Sunday, September 16, 2012

Bath, Somerset


Bird spotting

A while back I posted some decorative tile panels advertising post cards and road maps, from the front of a branch of W H Smith in Malvern. Here is one still more colourful panel, this time from a former W H Smith shop, spotted by me in Bath today. As with the Malvern panels, the tiles were made by Carter and Company and the letters were designed by Eric Gill. No doubt there were originally more panels on the Bath store, perhaps illustrating different kinds of books. Now only 'Nature books' survives on the shop facade, which now fronts a branch of Patisserie Valerie. As a reminder of the shop's previous role, this toucan, leaning down from its branch, fits the bill.
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8 comments:

  1. HelsSeptember 17, 2012 at 1:14 AM

    I love the look. Do you have any idea when it might have been designed?

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  2. Philip WilkinsonSeptember 17, 2012 at 8:55 AM

    W H Smith built a number of highly decorative shop fronts, mostly using oak window frames and sometimes with tiled panels, in the 1920s and early 1930s. I'm not sure of the exact dates. Eric Gill's involvement with the lettering was much earlier – he designed the lettering for general use by Smith's at the beginning of his career in 1903.

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  3. wormSeptember 17, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    what a shame the toucan has fallen out of favour amongst marketeers, it certainly seemed to be the 'bird du jour' in the 1930's

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  4. Philip WilkinsonSeptember 17, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    Worm: The Guinness toucan, introduced in the 1930s, lasted until the early 1980s, a long and remarkable innings.

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  5. bazzaSeptember 18, 2012 at 6:39 AM

    By coincidence I passed through Bath on a train on Sunday. It isone of the best cities to see from a train (along with Durham and Newcastle).
    I love those kind of tile designs and I also love Patisserie Valerie!
    Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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  6. Philip WilkinsonSeptember 18, 2012 at 10:11 AM

    Bazza: Yes, Bath does look good from the train. Curiously it was on Sunday that I was there, looking at these tiles and other curious details of Bath buildings.

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  7. Peter AshleySeptember 18, 2012 at 4:35 PM

    Just so mouthwatering. It looks like a beautiful book jacket itself.

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  8. Philip WilkinsonSeptember 18, 2012 at 4:47 PM

    Peter: Ain't it good? Just these simple blocks of colour, but so carefully chosen and placed. (A challenge, I might say, to those who occasionally load their brush with gouache.)

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