::: gloucester rd – article in the independent newspaper (2004)

an article in the independent by mark rowe called ‘the last great british high street’

an edited version:

“welcome to gloucester road, bristol, one of the last traditional high streets in britain, where shop staff smile and bend over backwards to help. the superstores that have obliterated similar retail communities all over the country also lurk nearby, and yet somehow the increasingly anachronistic gloucester road continues to go about its business. the shops there serve the community in much the same way that they did half a century ago or more. you can buy pretty much anything you need here, says peter browne, honorary secretary of the bishopston traders association. how often do you see a butcher’s nowadays? the baker’s has people queuing out of the door, more like a french bread shop. the street has just evolved. i don’t know how you could ever replicate it.”

the independent on sunday, 8th august 2004