Hednesford Honi Soit

Hednesford has a reputation as a no-nonsense mining town (well, ex-mining town, I should say), so to see a rather aesthetic tiled work above the shop-fronts in the town centre was a bit of a surprise. 
In the diamond it reads 'Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense' a motto which appears on the royal coat of arms.

It seems oddly out of place; I'd love to know the history of it.

Past in the present

Lambert Street in Tunstall is another of those terraced streets in the former industrial quarters of Stoke-on-Trent which has probably not changed much in appearance for a hundred years.

Yes, the 'backs' has had a fresh layer of tarmac (over cobbles probably) and a modern street-light has been installed, but the brick-walls would be as familiar to the families who lived there in 1900 as they are to those who live there now.

Unused grit

Poor old Staffs County Council...  After the winter last year, when we were under snow and ice for virtually two months, it laid in loads of grit, and ordered extra grit bins for side-roads, all ready for this winter.
And what did we get this winter?  Rain, rain, rain - and hardly a flake of snow! 
Who'd be a planner?

This grit-bin is at Draycott-in-the-Clay, and has the usual Stafford Knot, symbol of the county.

Warm games in the winter damp

At last, the constant rain is starting to ease off - though it comes back in dribs and drabs.

This photo shows what is, to me, a definitive photo of urban England in winter.    In a warm cafe, safe from the cold and damp outside, a mother and child play by drawing shapes in the condensation on the window.

Albert's house

Whoever Albert is, I admire him. He clearly has decided that his name is all the explanation that is needed here.

I can't help wondering though if this house - in Oakhill - is a business or a private home.

Inspired (not) street name

This road-name sign makes me laugh…

You can just see the city-planners - seated round a table at the end of a long day where they have been having a meeting about what to name the ‘new’ streets which have been created after old parts of the city have been pulled down and rebuilt.

They obviously were running out of inspiration when it came to this street in Fenton…!

Bored teenagers

Are there bored teenagers all over the world?

This pair were unimpressed by all the activity around them at this village festival. Out of picture is a rock band trying very hard to put on a show for everyone.  These two were definitely not interested...

Rats in the rubbish

Refuse is strewn over this alleyway. I thought it must be because a restaurant is here; but it's not, this is a residential area.
It also appears that birds (probably crows), or perhaps even rats, have broken into the bags; and then some human vandal has probably added to the upset.

I think I know why it's happened.   The refuse collectors refuse to pick up this mess, because the bags are broken; and the householders refuse to re-bag the rubbish (because THEY think the refuse collectors should just shovel it up). 

So - there is a stand-off.     Very depressing.

Advertising sign looks back to Spratts

These old tin advertisement-signs are disappearing now; and you’re more likely to see one in a curio shop than you are up on a wall anymore. So this one is pretty rare!

At one time, Spratts was THE big name in animal food. They were the original makers of ‘Bonio’, an odd, bone-shaped, amazingly popular biscuit for dogs.

Curiously, this sign remains only where it is because it is aligned to a pet-shop - that is still trading from this same spot in the West End of Stoke after all these many years.