Blustons

Blustons, 213 Kentish Town Road, Borough of Camden, London NW5, 2015 • Art deco stunner opened in 1932 and closed down after 85 years of trading in April 2015. Sadly […]

Marks and Spencer Ltd Original Penny Bazaar

Marks and Spencer Ltd Original Penny Bazaar, Units 133-138, Grainger Market, Grainger Street, Newcastle NE1, 2016 • This is actually the oldest M&S in the world, still trading from its […]

W. Martyn

W. Martyn, 135 Muswell Hill Broadway, Muswell Hill, Borough of Haringey, London N10, 2016 • Established in 1897 and still in the Martyn family, this is known as the Fortnum […]

Broadway Hair Stylist

Broadway Hair Stylist, 344 Muswell Hill Broadway, Muswell Hill, Borough of Haringey, London N10, 2016 • A proper early 1960s hair stylist’s fascia, complete with modernist mosaic – very rare these days. […]

Fenhams

Fenhams, 119 and 11c Grainger Market, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2005 • Beautiful 1960s sign for this electonics stall – not sure if it’s there any more.

Vinces Snack Bar

Vinces Snack Bar, 61 Red Lion Street, City of Westminster, London WC1, 2003 • Genuinely classic cafe, just crying out for an apostrophe. Apparently the period formica interior was ripped out […]

D&T Upholstery Repair

D&T Upholstery Repair, 436 West Green Road, Borough of Haringey, London N15, 2014 • Imaginative conversion of a run-down shop front near yesterday’s Tap & Die. According to the internet, DT […]

New Piccadilly

New Piccadilly, 8 Denman Street, City of Westminster, London W1, 2003 • This Italian institution was so famous I thought plenty of other people would record it (and I was right […]

Knight & Compy.

Knight & Compy., 47 Fisherton Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, 2007 • More art nouveau green tiles spared the chipper on this game mart-turned-charity shop, which by 2011 had become a vintage clothes store.  

S.C. Price & Sons

S.C. Price & Sons, 7 Castle Street, Ludlow, Shropshire, 2014 • A beautiful sunray door in foodie Ludlow, and so traditional they call it a “confectioner” (which used to denote […]

Beaman & Sons

Beaman & Sons, 46 High Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, 2014 • Traditional family butcher, established 1890 and looking little altered. It’s  only closed here because it was a Sunday.

Cousins Corner, Radio Rentals Ltd

Cousins Corner, Radio Rentals Ltd, Lord Street, Liverpool L1, 2003 • Cousins was a local confectioner employing nearly 3,000 people, whose founder died aged 95 in 2010. Once a Liverpool meeting […]

Rank Hovis Clarence Mill

Rank Hovis Clarence Mill, Clarence Street, Hull, 2013 • And this is the reason I went to Hull – to catch this monolith before it gets knocked down, which is due […]

Tower

Tower (Tokyo Hull), 52 Anlaby Road, Kingston upon Hull, 2013 • A rather grubby topless lady keeps vigil over this magnificent 1914 cinema designed by H Percival Binks, which has been […]

Chard & Sons (Hardware Homeware)

Chard & Sons (Hardware Homeware), 101 Gloucester Road, Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London SW7, 2005 • A ex-butcher’s (and probably something fancier before that), now London’s most beautiful hardware shop. […]

James Smith & Sons

James Smith & Sons, Hazelwood House, 53 New Oxford St, London WC1, Borough of Camden, London WC1, 2011 • A new Year’s present of London’s most famous old shop, an impossibly […]

Wakefields Jewellers

Wakefields Jewellers, 11 West Street, Horsham, West Sussex, 2003 • This art deco frontage must have been an early “update” for Wakefields, established in 1911. It’s still there – jewellers seem […]

Kents Chemists

Kents Chemists, 104 Walton Road, East Molesey, Surrey, 2002 • Hard to believe such a beautiful “chymist” exists in unassuming suburban Surrey. Both it and the building it’s in were established […]

The Prince Albert Hotel

The Prince Albert Hotel, 27-29 Rendezvous Street, Folkestone, Kent, 2011 • This beautifully tiled rendezvous has had several looks, including an incongruous 1970s one – there’s a history here.

Lloyd & Son

Lloyd & Son, 42 Amwell Street, Borough of Islington, London EC1, 2004 • High class dairy pictured open in 1978 here. From 2007-2012 it became organic grocery Unpackaged, who retained the frontage, albeit looking […]

Teignmouth Parade: Terry’s News, Lloyds TSB

Terry’s News, Lloyds TSB, 4 & 3 Teignmouth Parade, Perivale, Borough […]

Teignmouth Parade: Devine Creations, Videotalk

Devine Creations, Videotalk, 5 & 6 Teignmouth Parade, Perivale, Borough of […]

Gilham

Gilham, 4 Saint Thomas’ Square, Ryde, Isle of Wight, 2002 • Last hoorah of an imposing deco greengrocers now unrecognisable as Level Hair & Beauty.

G.S. Williams

G.S. Williams,  JT Barbers, Devon House, 19 Bath Street, Frome, Somerset, 2008 • Fabulous tiled facade in a fascinating town – a pity half the original sign is obscured.

R.E. Robertson (Bakers) Ltd.

R.E. Robertson (Bakers) Ltd., 787 Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, Borough of Waltham Forest, London E17, 2004 • Oven fresh indeed – and happily, this wonderful old shop is still there.

Quicksilver (Derby)

Quicksilver, 45-47 Green Lane, Derby, Derbyshire, 2010 • Slot-machine arcade which started life as a Primitive Methodist chapel, but now looks as if a town hall has landed on top of […]

S. Krantz & Son

S. Krantz & Son, 180 Drury Lane, Borough of Camden, Loncon WC2, 2003 • Still there, but downsized to Krantz, painted dark blue, and with the beautiful old signage – and […]

Hop Kweng

Hop Kweng, 1 Majestic Parade, Sandgate Road, Folkestone, Kent, 2008 • Superb decorative facade more redolent of a 1960s New Town such as Crawley than a genteel seaside shopping parade. I […]

F. Cooke (Broadway Market)

F. Cooke, 9 Broadway Market, Borough of Hackney, London E8, 2004 • Eel emporium estd. 1862 and still going strong despite much gentrification in its immediate area.

Bert’s

Bert’s, 354 East Street, Borough of Southwark, London SE17, 2002 • A yellow plastic sign replaced the splendour of this intricately patterned lenticular gold lettering; see close-ups for detail.

Go Gay (Fulham Rd)

Go Gay, 819 Fulham Road, Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London SW6, 2001 • Yes, Go Gay dry cleaners was a chain. This one is now called Blue Sky Cleaning.

Go Gay (Wandsworth Bridge Rd)

Go Gay, 120 Wandsworth Bridge Road, Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London SW6, 2001 • Fantastical sign for fantastical name, which lasted until 2012, amazingly.

Caffé Roma

Caffé Roma, 59 Westgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, 2008 • Amazingly, this 1960s Italianesque beauty lasted till 2008, but it’s since been replaced by a North African cafe.

Simmons Dining Rooms

Simmons Dining Rooms, 32 Caledonian Road, Borough of Islington, London N1, 2002, 2010, 2013 (top to bottom) • By 2010 there was a trendy cafe behind this facade – I preferred the saggy […]

Notarianni & Sons

Notarianni & Sons, 142 Battersea High Street, Borough of Wandsworth, London SW11, 2002 • Exceptionally fine 1950s diner-style facade later mainly concealed  beneath a maroon Indian restaurant fascia.

Mazzini Garbaldi Club

Mazzini Garbaldi Club, 51 Red Lion Street, Borough of Camden, London WC1, 2003 • Founded 1864, sold 2008, now an expanse of plate glass, with no trace of these Italian flag-coloured […]

The Johnson Engineering Co

The Johnson Engineering Co, 319 Kennington Road, Borough of Lambeth, London SE11, 2000 & 2005 (bottom) • There’s no trace of these stunning signs left – it’s now a boring […]

Adhesive Specialities Ltd

Adhesive Specialities Ltd, 59 Ladywell Road, Borough of Lewisham, London SE6, 2010 • Classic little art deco factory with a brilliant name, knocked down weeks after I happened across it, […]

C.E. Pound

C.E. Pound, 162 Trafalgar Road, Borough of Greenwich, London SE10, 2002 • This art deco-ish beauty may still lurk beneath current incumbent Mr Chung’s equally large sign.