The history of the modern aluminium shop front, with its clean, bespoke panelling and structural glazed frontage is the result of thousands of years of evolution in the retail world to meet the changing needs of the customer.

Even before aluminium had been discovered and glass was widely used in windows in the UK, there were prototypical shop fronts that started to slowly take shape and move towards their final, sleek, shimmering form.

The origins of a fixed, covered shop are found in Ancient Rome with structures such as the Forum of Trajan, but it is on the streets of nearby Chester on the ruins of a Roman fort that the history of ships and shopping centres truly begins in Great Britain.

The Chester Rows 

A unique two-tiered shopping arcade, The Rows is one of the most unusual buildings in Chester, one of the most unique retail sites in the entire world, and a prototype for what would become the modern shopping centre.

Exactly when The Rows were constructed as they exist today is somewhat unclear; although there is written evidence that they existed by 1356, exactly when they were made is somewhat unknown.

It is believed, although not confirmed, that they were constructed at some point after a great fire swept Chester in 1278, as this fire was said to be so great it nearly burned the town to the ground.

This led to a two-tier construction, with the bottom-most part of the Rows made fireproof, whilst a two-level structure was built to provide greater access and visibility for shops, whilst also creating a covered walkway.

By 1350 it had reached the form it would keep for the next 670 years, and the open nature of the building and its emphasis on comfort and visibility is seen in modern shop fronts that are common today.