This shop, situated in the medieval quarter of Kingston-Upon-Thames, is over 500 years old and has received many facelifts in its lifetime, the last being the ground floor entrance level where a metal frame with large glass panes was installed in the 1960s. There were also two storey columns either side of the frontage, covered in large ceramic bricks with a curved form, from the 1930s. My client also owned a shop in Richmond which had an original Victorian shop front, and he wanted to emulate this in the Kingston shop. His business specialised in outdoor adventure activities, mainly climbing and rambling. His staff were extremely knowledgeable, and he wanted to create a new exterior image that gave the feeling of tradition and service. The design challenge was to convince the council to accept new frontage in the style the client wanted. At this site of special historical interest, obtaining approval for projects that safeguard the heritage of an area makes successful applications more probable. But in a high street with a myriad of different architectural styles spanning 500 hundred years, which era of heritage should be emulated? Fortunately, most of the properties at this time (the 1990s) had been remodelled during the Victorian era so the job of convincing the local council was made easier. After successfully gaining planning permission, I worked to address challenges that I knew the building work would present. The owner wanted to keep his shop open throughout, but no building work could take place during shop opening hours meaning, of course, that the building work had to be done at night. As this was a residential area, to limit noise disruption and to aid speed of construction, I specified for the joinery to be prefabricated in advance for easy site assembly. The mahogany hardwood pieces were constructed in such a way to put together quickly and efficiently, in a specific sequence and pegged together with invisible fixings.