Subject
Ayscough House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Stores, Retail - Virginia - Williamsburg
Block 08. Building 05.
Description
Lantern slide featuring a photo of the exterior of Ayscough Shop taken by F.S. Lincoln. It is the twelfth slide in a set produced by the Pacific Stereopticon Co. of Los Angeles, California, now defunct, to illustrate the story of Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin's dream to restore a portion of Williamsburg, Virginia to its 18th-century appearance as a shrine to early American ideals.
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.