Tiled Columns

Well that's a rubbish title for a start - not very descriptive at all. What I am really interested in are the walls between old shops that are often decorated with sometimes very ornate tile-work. Quite often these days they are painted over and hardly noticeable but on occasion they have come through unscathed and (for those covered in paint) every now and then some enterprising shopkeeper scrapes off the concealing layers to discover the wonders below. Here's a mix of gems I've come across over the last few months (including some that I've posted before - Well why not bring them all together?)
Mitcham High Street
These two examples were the only tile-work I could find in Mitcham. Although there are loads of old houses and buildings there doesn't seem to be many examples of old shop-fronts around. They are nice though and a bit of an oasis in a tile-free desert!

Kingston Road, Wimbledon SW19
Slim, neat and tidyGarret Lane, Wandsworth
I found a few nice examples of tile-work at the Tooting end of Garrett Lane. Really attractive stuff.
I wasn't sure if this one had been created recently as the duck-shooting tiles seemed a little unusual, but whether it was or wasn't it's still an important part of this tasteful shop facade.
A nice floral pattern on this one that seems to have been saved from the paint-brushVery stylish!Colliers Wood High Street
This was the one that really drew my attention to this sort of tile-work. A real beacon amongst some dowdy shop-fronts.
Upper Richmond Road, Putney SW15
Near the crossroads with Putney Bridge/Putney High Street this one is well worth two photos. The columns seem to be made of iron from the rust showing through at the bottom, and the pattern is a mosaic more than set of tiles. I couldn't tell what they were made from but it looked as though it might be coloured glass but the gold was really eye-catching. What is interesting is that this has been uncovered in the last few years and there are a whole row of these covered with paint and neglected. Well done whoever took the time to clean this one up!

Tooting Broadway
Whoa! A bit lary but compare that to the modern brick pillar next to it. Pah! No contest. Give me the tiles every time.

Lacy Road, Putney SW15
Geometric and very aesthetically pleasing. I wonder if the neighboring shops still have theirs under their facings

Wimbledon Village SW19
Wimbledon Village is quite gentrified these days so anything Victorian and tasteful tends to be tidied up nicely, like this nice example