South on Middle Parade, Royal Leamington Spa, December 2020

Image: © Robin Stott Taken: 14 Dec 2020

The Parade, Leamington's main shopping street, was closed. Before the Covid-19 pandemic it was on the route of many bus services. The street could become congested, fume-filled, noisy and a bit hazardous with buses, deliveries, cars and bikes. At the start of the pandemic social distancing for shoppers and waiting passengers at the many bus stops was presumably found to be unworkable. Buses were rerouted into bus stands in Kenilworth Road and Beauchamp Road, east and west of Christchurch Gardens ("Top Park"), behind the camera. It's an improvement in some ways; the only sound is conversation and we can cross the road wherever we like. If only all the shops were open. Royal Priors, left is a shopping mall behind the street. H&M, right, occupies the former Woolworths store. Magnolia paint imposes a unity on architectural differences, seen here in mid-December dusk.

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