A tour of all the Ghost Signs I could find in Edinburgh Scotland before some are lost forever!
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- Опубліковано 12 кві 2021
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Ghost signs transport us back to the past. But these old hand-painted works of art, still visible on some of Edinburgh's buildings, are fading fast! So now was the time to get out there and document them before some are gone forever.
Until I made this video, I had walked past so many of these without even knowing they were there, so I'm glad I've discovered a wee bit more about Lost Edinburgh through these wonderful signs. I'd love to hear if you have similar signs where you live too, and also what would you do with them? Preserve, restore or let them fade away naturally? Oh, and did I miss any in Edinburgh? (I'm sure I did!)
As well as the vlog, I've documented all of the images at the end of the video to do my little bit to preserve the history of Edinburgh.
Enjoy the video!
(If you'd like to visit a particular sign shown here and need the location, please feel free to drop me a comment and I'll let you know where it is).
Thanks and MASSIVE shout out to Edinburgh Ghost Signs Facebook page owner and contributors, your posts and photos were a great help in the research of this video. What a great community you have and super-interesting subject matter!
Credit - bottle image source: jamesdunbaredinburgh.weebly.com
music courtesy of epidemic sound.com - if you are a creator and like me have no idea where to find music for your videos, these guys are the best (in my opinion!)
song 'I will remember everything forever' by Ave Air.
#GhostSigns #Edinburgh #LostEdinburgh
Hi, I’m Steve. I am a travel reviewer and post my trip reports here on UA-cam. I pay for my own travel and produce my own videos. If you have any questions about my journeys or travel advice in general, please drop me a comment - I do my best to respond to every single one. I’d also love to hear any recommendations you may have for future content, or why not challenge me to try something a little out of the ordinary! If you are looking to collaborate on any type of project, I’d love to hear from you - email me your ideas and hopefully we can work together in the future.
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This is the sort of thing I adore - hidden in plain sight history. It just proves how much we can miss, and how much we see when we really look!
Cheers Stephanie :) me too! I need to walk slower and look up more :)
Agree.
I love ghost signs. We have a fair number of them here in Ottawa, and Montreal is full of them. To your question about how to approach them, I think I fall in the "leave them as they are" camp. Yes, of course it will be a loss as time and development claims them, but that same ephermalness (word?) is what makes them so special to me. Tempus fugit, and all that. Thanks for your hard work on this one!
Nice one Steve.. a few answers to your questions..
The Ancient Order of Foresters was a "Friendly Society" which you would join and they would give you medical insurance before the days of the NHS. There were lots of them in Edinburgh including the Gardners and the Oddfellows. Many came from the old trade guilds and were basically the predecessors to Insurance companies like the Widows.
A Harmonium is a small air powered keyboard organ based on a reed system like a Harmonica. They were very popular with missionaries!
There were actually two Dunbar lemonade companies in Edinburgh. James Dunbar in Albion Road and Dunbar & Co which had a factory at the bottom of the Pleasance where the new flats are now. They were half brothers who fell out in the 1890s and set up separate businesses. They both closed in the late 60s, early 70s. There were loads of lemonade companies in Edinburgh in the 60s.. Leitch, Globe, Swan's, Smiths of Milton Bridge etc. all gone!
Interesting story about the stoneware bottles you showed.. They were effectively banned in Scotland in 1932 after a court case when a woman claimed she found a slug in a bottle of Ginger Beer. It was one of the earliest consumer rights cases on record.. Look up Donoghue v Stevenson...!
WOw - thanks so much for the info - fascinating! I have so many google searches to do after making this video :)
Thank You for the comment and all interesting facts! Always good to learn something new! 🙂
Thanks for the tour of old signs and buildings Steve 😊
Thanks for doing this video! I'm a tour guide in Edinburgh and I always mention these "ghost signs", fascinating...
All these old buildings and their advertisements written in paint on the walls and pillars.
Remnants of times gone by and they are fast disappearing, it reminds me of when I was a young boy in the early fifties.
It is a shame all this old nostalgia will be gone within another 30 years.
So glad I found you! Scotland I find amazing and interesting. The history, architecture, and how it’s just left so genuine. Would I ever love to travel there one day and visit the isles. True dream. Thank you for taking the time to preserve history and take me along on your travels.
It’s amazing what you can find if you take the time to look, most of the time you would walk right past these places. I have been to Edinburgh on a few occasions but can’t remember seeing any of these places and my daughter and family think it’s the best city in the Uk, they love the place.
You're a bloody good photographer Steve. You really make the signs come alive.
Thanks so much! I still have a lot to learn but it’s so much fun :)
since watching this video i have spotted a few ghost signs on my route as a postie - i’m one of those people who’s always looking about, looking up - but i hadn’t noticed those until watching this! love your videos keep em coming!
Fascinating! Walked past so many of these places a hundred times and never noticed!
Ha don't worry, me too Frank! :)
Thanks Steve, you just think of the folks living there lives back in the day when those signs were freshly painted 😎
Thanks Douglas! Oh I know, it would have looked amazing!
10.05 my newsagent when I lived in the Dean Village always popped in there for bits and pieces
Amazing video. Such a great idea to record and preserve these wonderful traces of the past! Thanks so much!
Funnily enough I was doing the very same thing in Groningen in the Netherlands a few weeks back. Really is a great thing to see. Love the old names on buildings. When the world opens up its certainly a great thing to do with the wife when we get back to Edinburgh.👍🏴🇳🇱😎
So much fun eh? Cheers Michael!
@@steve-marsh it really is. You could do it almost any old city in the world I think. Looking forward to getting home sometime. Your vlogs are helping me rediscover my home town. My usual short stays are going to be way to short know!!!!!
Lots of very interesting stuff again Steve, must admit I'm a lot more at home walking along the coast or through the country lanes, walked right along pretty much all of Barassie last Saturday but it was a tad busy for my liking and Kylo was getting into mischief stealing other dogs tennis balls lol
Lovely wee chippy in Barassie so a great stopping place to top up the energy levels.
Many thanks again fella.
Haha go Kylo! Legend :) Cheers Gary, sounds awesome!
Came back and watched it again....Kinda sad and a little bit haunting. The music def. was a good accompany for the pics. Thanks again for posting.
Thanks for rewatching! Yeah, that music really suits the atmosphere those old signs evoke. Cheers!
Loved this! Edinborough and surroundings are beautiful, so rare to see more than the tourist areas, thanks for taking all those steps!
Glad you enjoyed it Cat :)
Fascinating remnants of social history. Great video
I'm amazed how clean the streets are. After watching hours of Steve run through the cities, there is literally no trash!
Lovely tour, I love ghost signs too.
Greetings, Steve. I’m playing catch up on your videos. This was a fine tour. I have a Scottish neighbor (from Scone) and let him know. He too enjoyed seeing the signs. He recalled several of them and was amazed how many that still remain. Cheers, Jim
Cheers Jim, me too - I must walk around with closed eyes 😆 thanks so much for watching my back catalogue!
Wow! What a fascinating film. I'm sure these are everywhere, but no one takes any notice. I must go out and explore my area, before many of these treasures are gone.
And I'm ashamed to say I didn't take much notice either, I've realised after this it's time to walk slower and look up more :D
Great wee pub, the halfway house, wee is the word I’d emphasise.
I used to deliver supplies to the catering trades and noticed the old signwriting on the old buildings, part for their history but also because I have an interest in the art of signwriting as I do a little at my place of work on old railway vehicles.
Personally, I’d like to see these old works of art preserved for posterity and, I’d also like to see all shop and office signage sign was written rather than as they are nowadays.
No neon signs, nor plastic and aluminium... just good old fashioned works of art.
It’s a skill that needs to be brought back... if you want to see modern-day signwriting on old buildings, then take a trip to Falkirk where some of the shops etc have been overhauled and have been sign-written.
Stumbled upon this video... really interesting. 👍🏴
PS it was interesting to see Edinburgh so empty, and it's the same in Glasgow too... Went in to do some street photography.
That's something I've not noticed in Glasgow, although I haven't been looking, is sign written signage... Must keep a lookout when I'm back in. Plenty of murals though...
You should produce a wee book on these signs in Edinburgh... Food for thought.
That's a great idea, thank you! And I'll be sure to have a look at the ones in Falkirk next time I'm through that way, cheers, I've got the bug for it now! You must have a steady hand, it certainly would seem like a rare talent to have these days, I know I wouldn't be much good at it, but really great to see and thanks for your comment, I couldn't agree more.
I love the history around the signs ! I say preserve it !
Thanks for coming on the wee tour Irene!
So beautiful, can't wait to be back ❤️🏴
I hope you get back soon :)
Love the video, these signs should all be preserved and with modern clear paints it should not be to hard to do, and a Harmonium is a small organ operated by two pedals that where pumped to produce an air flow that via keys was passed over reeds to produce a sound.
Thanks Simon! Totally agree re solution for preserving them :)
Barry gadgy!!!!!
Love ghost signs.......saw a couple o’ mine a few years back.....used to be a signwriter mate !......also love finding old graff & tags that have been hidden for years
Cheers mate! You must have a steady hand, what a great job!
Ahoy Steve! This is a great idea! I enjoyed watching these good old memos! Your city is a lovely place. Thank you so much for this nostalgic morning session. Hats off. Have a great day! Capt.
Thanks so much! I’m a sucker for a bit of nostalgia 🤣
@@steve-marsh Gonna hunt ours soon, in your honor! .)
Absolutely Brilliant Steve.👍👍
Excellent , new to your blogs Steve. personally i think they should all be kept
Cheers Kenneth! Welcome aboard! And I'd totally agree :)
another great video Steve. Sitting here In Dorking, Surrey, I well remember many of the signs. I actually recall when they were the originals. A couple of points of interest: At the old Easter Road ground, the scoreboard terracing was known as “the Dunbar Road end”, where the lemonade factory was situated.
In Leith, the Victoria Baths were known as the Vicky baths where I learned to swim as a laddie. The old fire station opposite became the first depot of Silver Fox coaches In the early 70s. My mother Nan Crean had a wee sweetie shop just opposite in Great Junction Street.
What great info, and a few memories for you tucked in there as well! Thanks so much for that Mike, have a great weekend :)
Thank you Steve not seen you for ages well done it was great to see these signs
Hey Morag! :) Thanks so much!
Very interesting vid Steve. I'll keep my eyes peeled for some of those signs when we're up your neck of the woods in a few months time. BTW, re. the 'Harmonium' sign, it's a vegan restaurant in the city. To be honest, we preferred their food at their old location in Leith. We didn't think it was as good at their new home. Maybe we just caught them on an off night.
Cheers Davey! And for the info too! Have a great weekend :)
Great video dude! I live in Glasgow but i love Edinburgh! As soon as I can get back im going to go find these!
Cheers! And I can't wait to get back to Glasgow and do something similar on all the awesome street art there!
Love this 👌
I lived in Edinburgh in 2002 for a few years and this brings back some great memories, i found alot of these signs too.
Cheers Dan, glad to bring back some memories and great to hear from another ghost sign hunter! :)
Good video, love looking at old buildings, they tell us so much,
So glad to see my favorite Fleshmarket Close! I wish someone would do a walking tour of the closes of Edinburgh....hint hint!
Haha that’s a great idea! On the list :)
What a very interesting video. The next time I go into Exeter city center, I shall have a look around and see if I can spot any ghost signs. I shall have to drag myself off the moors and mingle with people, something that I have not done for a long time, social distancing is something I am getting quite used too, although with England coming out of lockdown, I noticed the roads around Devon quite busy. Thank you for a fascinating video.
Good idea Sandra :) but be ready for people to become very annoying again very quickly :D good luck!
Thanks for another great tour Steve....what a wonderful piece of history....nice to see all the old signs & think about what shops were there & what they were like. I hope they can be preserved to some extent....we can't eliminate all the past for sure!
Totally agree Bob, but I guess it will fall to volunteer historians rather than local council to ensure they survive. Hope you’re doing well :)
It's always a good day when a notification of a new video of yours pops up! This one is another great idea taken to fruition. And thank you for the short glimpse of "Bobby". And good on the city for allowing these signs to remain as they are. To me, the best part of your presentations is listening to your accent! Is a Scotsman born knowing how to roll his "R"s? I can't do it to save my life. I have noticed that some Rs are rolled, and some are not. What makes the difference? I realize this is a little off-topic, but I could listen to you speak all day!
Thanks so much Cindy! Oh, I wish I had control over my voice, it's all very subconscious and I'm aware for sure sometimes I speak too fast or break into a bit of accent without even realising :D it's only when I edit I notice it, so weird ! :D
One of the best vlogs you've done Steve , you could sense the history behind the signs , different age when people actually made things .
Thanks so much Jon! Aye exactly, there was a lot more pride in work back then :)
Really interesting, Steve, and I hope you do a sequel. It might be possible to cover these signs with a clear, weatherproof fixative to prevent or slow further deterioration. (Lots of volunteer hours for that project!) But as you mentioned, some will fall victim to the wrecker's ball. If Edinburgh has a historical society or architectural preservation group, they might like to have a copy of your video--or at least be made aware of it. That would be a record of the ones that fade away or are destroyed.
That’s a great idea Susan, I’ll have a wee look around this morning and see if I can share! Have a great weekend :)
If you carry on down St Bernards Row past the Stockbridge Tap, there's a row of flats just over the bridge with a load of ghost signs, showing where a few different shops were. Check it out next time you're down
Oh I was soooo close! Definitely feels like there will be a part two for this one :)
Great video! Now your've got me wanting to photograph the old signs in my city!
Oh no, it’s catching 🤣
Fantastic video. We LOVE ghost signs! What a great idea for a video. Now you got me thinking - can I find more of these here in Suffolk?! 👍
So glad you enjoyed it and have a similar interest in discovering more :)
Loved this blog - it was like I was walking around Edinburgh with you and not stuck at home due to our lockdown. Living vicariously through you! :-)
Thanks so much for coming along :)
What a novel and refreshing idea Steve. I think they should be preserved for future generations...glad to see hibernian fc home..ggtthb..
Cheers Frankie! I’ve made it to Easter Road at last :)
So cool! We have those here as well and it would be cool if they could preserve and even rejuvenate them!
Totally agree Maggie! I’ll be looking out for old signs everywhere I go now 🤣
Thank you for this video, glad to see my favorite close at Fleshmarket. Some vlogger should do a Close tour, hint hint.. Can’t wait for future videos, but these Edinburgh videos have been wonderful.
Haha on the list Kirsten ;)
Love your vlogs man......thanks for posting. Hope you are staying healthy.
Cheers mate! :)
Inspiring stuff Steve hope they stick around, I noticed one above a bookshop in Canonmills the other day
Cheers David - I feel there could easily be a part two for this one :)
cracking video steve me and kean just watched it and he said to me "if there ghost signs does that mean they all come out at night" bless him the age of innocence 😂😂he also spotted several streets we have walked down on our last visit to Edinburgh thanks for the video always makes kean smile when he sees the places we have been on your videos were looking forward to our trip to North Berwick in August and we will be sure to have a wander around and find greyfriars Bobby as keans wants to see the dog keep up the good work from joff and kean
Thanks so much guys! Kean, you'll love the wee statue of Bobby, what an awesome dog! Don't worry, only the signs are the only ghosts in Edinburgh :)
Hi Steve. Really enjoyed the ghost signs. Keep up the good work. Best wishes
All the best to you Derek!
Another good video and to finish with the images was great. I have seen a few on my trips around the city and the Polarices Garage is one I remember well as I had a few pints the the Tap House just beside it as for the one at the Artisan Coffee shop ( is that the one across from the meadows) I haven’t noticed it
Cheers mate! From memory, the Artisan one was on the left hand side going down Leith Walk.
Just found THANK YOU..here in Adelaide we have a History Trust - History Month.. this is a great tour idea ( will pass it on- hope it's not copyright😁). I often see ghost signs and wonder their history. recently I went into a pop up book shop in an old building the ornate cornices and ceiling were stunning sadly gone now..I should in hindsight have notified H.T. to document them. And finally it's a long time since I visited one of my tick off must see was Greyfriars Bobby and the Kirkyard ...thanks for the memory Jan
SO glad to share with you Jan! All the best to you :)
Exceptional VLOG! Keep up the good work! Glad you all will be able to travel around more extensively...
Thanks so much Bill! :)
I love the Architecture too.
Oh it's lovely eh? We don't make ANYthing like we used to!
This is a wonderful video. Thank you for opening our eyes to these old ghost signs. We mostly rush through the cities and overlook them. They tell us a story about the houses where we can find them. We just have to take our time and listen to them. These ghost signs are a charming part of the city and should stay as long as the buildings exist. It would be a loss to remove them. Much of the cities today are new and sterile. They are functional and practical, but they have no charm. Maybe we have forgotten to value the old things. Thank you Steve, your videos are always surprising and very entertaining.
Thanks so much and totally agree with everything you say! And you put it much better than I could ever do :) have a great weekend!
There was a lot of hopes, dreams and pride in the businesses behind those signs. It’s sobering to think about how they must have believed they would be around forever and how fortunes change so quickly where all you have left are half faded facades. Great video.
Thanks so much! And you are so right, this is a perfect illustration of how things change!
That was stunning, Mate! As you ask, I have to say I can't quite decide what I would vote for, restoring preserving or letting them fade. Maybe restore some? Maybe make it a local tradition to mark your contemporary shops like that? Can you imagine the Embra flavour of an Apple store facade then? ^^)
I absolutely loved that sweetly melancholic and dreamy music that accomplished the shots in the end. Goood choice! ^^)
Cheers mate! Great to hear you enjoyed it :) I'd have to agree with you that restoring some would be a good balance.
I love seeing these signs
They are special for sure, but one day will be gone forever!
Hi Steve, just found this site recently and enjoying Scotland vicariously through your excellent videos. Edinburgh has some incredible architecture, and there must have been so many signs and murals from the past which have been simply painted over, which is a great shame. I am a transplant from the UK living in the USA, and I have noticed that since the 1980's, there has been a considerable amount of restoration of old brick warehouses, offices and factories close to the downtown areas of cities. Typically converted into apartments and lofts, often with original signs restored. Similarly, many grain silos, barns and water towers are also getting the same treatment throughout the country. I would love to see this happen in some organized fashion in the UK too. Stay safe. Cheers, Ian
Would be wonderful to see Ian! But I fear the councils here would always jus go for the cheap quick option. Thanks so much for supporting the channel in wonderful USA! All the best!
The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. ...This from Wikipedia. Love
all your videos!!!
Thanks for doing the research for me Jeff! Have a great weekend :)
Love this video Steve, I do a similar thing whilst walking round my home town( Gloucester). Have never photographed them but will definitely consider doing so. I think the last one may have been Telegraph Office, which quite often were outside Post Office buildings. Maybe you could trace the history of that shop to see what has been there before.As always ,stay safe Steve hope to catch up with you one day.
Cheers Bob, that would be great! And I have limitless google research to do now and try find out more :)
Did you miss the other one (Coal Merchant) in West Preston Street discovered during repainting a few years back. Yes they did have a stonework cleaning plan back in the early 1990's but we said no because it would damage the stone - then the council ran out of money for it. In my opinion more are being found than lost. But yes they do go if the whole building is demolished.
My favourite vid so far.
Old Edinburgh history is as we know, quite well documented but modern history, as simplistic as traditional sign writing is not.
Great vid.
Next time, I recommend getting a ‘grunter’ at ‘oink’ (get some crackling of course) near the Grass Market and show folk the smallest bar going 👍🏼
Cheers Danny! Ohhh what a great idea, love that place but not been for ages, need to put that right!
Very interesting Video Steve..... At the very least they should be preserved whenever possible.... It is a big problem with lots of old things, Keep original or restore? I love Classic cars... Some say keep original, I want to see them looking beautiful and as New so you can drive them as they were designed to be driven... A guy bought a Lambo Miura for 1.25 Mill... Restorers took it apart to check and found the Chassis was totally rotten, a real death trap... So in this case it saved his life by restoring.... Some might not have done it.... Stay safe and Keep posting..... :-))))) xx
Yeah that’s a very good point you make! Oh I’d love an old classic car, but unfortunately I’d need to buy the finished restoration, I wouldn’t trust myself to do the work :) have a great weekend :)
@@steve-marsh Thanks Steve.... Talking about signs...... What do you think about the "Jenners" signs going missing??
That was GR8! I'm an avid Ghost Sign Watcher & contribute to Edinburgh Ghost Sign FB page, can't believe I've missed the "telegraph" sign! One of the cool things about a city as old as 'Auld Reekie' is that there still remains surprises to uncover.
So true! And what a great Facebook page, I’m sure you’ve personally helped me on the quest :) have a great weekend :)
We loved watching this and learning about all the old businesses. It's like the signs are winking at us, enticing us to discover their history. So enjoy your videos and can't wait for your travels farther out of Edinburgh. We shall have to travel vicariously through your adventures I guess for a while. Can't wait to get back!
Thanks Janice! Well put :) can’t wait to get out the city, even if just for short weekend hops :)
I like the history of the ghost signs
The building at India Buildings, Victoria St was where we registered my daughters birth 23 years ago, born in Simpson's Maternity Hospital, now also long gone.
The Ancient Order of Forrester's was conceived in 1834 in England with branches all over the UK to help their fellow man through the forests of life with financial products and support, it still exists today !
Keep on stepping Steve 👍
That’s so cool to hear Richard! 23 years seems such a short time for it to be gone! Thanks for the info and have a great weekend!
Just amazing to see the streets so quiet. I live in Glasgow and have had a few overnight stays on Edinburgh over the last year (when lockdown permitted of course) this a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to afford and justify an overnight stay, and to enjoy the solitude of the empty street. I've done most of the Edinburgh walks you've featured on the channel, only crammond island left on the bucket list.
Ohhh Cramond is a goodun, especially in sunny weather! I need to get over to Glasgow and do some videos there! :)
Another great video Steve!!
Cheers Arron, Hope you're doing well!
Loving these little tours through Edinburgh
Thanks very much :)
Nice ,also, to see occasional shots of the Forth and Clyde Canal. I wonder if the old signs have some sort of protection or if unimproved as a result of civic interest and peer pressure. Tiree: see Wikipedia for info on the RAF operations there and the loss of 12 aircraft..
Oh - thanks very much for the info Tom, I'll read up on it. Cheers!
WOW - absolutely superb Steve. You're a natural at this. Thanks again. Looking forward to the trips north vlogs.
Cheers Julian! Can’t wait to break out of the city and head for the hills :) shame the trips will be short weekend ones for now though
Wonderful thinking outside the box there. Thank you, enjoyed a lot. As an aside can recall Fleshmarket Close and an 'underground' tour that looked at life as the layers of Edinburgh were laid over the top.
There’s so much interesting history in the old town, a city literally built on top of another, would love to learn some more about it!
Great stuff Steve, thanks.
And thanks to you Marc! :)
The pedestrian underpass at 02:08 looks like a scene from the film 'A Clockwork Orange'.
Haha it so does!!!!!
Once again another great video, cheers. Love trying to spot all the ghost signs when we're in Edinburgh.
Thanks very much Ian! Yeah, 70% of them I had no idea about before! :)
What an interesting tour Steve, and amazing architecture, there were some very skilled people around way back, almost every building would have had their specialised trade hand painted, I think it would be a shame to let them just fade away, but it would be a mammoth task to restore them apart from the expense, unless maybe a project for volunteers who wish to contribute something back to their wonderful City, I also loved the glimpse of the modern day art, that beautiful Scottish Thistle! thank you 😊 for another amazing 😻 tour Steve and well done on 30 thousand steps did you say? 👌
Thanks Bernice! Yes, it would take a LOT of work and sure it would fall to volunteers, so it might never happen and I guess I have to accept change is inevitable! Yes, trying to do 15,000 steps a day on average, so this was a big day :)
That was another wonderful tour of discovery with Steve. I was surprised that so many Ghost Signs can still be found on the houses. I find it very charming. It tells about the houses and their previous use, which one normally just hurries past without noticing. I will keep my eyes open to see if I can find something in our cities. But I guess it will be very rare.
Yes , I found it very interesting, I was amazed at the amount Steve found, I would have liked to see the Scottish Thistle in more detail, I love any form of art, I painted from the age of seven at school, until about ten years ago, a lovely way to relax, I am still not sure where you actually live. G.G. the different time zones take a bit of sorting, you seem to be close in time to me by the times you contact me! anyway if you go on anymore of Steve’s tours give me a buzz. take care until next time😊🤗👋
@@bernicebest Bernice we have something in common again. I am also a painter. I use watercolors or charcoal but mostly I paint acrylics. It's a wonderful way to switch off and I really enjoy it. I'm from Germany, from Bavaria to be precise, which is the best part of Germany in my opinion. I live in the countryside. It is very beautiful with mountains, a lot of forest and valleys. In the last few years we have visited the UK, Ireland and the Isle of Man several times. I happened to be at a small music festival near Galway and met very nice locals. I taught them the dance "Galway Girl", you know my line dancing. We danced a lot together and spent also the next days together . As we said goodbye they told me I was a Galway Girl. I know it doesn't matter, but I like it. That's where my nick name comes from.....
What a wonderful story G.G. Your home sounds like something out of a fairy tale, but I guessed you must have had some connection to Ireland with your adopted name! and you also paint, I switched from painting on canvas about forty years ago to ‘China Painting’ had to give it up when we moved to our present home, more suitable for Alan’s advancing Parkinson’s, but no room for a studio to house my kiln, Alan had the decease for 25yrs. he changed beyond recognition by the end but never complained once bless him, we do seem to have had a lot in common other than that, the same with my Florida friend Tari that I met through ‘Outlander’ I must close now or else Steve will be charging me for invading his space! 🤭🤗👋
Love this one, Steve, my Mum helped me to learn to read before I started school, and I surprised her on a car journey as we drove around the South Circular in London when I started reading those old shop signs out loud! I started work in a graphic arts studio, and became very interested in type design, so these old examples of the sign-writers' art, using the type styles that were in vogue at the time they were drawn up are fascinating examples of "ephemeral art".
Did you notice that the gunshot from the castle walls for the salute to the D of E blew a perfect smoke-ring out over the city!
A "harmonium" is a small musical organ that usually uses a foot pump to blow air across the reeds. They became popular for the accompaniment of services in "Nonconformist" chapels in place of the organ in a "high church". Perhaps in the context of this café, it just means a harmonious or pleasant place for a coffee or tea - unless they provide musical entertainment...
I've really enjoyed these videos exploring less well-known and fascinating parts of Edinburgh and its environs with you. Thanks, Steve.
Thanks so much Hugh! Oh, I remember having a real interest in graphic art when at school, but this was just on the cusp of everything shifting over to computer design and I lost interest. Hey, yes, I didn't see the smoke ring until editing and was very glad it was there, looked cool! Thanks for the harmonium info, a great name for a wee cafe, but still not convinced that one was genuine :)
So nice to see history preserved ; It's such a shame that so much history has been destroyed by modern development ! Harmonium is a cross between a piano and an organ !
Cheers Derek!
Nice vlog Steve, love the old signage, just wondered if you have seen Fraser Parkinson on UA-cam? nice bit of content on Leith , you may be interested ☺
Ohh thanks Marty - I'll check him oot right now!
Morning Steve,
Great video, I personally would like to see the signs left as they are but some sort of protection put on them!!
I think that's the ideal compromise Darren
Fascinating item Steve - mainstream broadcast in its quality of presentation - but your easy style is far superior to any of them. Excellent !
That's so kind of you to say John, wow! Cheers!
I was waiting for Ollivander's Wand Shop in one of the Closes but then I read that it's in London.
hi steve theres still quite afew old signs left at the sides of old buildings in liverpool.. i think there great and should be left alone..nice peice of history..you take care and keep the good work up..im planning to pop up your way soon when all this coronas cleared and we can get up there. cheers dave L,pool
Cheers Dave! I’ve had some awesome walks around Liverpool, absolutely adore your city. Can’t wait to get back down there and this time I’ll be looking for signs :)
@@steve-marsh thats great steve,if you pop down here at some point and need a brew or you and your girl need to get you heads down if your stuck then get in touch .. im not on face book or twitter or anything like that but my girl does so if your stuck let me know and she,l email you and hook up if you fancy that. take care both of you. dave L,pool
Nice video Steve
Thanks William :)
In America old wooden signs sell for big$$$. If they can remove them they can perhaps put them on the wall inside or sell them
I've wondered if, on these solo videos, Alicja was somewhere behind you filming b-roll. Now I know 😊
Haha well spotted Rob :)
Amazing Steve can’t wait to see more of your videos. Plus don’t to talk to me about furniture she’s driving me crazy at the moment😂
Haha love it Jim! We all know what you’re doing this weekend 🤣
Hi Steve interesting video being from and living in Edinburgh highly enjoyable. Polar Ices was a ice supplier nothing to do with ice cream and to start a argument Mr Boni’s was the worst ice cream Di Rollo in Musselburgh being the best .
Ahhhh! Cheers John! Great to hear, even if it puts my guess so wrong :D and I never tried Mr Boni's ice cream, maybe just as well :)
There’s a great one on William Street in the West End. Full wall -
Cheers - part of me is happy there's more to discover and part of me is gutted I missed a full-waller!
Thank for the video mate! Need to see these in person when it opens back up!
With Scotland opening back up, would you start flying again?
I can’t wait to fly again! Would love to do some more Scottish domestic flights, but they are so expensive!
Nothing stays the same but seems to have been more interesting time back then, people more time for each other. Another good vlog though.thanks for my day out,looking forward to next one, you always make them so interesting. Any chance of you doing a walk about in stone haven similar to this. Here's hoping lol.😍
Very true Margaret! I'll certainly see if I can do something similar in Stonehaven at some point, thanks for the idea :)
An old one in a local village near Manchester was revealed when an advertising hoarding was removed 'Potts - We sell the tools your neighbour likes to borrow!'
What a great line 🤣 I’ll need to google that one :)
They should be restored 😊
A lovely vlog from the partners in crime....hehe
Excellent work Steve & Partner.
I walked right past some of them signs without giving it a second thought....
"Elephant House".......birthplace of Harry Potter. had a tea & cake in the very seat JK Rowling wrote some of her books...overlooking the castle 🏴
Hibs, Easter Rd Stadium....
Need to remember the past but also move on to the future.....maybe keep the oldest of the signs & redevelop or replace the less older??
Congrats on walking over 11 miles for this vlog 👍
Very much appreciated!!!!
Cheers! I was so knackered by the end! Yeah, I maybe get a bit nostalgic about the old signs, but for sure think the best of them need to be loved and cared for.
Ps I need to get to the Elephant House! Whenever it reopens ofc!
@@steve-marsh yes, will make a great vlog. Nice view of the castle also 👍🏴