Dartford High Street in the Mid Nineteenth Century (1840-70)

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GCSE History Coursework – Dartford High Street in the Mid Nineteenth Century (1840-70)

A) Preliminary Investigation

1) Personal Investigation of the High Street

Wat Tyler Inn

   The Wat Tyler Inn has quite a lot of architectural aspects which indicate what time period it was made in. The timber-framed structure place it in the medieval period, and the out-of-date chimney suggests that re-development took place in the other areas of the building, like the sash windows. This is the area closest to the Church and Bullace Lane, which seems to be the medieval part of the High Street.

Iceland

   Iceland is made from mostly steel and glass, meaning that it was built in the 20th century, probably in the 1960s. Iceland is a good example of modernisation in the high street. An obvious architectural attribute of the building is cladding. Interestingly, Iceland was built on the site of the House of Correction.

Boots

   Boots is a more recent building, on evidence of the materials it was made from. Like Iceland, it was made from glass and steel, which implies that it has been re-developed significantly. It still has sash windows though, meaning not all of it was changed. It was re-developed in the 1980s. The building occupies the site of the George Coaching Inn.

Curtess

   Curtess has some distinctive architectural aspects, but has been re-developed significantly. It still has sash windows and string course, and the roof is very decorative. The roof would suggest that Curtess was from the Victorian time period.

One Bell Corner

   One Bell Corner is a very spacious and decorative building. It seems to have been used for industry at one point. It also has a decorative roof. The exact date of its foundation is 1851, meaning that we can place it in the Victorian time period.

Bull’s Head Yard

   Bull’s Head Yard was probably used for industrial purposes in the past. We can tell this because it has a metal pulley attached to the wall. There is evidence of re-development and the building also has an overhang. At the time, glass was expensive, and this building has small glass panes, so it was probably built in Georgian or possibly Victorian times.

Bull and Vic

   The Bull and Vic is a pub with a big entrance for coaches that has been made smaller because it is not needed anymore. The building is quite symmetrical, with pillars across the front. It seems a rich building, and its sash windows and glazing bars suggest that it is from the Georgian era.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the buildings are very accurate and useful in informing us about the history of Dartford High Street, and especially what it was like in the mid nineteenth century. It can tell us what the most common occupations were at the time, and how rich the High Street was. We can also tell that Dartford was important for transport and had coaches passing through and stopping in it regularly. There are also a lot of inns which date back to the mid nineteenth century or earlier.

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2) Census

According to the census, the four largest categories in 1851 were the shopkeepers and tradesmen, agriculture, transport and inns, and others. The fact that 30% of the people working on the high street were shopkeepers and tradesmen proves that in 1851, it was a very successful occupation and businesses flourished. Also, many of the people working on the high street lived there too, which shows that the high street was not only a place of work but a place for domestic dwellings.

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