Window to my world

I decided earlier in the week to take part in "One Street" suggested by Kendallishere.  

I actually have 3 streets which I'd like to explore in this way, over a period of time.  Hopefully others will enjoy looking at where I live as much as I have enjoyed looking at theirs over the last few days.

The first of my 3 is my local "High Street" which I have taken a few pictures of already for my journal and which I will now go back and tag with this one.  

I wasn't planning to start today.  After a few early morning frost, water, lichen and dog shots I headed to a local restaurant for eggs Benedict and smoked salmon and then to the cinema to watch "Alex Cross".  

When I returned home I decided to allow myself up to an hour with my camera in the High Street.   It was cold and getting dark and  I didn't pay enough attention to what I was doing. I ended up with very few shots that were as I'd intended.  I did get a picture of the shop that was my personal inspiration to take part in this series (The end or the beginning, below).  It has replaced a jewellers that had been open for around 50 years until a few months back, but more of that another time.  In the end I have decided to pick this image which I hope 'sets the scene' for this series.

Here we have numbers 24a to 34.  A bakers, a research business, an optician, a fast food restaurant, a clothing store, an employment agency, a candle store, a public house, a watch and clock maker and a hair salon.

Those with a good eye might spy another shop that is closing.  I will try and return there again before they go as they have also been there for a long time and currently have an 'interesting' window display.

High Street,  Maldon, Essex, UK

29 August 12 - The end or the beginning
9 August 12 - A timeless classic
27 July 12 - Town and Village sign
3 April 12 - Mr D'Arcy, Sir
7 March 12 - Like Bilio
2 March 12 - Seven Hundred Men
22 February 12 - Maeldune Heritage Centre
10 January 12 - Sun day

As I hope to learn /share information as part of collating/collecting these entries, I also did a very small amount of  investigation into the history of "High Street"  This is what google I came up with;

There are thought to be about 3,000 roads in Britain called High Street, with another 2,300 having a variation on the name such as Upper High Street or High Street East. In the vast majority of cases the high street in a town or village is the main commercial or shopping thoroughfare.

The name seems to have emerged in the 12th century when the word 'high' began to be used to indicate something or someone of a higher, or more important, status than others.

At first the term high street did not apply to any one street in particular, but was a generic term used to indicate the most important road in a place. Most of the streets now known as High Street originally had another, more local name, but came to be called the more generic term as its use became widespread.

During the 20th century, the term reverted to having a more generic meaning. People now often talk about 'high street' shops, when what they really mean is national chains of shops. As the 21st century progresses it is becoming possible for a chain of 'high street stores' to only have shops in out-of-town shopping centres - and not to have any shops actually on a road named High Street at all.

Source -  history extra.com