Scattered around Whitby are tiled signs which bear stylish witness to shops now long gone but still commemorated through text and pictures. This cow and sheep, pleasingly realistic in style, make it clear that the premises were once a butcher's.
There are no prizes for guessing what this store sold. Today the former grocer's shop is an off-licence, so the tradition of supplying drink continues.
Less obvious is this fishmonger's sign, now peeping out from behind later woodwork.
As well as provisions, luxury products were advertised. In this town, it is no surprise that jet features - and today, the premises are still concerned with that wonderful black jewellery, albeit as a retail shop.
Two signs, apparently of the same vintage, suggest that the same shop had two rather different specialities. Reliable pianos and organs, for purchase, tuning or repair, seemingly rubbed shoulders with house particulars and auction lots!
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2 comments:
What a lovely selection. I've not been to Whitby for years, and had forgotten it had so many of these tiles. I suppose when the tiles were made, every middle-class home had a piano, so it was natural for a dealer in furniture also to sell pianos. (Organs, however, were another thing entirely, and nothing to do with the home at all, generally speaking.)
Whitby is a town we like a lot. We spent a week there in 2009 and visited it on another occasion.
I didn't see those particular tiles but there is a lot of good stuff there.
We stayed in an hotel overlooking the swing bridge.
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