Ring my bell

Beautiful bell, just urging you to press that button. On the Ash Hotel in Stockport - the building dates from 1901 and is now a food shop and tea room.

Seeking assurance

This sign will be familiar to Manchester folk – it’s on Princess Street in Manchester, just across from the Town Hall on Albert Square. The company was established in Aberdeen in 1836, with the catchy name of the North of Scotland Fire and Life Assurance Company. It was renamed the Northern Assurance Company in 1848, and is now part of Aviva. This Flemish style building dates from 1902. The company’s website claims there was a “curse of the Northern” - the architects of its early 20^th century buildings in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle apparently all died shortly after completing the buildings. Let’s hope they had life insurance.

Station destination

The Friends of Heaton Chapel Station are fast making this little local train station a destination in itself. This amusing sign points to the location of the old covered footbridge which once joined the two platforms. The footbridge was demolished a few years ago as part of the main line upgrade, and passengers now have to go out of the station and use the pavement to cross to platform 1. Built in 1851 – on the instigation of a local vicar using his influence – the station now caters for over 700,000 passengers a year. It once boasted three waiting rooms, coal fires, a branch of WH Smith and lots of porters.  It’s now entering a new kind of heyday thanks to the Friends of the station, who have supplied vintage ads, pretty plants and a wonderful new clock – as well as this bit of much needed humour for your morning commute.  

Who are you?

Mosaic sign on the doorstep of the National Portrait Gallery in London. I got there early enough to take this photo, before the swarming crowds made it impossible. Catch the wonderful Grayson Perry “Who are you?” exhibition if you can – it’s on until 15 March.