Ring in the new year!

 
Happy New Year all! 2018.

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.

In my good books

This gorgeous tiled welcome is in Duke Street, Liverpool. The sign on the handsome building tells us something of its history - it housed Liverpool's first public library. It was built around 1800 and was originally the Union Newsroom, becoming a library in 1852. It's now offices and they've kept the lovely tiles and the sign. 

For all Liverpool's Liver Birds

Some exciting new artwork has appeared this month in Liverpool's trendy Baltic Triangle: a fantastic pair of Liver Bird wings has become the favourite place for a photo.

Accompanied by the sign "For all Liverpool's Liver Birds", the mural was painted by artist Paul Curtis. But the beauty might be short lived, as the wall is due to be pulled down at any time. 

Shortly after the wings were painted, they were joined by this Banksy-style comment on art and justice. Apparently some of Banksy's works were removed controversially by a developer nearby and are in a private collection, rather than being displayed in a city street art gallery as originally proposed. 

So you'd better hurry to get your wings now, while they last.

Love this

Love this. Love Liverpool.

Do not feed the Superlambanana

I love this sign on the Superlambanana in Madison Square, Liverpool. You can find Superlambananas all over the city.

Originally a tiny four-inch model made by artist Taro Chiezo in 1998, four local artists developed a full size replica, which in turn was copied in 2008 when 125 smaller replicas were made.






They pop up all over the city, in different colours and patterns. There are three in Madison Square. A comment on genetic engineering and on Liverpool's history as a port (sheep and bananas were common cargo), above all they are fun.

Garage ghost sign

Two lovely ghost signs in Kelvin Grove, Liverpool. They're in the Welsh Streets area, the subject of controversial plans for demolition and development for over 10 years. I visited on a peaceful summer day. The rows of empty terraced houses stood proudly erect in a salute to past lives, and the signs were a gentle reminder of the everyday business once conducted there. Oh, and if you're a Peaky Blinders fan, there's a treat of a street there for you.

Train of thought

The sign of British Rail still stands proud on Liverpool's Lime Street station. The logo of the now sadly privatised railway company is looking good in the Liverpool sunshine. 

The caretaker or the bank?

On the whole, I think I'd rather see the caretaker. Great doorbells from the past, spotted in Liverpool's trendy Bold Street.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

This beautiful mosaic sign is at the entrance to Oriel Close in the lovely Oriel building in Liverpool's Water Street. The building is much-admired, designed by Peter Ellis and built in 1864. With a cast iron frame, its grid of oriel windows is its defining feature. It wasn't loved by all, however. In 1866, The Builder magazine described it as "a vast abortion" and "ludicrous", declaring that "the plainest brick warehouse in town is infinitely superior". Liverpool certainly has some handsome warehouses, but I'm glad the Oriel and this little mosaic have survived to cheer passers-by.

Ring out the old year, ring in the new!

Happy new year!

Free smells

Sign on a Liverpool restaurant. Makes me smile every time.

No parking

I find this No Parking sign in Liverpool very pleasing - there's something of the Monopoly board about it.

Intelligent graffiti

Do you think you're more intelligent than the average person?

The average person thinks they're more intelligent than average.

Sign spotted in London Road, Liverpool.

Up the library path

I love this innovative path leading to Liverpool Library, doubling as an artistic sign to advertise the tempting books it has on offer.

Ring a bell?

I love everything about this brilliantly pointless plea from the past: the sign's nearly-neat writing, the rich brick blackened with age, the arrow directing us to the ghost of the bell. It's in Henry Street, in the historically interesting Ropewalks area of Liverpool, which contains many 18th and 19th century buildings including warehouses and merchants' homes.

Permission to misbehave

Sign spotted at the Women's Organisation, Liverpool 

Bread and beer - no flies on us

I thought I’d pick a pretty picture to start the New Year. This gorgeous mosaic sign decorates the doorway of the Fly in the Loaf in Hardman Street, Liverpool. The bar takes its name from the slogan of the Kirklands bakery which once occupied this spot – they claimed there were “no flies in the loaf”. Already appointed as bakers to Queen Victoria, Kirklands opened this building in 1888. According to a Liverpool Mercury article at the time, the bakery was designed to be “a perfectly sanitary bakehouse, combining all the best health arrangements”. It continued as a bakery until the 1970s.

Ring in the new year!

It's Paramount

I was very excited to spot this Paramount Pictures sign in Fraser Street, Liverpool. Sadly dilapidated, the building is an old distribution centre for Paramount films, built in 1927.