Geograph - photograph every grid square

High Street is the most common street name in the UK with 5,410 in 2009. But why, even in the lowest locales, is the main thoroughfare usually called the High Street. In Middle English the word "high" denoted excellence, and which town would not want its showpiece street to be seen as anything less than excellent? Most historians agree its “Golden Age” was from the accession of Queen Victoria until the start of the Second World War.
The term High Street is also a a metonym for the traditional retail sector. With the coming of the shopping mall and then the internet, attempts have been made to rebrand it as a place for smaller, more bespoke businesses. In reality they are now dominated by charity shops and coffee outlets….


See other images of High Street