The Victoria Wine Company, Harlesden

Last January I posted the picture of a ghost sign from South Norwood advertising the Victoria Wine Company. With more than 170 branches, I was bound to come across another sign for this wine merchant at I some point. What I didn't necessarily expect was to find one with a slightly different design.
Unfortunately the lower part was almost completely erased when the council (or the building's owner) removed a tag. Still, with some work in Photoshop it is possible to reconstitute what was written.

The
Victoria Wine
Co Ltd
London's
Wine Merchants
Since 1865
Over 170
Branches
Location: High Stret Harlesden / Picture taken on: 17/08/2009

Claude Bastable, Harlesden

Ah zut! Just when I thought the phone number of Steeles was strange (last lines of the post), here another weird one. Or is it me not being able to read properly what's on the wall?

Claude Bastable
Builder Will 81082
Location: Tubbs Road / Picture taken on: 17/08/2009

Laundry, Harlesden

Last week it was announced that the budget for 2010 of the Venezuelan executive had been increased by a staggering 638.6% to reach one billion euros!!! The wage of Hugo Chávez didn't increase much (contrary to Sarkozy's: the French president granted himself a 140% wage increase following his election) and part of the money is redistributed through eight social programmes supported by the presidency. Still, that is quite a rise, and some expenses are simply outrageous. Chávez even declared he was ashamed by some of them but argued they were necessary if he were to fulfil his representation duties: 240,000 euros in clothes and shoes, and 61,000 in laundry... If part of that money had crossed the Atlantic and reached London, maybe the laundry below could have afforded a new coat of paint...


Location: High Street / Picture taken on: 17/08/2009

The Willesden Junction Hotel, Harlesden

Two weeks ago for the first time, if you except the two occasions when I passed through the station (and it didn't look like the kind of place you would like to get off, especially at dark), I went to Willesden Junction. Shortly before reaching my destination the bus had to zigzag between police vans as twenty or so officers were dealing with two separate incidents. Welcome to Harlesden! But then, the Willesden Junction Hotel appeared. This Victorian pub and hotel has it all: a painted name and sign, a doorstep mosaic, and certainly pretty noisy rooms! Between the patrons of the pub and the railway, this is one for heavy sleepers only. Indeed the Willesden Junction Hotel is situated opposite several railway and tube tracks, and not far from a large marshalling yard and train maintenance depots, where in steam days locomotives would have been puffing and whistling almost continuously throughout the day and night.

If those who painted the name made quite a good job -the typeface is quite attractive- this is not necessarily the case with the Taylor Walker logo. A bit clumsy...

For two seconds I wondered whether I should include signs painted on wood in this blog. But why not? After all I am already thinking of posting some electric signs later on in November. Additionally, even though it is not necessarily that old, it has faded nicely.

The
Willesden Junction
Hotel
Home of the Dome
Dunning's Bar
En-Suite Bathrooms
Big Screen
Setanta [the logo next to it could be Sky Sport's]
Sports
Darts Pool
Hot & Cold Food Served
Function Room
O...
Finally, hidden underneath a doormat, was this rather nice mosaic. The background and floral elements are simple enough to make the name, with its more delicate typeface, stand out.

Location: Station Road / All pictures taken on: 17/08/2009