Scotland's Bow-fronted Shops

摘要

The bow-fronted shop is embedded in our idea of what a traditional shop should look like; it is the ubiquitous image on chocolate boxes and Christmas cards. This nostalgic view is so integral to our mindset of a traditional shop that pseudo-Georgian bow-fronts complete with mock 'bull's eye' glass prevail in town centres, more common than the shops they seek to imitate. This article looks at the rise of the bow-fronted shop in Scotland as prosperity increased at the end of the eighteenth century, and its short-lived popularity. This is in the context of both historical research and an examination of a small number of shop windows that survive. It considers how variations in style and design offer an insight into the influences on early shop windows and considers whether architectural fashion was more of a defining factor than the practical side of retailing.