Looking for "La Dolce Vita" in Sunny Surbiton

It could be that 'The Good Life' is one of the main reasons anyone not from the South West of London is aware of Surbiton. Like Woolfie Smith and Tooting or Hancock and East Cheam or even Monty Python and Balham, some sitcom's and their fictional settings just seem to stick in the mind. I suspected there might be a little more to Surbiton than that though. I knew the High Street was Victorian in character as I used to work for Wizard Wines who had branch in the town (now a Majestic Wine Warehouse) so I had it in my mind that it might be worth a visit if the opportunity arose...

The background - I may not have done Surbiton the justice it deserves. A Saturday or two ago AFC Wimbledon were taking on the dark powers of Welling United and for various reasons I found myself at the ground a few hours early. Not a problem, I remembered that Surbiton was only down the road from Kingston so I set off for a nice stroll in the sunshine. Unfortunately it was a little further than I thought, about a 5 mile round trip so by the time I got there I had to think about getting back again pretty quick! There was only time for a swift stroll down the High Street and down to Brighton Road before retracing my steps back to the game.

Victoria Road: This has the look of an old municipal library about it and it's easy to let the eye slide over its richly ornamented surface. It's well worth a closer look though. It's the sort of fascia we'd swoon over if it was in a French village but as it's in London I suspect we tend to devalue it.
Victoria Road: Some modern municipal art here which would have been better if I could have fitted both panels in their entirity. I didn't fancy trying to take a photo stepping off the pavement and backing into the traffic though so I opted for the more artistic 'random section of mural ' approach. Presumably it's a celebration of all things Surbiton, although most of it seems to consist of trains and trams...
Seething Wells gets a mention though. I always thought it was the name of a ranting punk dub-poet but actually seems to be a water treatment works by the Thames.
Brighton Road: Right at the end of my stroll was an intriguing remnant of a corner sign. A single letter 'D' is all that remains of ....something. A close look might reveal some clues from the shading left.
Corner of Brighton Road & Victoria Avenue: There's an interesting tower on the corner of these roads that has an elaborate piece of ironwork at its top. I've zoomed in as close as I could and it seems to have the worlds smallest weather vane on the top. I could hardly make it out with my little zoom lens so I can't imagine that it would have been of any use to the average passerby.
Victoria Road: I spotted this plate on the main road and it is obviously directions to a hydrant of some sort. These are usually water hydrants but I'm not sure what the SC refers to.Whatever it is it seems to be 3? ft away. I've also looked at the picture as closely as I can and I still can't make out what the ? is!
Brighton Road: This ghost sign is now almost illegible and on the side of a building that as you can see not at all shop-like.You can just make out the words LADIES TAILOR though...
"... And Fancy Goods" is also on the front of the same building. I can't see what's to the left of the window though.
Victoria Road: There's an attractive and large building on the junction of Brighton Road and Victoria Road. It's now divided into separate shops but it was obviously originally built as a single unit.Almost all of the columns are painted but one owner has taken the trouble to remove the paint to reveal some really intriguing and attractive green marble. As usual the original is so much more interesting than the current version that I find myself wondering how the painters felt covering it up for the first time.
Victoria Road: "Stuarts (?) Your 'Do it Yourself Flooring Centre" A great example of the need to always look over your shoulder.I hadn't seen this when going down Victoria Road but when you turn around and head for home you really can't miss it. I'm pretty sure it says 'Stuarts' and I'd assume it was originally in a lighter colour such as red which has faded over time much quicker than the black. It's also slightly strange to see 'Do it Yourself' rather than DIY. It almost comes across as a snapy retort or even an order rather than as a positive lifestyle suggestion.
Victoria Road: "Jones & Hommersham - London" Luckily I wasn't just looking up, I was also keeping my eyes on the ground (although not at the same time, obviously) My next little gem was a local coalhole with a name new to me and an attractive compass-point design. This and the Stuart ghost sign really made the trip worthwhile. (nb Some quick checks reveal that the more familiar use of company name was Homersham & Jones.That's with one 'M' in the Homersham and with Jones coming second.There are various leases etc.at the National Archive but this one seems pretty representative

Counterpart lease of numbers 28, 30, 32 Clarence Street for 25 years KX88/2/26 1897

Contents:

Elizabeth Sarah Jones of Lampeter, Mount Hermon Estate, Woking, widow, and Sophia Eleanor Homersham, wife of Alfred Wyeth Homersham of Ormsby House, Richmond Park Road, Kingston, ironmonger, to Alfred Wyeth Homersham

So can we put this one down as a mis-spelling on the part of the foundary worker?
Right next to the Jones and Hommersham coalhole was this unusual example of a grid coalhole. You might thing this looks more like a drain but it's position and size exactly mirrored the other coalhole and I've no doubt that's what it is. Very intriguing though.
Apart from a couple of bricked up doors that I'm saving for a future 'Ghost Doors' posting, that was all I had time to record. However I'm sure that such a cursory examination doesn't do Surbiton justice. Like Arnie and McArthur I'll have to promise that one day "I'll be back!"

And, just for the record, Wimbledon lost...

Modern Murals and Street Painting

Although I'm really a Ghost Signs kind of man, I can't resist taking the odd photograph of more modern examples of street art that pop up from time to time. Most are still on the advertising theme but there are the occasional community murals and even the odd work of art thrown in

Fairfield North, Kingston Upon Thames
Well the message here is pretty testosterone fuelled. Some Gothic 'Fighting Cocks' with suitable illustration topped off with the sort of lettering stencilled either on the side of WWII supply crates or on the packaging of a 1970s Action Man. A definite ghost sign of the future I reckon.
Pincott Road, Merton
You can take this one as a classic example of a civic mural. No doubt designed to impress the inhabitants of several high-rise blocks of flats that they live in the best of all possible areas, this particular tiled mural recognises Merton's contributions to the spinning and weaving industries (notably through Liberty's and the William Morris studios), the world's first publicly-funded railroad (horse drawn and not actually a passenger service), the tram system, underground railway and the film industry (Merton Park Studios was just up the road) as well as a very famous artist working on his easel (er... no, you've got me there. One of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood maybe?) all topped off with the Merton coat of arms. There's about another four of these, covering all areas of Merton's past. All very worthy but, truth be told very easy to walk by and ignore.
Borough, outside Vinopolis
This intriguing object (a power drill, soda-syphon, pasta maker, coffee-pot hybrid?) is painted on the side of the Wagamama near Borough Market. Big, bold but a bit on the fussy side for my plain and simple taste.
Hurlingham Street, Fulham
Even if they're shut there's no mistaking that this lock-up is a snow board specialist. I'm wondering if this one is just enough on the professional/gifted amateur border to have been done by a member of staff?
Soho, Central London
Pity about the deep shadow, but the sun was setting when I came across this map-mural celebrating the history and area of Soho. I've notice these sort of civic murals pop-up now and again. There's a very similar one in Sutton if I recall correctly and they're probably almost worth a section to themselves...

Battersea Rise SW19
I don't quite know why but this one cries out "'70's Community Art Project" to me. Could be the esoteric subject matter or the fact it borders a small patch of community land at a busy junction but I bet there was a grant involved somewhere! Still, better than a blank wall and nothing if not eye-catching.
Lower Marsh, Lambeth
Now this, I like. Bright, breezy and guaranteed to provide a lift even on a damp afternoon. I've no idea what the establishment is like but I'd be happy to give it a go on the basis of the artwork alone. Which is the point of doing it I suppose...

Coldharbour Place
However the Faded London award on this posting goes to this splendid rendition of 'The Great Wave Off Kanagawa' by Katsushika Hokusai but with the wave going the other way for some reason. Pretty impressive stuff and, I like to imagine, the work of a lone resident fed up with the slightly shabby surrounding streets and determined to make a bit of a splash.