Quiet life

This discreet sign is tucked away in the orangery at Dunham Massey, a National Trust property in Cheshire. I like to imagine the doorway is a portal to a few magic moments without worry or stress, a haven to escape to when things get a bit too much. Just looking at it seems to slow time down.

By George

This sign advertises the Gallery Restaurant at the George Inn, Southwark. The George is owned by the National Trust and is London’s last remaining galleried inn. It’s 17th century, creaky, sloping and atmospheric. You can nip to the loo on the upper gallery and get a great view of the Shard at the same time. The food is wonderful and the staff even better. The pub’s panelled walls played host to Dickens, of course - I’d be disappointed if he’d missed out the George as he seems to have had a drink in pretty well every other pub in London, apparently. Worth a visit. 

Kitchen comforts

I spotted this little badge of quality on a kitchen cabinet in Dunham Massey, an 18^th century National Trust house in Altrincham, Cheshire. In the 1850s, Jeakes was an innovative company, supplying country houses around England with fitted kitchens, larders, meat closets and ranges. After the founder’s death in 1874, the company became Clements Jeakes, and in 1906 it supplied Dunham Massey’s new kitchen equipment. Dunham Massey is worth a visit for its kitchen alone.

Ring of despair

This sign is on the upper floor of the Southwell Workhouse in Nottinghamshire. The building is run by the National Trust, and is the most complete workhouse in the country.

Most of the building has been restored to how it would have looked to its inmates when it opened in 1824, but the upper floor has been left as it was found when the Trust took over in the late 1990s. The dismal sign caught my eye – there is something of a cry for help in it. It seems to scream despair, even though it probably dates from more recent times when the room was used as offices rather than a dormitory for paupers. 

The workhouse later became an infirmary and a home for the elderly. The building was in use until the 1980s, as a hostel for the homeless and a home for single mothers.

Go if you can - it's worth a visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/workhouse-southwell/