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The King's Mile is a stretch of the city that begins at the High Street - although it might not be called the High Street at that point - moves on past two parts of Debenhams and the site of the first film screening in the city, crosses and incorporates Sun Street and then shoots down to the King's School. I suspect about a third of it is cathedral owned, and aside from Debenhams and a Costa, little of it is chain - there's a couple of pubs, variable numbers of charity shops, a couple of hairdressers, jewellers and beads, coffee shops, a variety of cafes and restaurants, a leather shop, a miltary surplus place, a train ticket seller, short-lived boutiques, a sweet shop, and a couple of card shops.
Given the gravitational pull that is the ambiguous utopia of Whitefriars, there is a low footfall for the streets, and it's niche and cult. I rarely venture down there in daylight hours, save from the university end if I want to take in the Shelter charity shop.
A couple of years ago, then, the council branded the area as The King's Mile, and experimented with making it into a temporary pedestrianised zone. Actually all of the city is a temporary pedestrianised zone. On my first visit I found myself walking down the middle of roads on which there could be traffic. Frankly, there wasn't much traffic on this road; notionally it's within the walls, and it's a maze of streets you really don't want to navigate. Temporary pedestrianisation increased this - and I often watched drivers moved the pedestrian zone signs out the way so that they could drive on by. It was more dangerous. Then the council buggered around with the kerbs, the gas pipes were relaid and there was a year of chaos. Now it's a road, with some street furniture, but branded.
The cathedral still charge heavy rates, I'm told. The millions have not flocked in.
One development was a monthly crafts market - a huge amount of, I believe the the term is, hippy shit, which encourages shoppers, who would then also use the shops. This increased to twice monthly and then was reduced back to one, as the shopkeepers claim it loses them trade. Aha.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the High Street - St George's ... Street - a market is held on Wednesday and Fridays. There's meat, and often bread, and frankly a lot of tat, but it is always busy so someone's buying.
The chain shops felt it was not in keeping with the area, and want it moved, apparently onto the car park known as Wednesday Market, which is nicely out the way of any shoppers. To some degree it is out of keeping with the area - but then selling cattle there is probably no longer appropriate, and the precise spot is now covered with five lanes of traffic.
It has been proposed to move the market from the King's Mile to the [eta: George St, which is the far end of] High Street. Where presumably it will be equally in the way of Marks and Spensers and WH Smug, and will fail attract tourists to the King's Mile.
Given the gravitational pull that is the ambiguous utopia of Whitefriars, there is a low footfall for the streets, and it's niche and cult. I rarely venture down there in daylight hours, save from the university end if I want to take in the Shelter charity shop.
A couple of years ago, then, the council branded the area as The King's Mile, and experimented with making it into a temporary pedestrianised zone. Actually all of the city is a temporary pedestrianised zone. On my first visit I found myself walking down the middle of roads on which there could be traffic. Frankly, there wasn't much traffic on this road; notionally it's within the walls, and it's a maze of streets you really don't want to navigate. Temporary pedestrianisation increased this - and I often watched drivers moved the pedestrian zone signs out the way so that they could drive on by. It was more dangerous. Then the council buggered around with the kerbs, the gas pipes were relaid and there was a year of chaos. Now it's a road, with some street furniture, but branded.
The cathedral still charge heavy rates, I'm told. The millions have not flocked in.
One development was a monthly crafts market - a huge amount of, I believe the the term is, hippy shit, which encourages shoppers, who would then also use the shops. This increased to twice monthly and then was reduced back to one, as the shopkeepers claim it loses them trade. Aha.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the High Street - St George's ... Street - a market is held on Wednesday and Fridays. There's meat, and often bread, and frankly a lot of tat, but it is always busy so someone's buying.
The chain shops felt it was not in keeping with the area, and want it moved, apparently onto the car park known as Wednesday Market, which is nicely out the way of any shoppers. To some degree it is out of keeping with the area - but then selling cattle there is probably no longer appropriate, and the precise spot is now covered with five lanes of traffic.
It has been proposed to move the market from the King's Mile to the [eta: George St, which is the far end of] High Street. Where presumably it will be equally in the way of Marks and Spensers and WH Smug, and will fail attract tourists to the King's Mile.
P> P> P> Meanwhile locals are beginning to feel about tourists what they feel about students. How dare they spend money in our shops and cafes?
P> P> P>
An update on the former gay-friendly pub - Bar 11 - which has rebranded itself as Scottish - the Jaggy Thistle - presumably in an attempt to woo the Argyllshire squaddies into its premises (presumably to some delight and intriguing cultural mixing): there is now a rainbow flag next to the pub's name board. Maybe it's still friendly after all - or they've found this colourful flag which it seems a waste not to use.
