Seize the day

Very appealing arty sign in Liverpool's fantastic Rococo coffee house, tucked away in Lord Street. A quote from Horace, urging us to seize the day - or, in this case, rather fab food, cake and coffee.

Fancy some rotgut?

Thought not. 

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. 

Soap Street sign

Fine ghost sign in Soap Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. If you're in the area, I recommend breakfast at Trof.

Steam bakery

The perils of being a small blogger on a busy road - this was the only angle I could get on this sign, but there's a pleasing reflection of a crane as a bonus. This is, as the sign says, the Queensland Steam Bakery in St Mary's, Southampton. It's been trading for 120 years and the company is still going - now called Marybake.

Oh for the South Seas

This is one of my favourite plates. I love it for the sign alone. It’s gloriously joyful and brings a little bit of sunshine into the 1950s.

James Meakin set up his Staffordshire pottery in 1845 and his sons, J&G (James and George) took over in 1851. By the 1950s, it was producing new American-inspired shapes, and this Studio Ware style was in production from 1957-69. 

For once, my shaky hand isn’t to blame for the blurry photo – the mark is actually like that on the plate. The colour is hard to reproduce -  it’s really a sharp, fresh, bright lime green, which means not all food looks appetising on it. But it’s more fun to turn it upside down and enjoy its palm tree mark. 

Plough on

This handsome stained glass window advertises the Plough on Heaton Moor Road in Stockport. Heaton Moor is now a thriving suburb, but it was largely farmland until the mid -19^th century. The railway station, just up the road from the Plough, was built in 1852, and shops and houses developed along the road to service the needs of the new commuters. The Plough was built in the 1880s, and reminds us of the area’s rural roots: over its door is a lovely sandstone picture of a ploughing scene.