Gold Cup mystery

This wonderful ghost sign for Gold Cup Cream ices (is that what it says?) is in the Canute Road area of Southampton, UK. I can’t seem to find out anything about this wholesale depot – do you know anything?

It's a Shaw thing

I like this stylish road sign in Heaton Moor, Stockport.

Shaw Road is the place to go for food. I recommend the Heatons Tandoori for wonderful curry, Kro Bar for good food and a relaxed atmosphere, and Marmaris for friendly service and great Turkish food. Pokusevskis’ delicatessen is worth a visit for the goats cheese alone.

It’s also the site of the Heaton Moor market (the next one is on 4^th May) – crammed full of pretty and tasty things you don’t need but really, really want. 

The Fall

I don't condone all graffiti, but this arty tribute to Manchester band The Fall did make me smile.

Sign of the signs?

Pleasing sign about a sign on the Palace Hotel in Manchester. To older Mancunians, this fantastic Victorian Gothic construction will always be known as the Refuge Building, home of the Refuge Assurance Company. Built in 1895 and extended 10 years later, it is Grade II listed and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse (who also designed Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London). The Refuge Assurance Company took flight in 1989 for more modern premises, and the building became a hotel in 1994.

Dressed to drill

I spotted this sign on a sunny spring day in Cheadle, Stockport. Somehow, dreary drill halls have always loitered unnoticed in the background. This sign, with its rusty streaks and black and white functionalism, prompted me to find out more. And, wonderfully, there is someone who cares. The Drill Halls Project at http://www.drillhalls.org/ is recording these fading little bits of our community history before they disappear.

Drill halls have been with us since the 1860s, often built by volunteers and funded by public subscription or benefactors. Although intended for military training, drill halls have been the backdrop of many a community gathering, from fetes and dancing to weight-loss clubs and birthday parties.  

These days, old drill halls are at risk of being demolished to make way for development. Happily, the Cheadle drill hall, built in 1904, is now the Village Hall.