classroom Detectives Activity Sheet
Below is a table with questions that can be used to investigate the age of shop buildings – looking at materials, decoration, evidence of alterations and features such as types of windows. There are a series of different answer options for each question.
Question and Options row 1 / What is the building made of? / Wood / Stone / Brick / Concrete / Steel / GlassQuestion and Options row 2 / Where does the building material come from? / Building material found locally / Building made from factory produced materials / Buildingmade of artificial materials / Building made of natural products
Question and Options row 3 / What are the doors like? / The doors are very low / Lots of carved decoration over the top of the door / Lines or triangle shapes over the top of the door / Easy access, ramps and wide doors
Question and Options row 4 / What are the windows like? / Flat windows / Bay windows / Sash windows. One part slides over the other one to open / Randomly spaced windows over the building / The whole wall looks like lots of windows / Long straight lines of windows
Question and Options row 5 / How big are the panes of glass? / Very small panes of glass in diamonds and squares / Medium sized glass. About the size of A4 paper / Large panes of glass. About the size of 6 pieces of paper / Huge panes of glass
Question and Options row 6 / What is the building decorated with? / Tall columns / Carved wood / Patterns in the brick work / Lots of People, emblems and flowers carved in the stone / No decoration / Lots of coloured glass
Activity idea 1
Pupils, or 6 small groups, can select a shop to investigate (either a local shop, or an image)
The Activity Sheet can be used as a tick sheet for identifying different characteristics and options for that shop.
Pupils can then use the Classroom Detectives Crib Sheet to match their selections with an architectural period and identify the age of the shop.
Activity idea 2
Photos of a range of shops can be selected by the teacher, or photos of shops in the local area can be used.
Individual pupils, or small groups, can be given a Question and Options row each. (Table can be printed and squares can be cut out.)
Each pupil or group can choose which options best describes the shop and pair it with that photo.
Pupils/the class can then use the Classroom Detectives Crib Sheet to identify the age of the shop, from the options chosen by students.
Extended Activity ideas
1. Prompts for further investigation and discussion
Look at the buildings around do you think the original building has been changed, why do you think this has been done? / New windows? / Changed doors? / New roof? / Has it been made to look old, fake leaded windows, fake coach lamps, old fashioned lettering?Look for clues about who owns the business / What does the name of the shop tell us? / Is the business prosperous or not, what image is projected? / What do they sell? / Who are their customers?
Is the building well looked after or does it need some repairs? / Do you think it should be looked after or saved? / How does the building make you feel? / What sounds can you hear? / What can you smell?
2. Ask pupils to draw the buildings that have been investigated.
3. Look at the produce on sale in that shop.
4. Interview the shop keeper to find out what they know about the history of the shop. How long have they been there?
5. Create a mural or book about the buildings, based on your research.
There are downloadable templates which you can use to create a class display available. One is a clipboard design on which you can write interview questions and responses. The other is a photo frame/plaque design on to which pupils can put information about the shop. Find these in the Teacher Resources section of The Corner Shop Project website.
You may like to refer to the local shops research case studies by Gazebo Theatre in Education (see Touring Exhibition page of The Corner Shop Project website) and Foursight Theatre (Schools Programme page of The Corner Shop Project website).
6. Create an advertisement for the shop. Use alliteration, similes and metaphors. Write an article for a newspaper about the shop.
7. Give pupils a map of a local shopping street; ask them to mark as many buildings as they can remember. Discuss why some buildings are more memorable than others.
8. Use pictures of international food products and groceries found in shops to discuss where food comes from and why it is for sale in Britain. See download “Food Products and Migration” on the Teacher Resources section of The Corner Shop Project website.
1