More ghost signs and an attempted rocket

Also: Farkas.

I had to stick the laptop on to charge the DAP, because it said "Please charge, battery low" - a clear sign that it is indeed a Japanese mp3 player (well, that and the fact that the previous owner left their language learning materials on there; one day I left it on shuffle and got ambushed by a flurry of Japanese, followed by a load of commerce terminology in English, set to some kind of swing beat - it was a bit surreal out of the blue.) If it was an English one, it'd be something like "Oi cunt, battery's on its arse, get it charged."

Anyway. While the laptop's on, it's time to catch up with some more photos, and today we have more ghost signs, from about halfway through June.

 The first of the ghost signs, previously the Monocle Cafe. The sign just about legible underneath states Kenning Car Hire in a delicious mid-century font. Some quick scouting about didn't turn anything about this specific shop, but my search did bring up George Kenning, who was an entrepreneur with his fingers in lots of motoring-related pies. Most relevant to this ghost sign, as of the 1950s, he had numerous car dealerships in Derbyshire, one of the neighbouring counties to Cheshire, so it's reasonably likely that this is the Kenning in question. 

A bit further down the road, there was this appealing tape player/radio, complete with a little screen, which I'm curious to know what purpose it would've served. Alas, I couldn't investigate further because it was going for about £70, and that is too steep for a curiosity which would most likely need work doing on it.

Back to ghost signs and we're dual-wielding now; the Castle one has been there for a while and the Arvika one is more recent. I didn't even notice the premises were empty until a sign in the doorway caught my eye, stating that the business had wrapped up. If they're looking for someone to occupy the unit, I'd gladly step up. Working in a little studio above a blind shop in the centre of town? That'd be ideal! 

A look at the surrounding area, putting the ghost signs in context.

 A bench across the road, where I sat to soak up the atmosphere for a bit (it was early in the morning, nice and quiet.)

 Part of the poem along the street. A nice idea, but the poem in question is, frankly, mawkish. I'm all for making the town centre more appealing, absolutely on board with that, but I cannot abide beige poetry. This is an important matter.

Through the town square to Chestergate, we have another sign; this one has been covered up for years by a David Lewis sign. The brushy text is quite appealing and the logo is weirdly nostalgic nowadays. As for C.O.S. Recruitment, I chivvied them up a few times after leaving college, circa 2009, trying to find work, and they were about as much use as a bloody chocolate fireguard.

Onto this interesting building that I tried to find information about but no such luck; this is another one near to Sovereign House. There's plentiful information about the business that's currently in there, but nothing I could find about the building itself. This hook/pulley effort looks like something out of The Evil Within, though.

 Another perspective on the pulley and a door with bars in front of it; like a lot of buildings around here, it hints at an industrial past but what industry exactly, I've yet to find out.

 We also have the remains of the old Abbey National signage; this design puts it between 1973 and 2002. I distinctly remember seeing this one in full colour, complete with the people under the brolly, back in the '90s. I also remember being very bored, sitting for extended lengths of time in this place.

Onto a recently vacated garage, with a weathered old sign on the door, and stickers, beckoning closer inspection...

 Part of this attitudey Manx cat has been lost to time; trying to find a possible image of similar stickers online turned up nowt, but we don't come away completely empty-handed, as the delicious pun, "Loitering within tent" is intact. Sublime.

 There's also this old, faded sticker with various credit card logos.

 Now, the highlight of this walk, someone get NASA on the blower, it's the scourge of the skies, the flower of modern engineering: The Spirit of San Pellegrino!

 

(And on that note, it's time to wrap up this post because A: time to start tea and B: Blogger's post editor is being an arse again.)