This slide shows the entrance of the Ayscough Shop in 1935, when it housed the Forge and Wheel, a retail establishment. As noted on the sign, the shop sold decorative ironwork, pottery, and other items.

Christopher Ayscough, the namesake of the shop, tried operating a tavern on the site between 1768-1770. Other shopkeepers, including Catherine Rathell, Matthew Holt, and Jacob Bruce, briefly occupied the store and sold various goods to townspeople.

The structure survived from the eighteenth century, although it was hardly recognizable due to the enlargements and modifications made in the nineteenth century. Once restored to its eighteenth-century appearance, the building exhibited such features typical of a commercial establishment as a gable end entrance and large shop window.]]> Exterior of the Raleigh Tavern, view looking northeast from across Duke of Gloucester Street, 1933. The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence, and was "....the foremost of Williamsburg's taverns in the eighteenth century. Established about 1717, the Raleigh Tavern grew in size and reputation through the years. Letters, diaries, newspaper advertisements, and other records indicate that the Raleigh was one of the most important taverns in colonial Virginia. It served as a center for social, commercial, and political gatherings; small private and large public dinners; lectures and exhibitions; and auctions of merchandise, land, and the enslaved." Burned to the ground in 1859, the tavern was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 60).

]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
Christopher Ayscough, the namesake of the shop, tried operating a tavern on the site between 1768-1770. Other shopkeepers, including Catherine Rathell, Matthew Holt, and Jacob Bruce, briefly occupied the store and sold various goods to townspeople.

The structure survived from the eighteenth century, although it was hardly recognizable due to the enlargements and modifications made in the nineteenth century. Once restored to its eighteenth-century appearance, the building exhibited such features typical of a commercial establishment as a gable end entrance and large shop window.]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The structure to the right (across Francis Street) is the William Finnie House, one of the eighty-eight original buildings at Colonial Williamsburg. A gowned female costumed interpreter (once referred to as a "hostess") is shown standing in front of the house. The Finnie House is named after William Finnie, who resided in the home from the 1770s to early 1780s and held the office of quartermaster general of the Southern Department during the American Revolution. The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ]]> Rights and reproductions]]>