Dr Annie Gray

We are very excited to welcome back local historian Annie Gray for the launch of her upcoming book, The Bookshop, the Draper, the Candlestick Maker.

Google 'the future of the high street' and you'll be confronted by opinion pieces debating the ethics of vegan cafes, spiralling economic projections and the rush to online shopping. But what about the history of the high street?

Dr Annie Gray walks us down the road and through the ages - from the dawn of the high street in medieval England to what we see today. Bustling with historical detail and colourful vignettes, we visit everything from apothecaries and penny bazaars to the birth of Marks and Spencer and the original toyshops, where curiosities were sold for adults rather than children.

A surprising and colourful work of social history, The Bookshop, the Draper, the Candlestick Maker tells the story of how we shopped and lived in days gone by in one of Britain's most loved but ever-changing public spaces - and what the future may bring.

Annie Gray is an historian, cook, broadcaster and writer specialising in the history of food and dining in Britain from around 1600 to the present day. She is a presenter on BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet, and her TV history documentaries include "Victorian Bakers" and "The Sweetmakers". She is the author of a number of books, most recently At Christmas We Feast.