The magic of adverts and street furniture

There are two pages in the site that I have not yet mentioned in this blog – adverts and street furniture.

I find both really quite interesting as they speak about the culture of the time just by their design and look as well as their purpose.

However one looks at it, for better or for worse, adverts change and reflect society and so sometimes become interesting themselves.

The local adverts that I have found that mention Combe Down or Monkton Combe generally fit in the ‘factual anOd banal’ category but are sometimes no less interesting for that in the context of local history.

Some of the adverts, like the one for Combe Down Brewery are clearly well ‘ahead of their time’ and one wonders who it was that created it.

Others, such as the one for afternoon tea at Mayfield are so basic one wonders how well they worked, but, perhaps they are historic proof of less is more?

Afternoon teas at Mayfield - Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Saturday 5 November 1921
Afternoon teas at Mayfield – Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Saturday 5 November 1921
Combe Down Brewery 1862
Combe Down Brewery 1862

Street furniture such as post boxes, phone boxes, benches, fountains, watering troughs, memorials and everything else that has become so common now, such that now there are appeals to reduce some of it to stop motorists and others becoming confused, has exited since Roman times but it’s really only in the last 200 years or so that it has expanded from mile markers and the like.

Sometimes one has to look quite hard to find it like the waterworks plate, which many will, perhaps find ugly but which I think is quite charming.

Others, such as the turnpike marker from 1827 are obviously charming and clearly well built to have survived for 190 years.

Turnpike marker on Combe Road
Turnpike marker on Combe Road
Combe Down waterworks plate on Bradford Road
Combe Down waterworks plate

So, adverts and street furniture, things to look out for.

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thecassyput Founder
Experience   Prior to Now, Founder, 2013 - Present - Local history research and Wₑbₛᵢₜₑ & bₗₒg ₐbₒᵤₜ Cₒₘbₑ DₒwSeₑₒₚₗₑ, bᵤᵢₗdᵢₙgₛ, ᵢₙₛₜᵢₜᵤₜᵢₒₙₛ ₒᵥₑᵣ ₜₕₑ ₗₐₛₜ ₂₅₀ yₑₐᵣₛ₊. #cₒₘbₑdₒwₙ #ₘₒₙₖₜₒₙcₒₘbₑ #ₚᵣᵢₒᵣₚₐᵣₖ #ₗₒcₐₗₕᵢₛₜₒᵣy #ₜwᵢₜₜₑᵣₛₜₒᵣᵢₐₙₛWₑbₛᵢₜₑ & bₗₒg ₐbₒᵤₜ Cₒₘbₑ Dₒwₙ ₚₑₒₚₗₑ, bᵤᵢₗdᵢₙgₛ, ᵢₙₛₜᵢₜᵤₜᵢₒₙₛ ₒᵥₑᵣ ₜₕₑ ₗₐₛₜ ₂₅₀ yₑₐᵣₛ₊. #cₒₘbₑdₒwₙ #ₘₒₙₖₜₒₙcₒₘbₑ #ₚᵣᵢₒᵣₚₐᵣₖ #ₗₒcₐₗₕᵢₛₜₒᵣy #ₜwᵢₜₜₑᵣₛₜₒᵣᵢₐₙₛ   Member Board Of Trustees & Director, Museum of Bath Stone - (Combe Down Stone Legacy Trust) Nov 2017 - Apr 2018 6 mos The Museum of Bath Stone tells the story of Combe Down Stone, the material from which the Georgian City of Bath was built and Ralph Allen, the man behind the enterprise. Non executive director Innovecom - Mar 2002 - Dec 2017 15 yrs 10 mos. IT and ebusiness.   Director, E-CRM Solutions - Feb 1999 - Jan 2014 15 yrs. Internet and direct marketing agency dealing with SME clients.Internet and direct marketing agency dealing with SME clients usaing coding partners in Sofia, Bulgaria.   Non Executive Chairman, Innovantage - Mar 1999 - Aug 2012 · 13 yrs 6 mos Recruitment information.   Managing Director, Person to Person Services Ltd - 2002 - 2004 · 2 yrs London, United Kingdom and Canada Set up.   Partner & Director RPM Business Strategies & Solutions - 1997 - 2002 5 yrs Implementation consultancy.   Chief Executive Officer, CGA Group - 1996 - 1997 1 yr Turnround and £20m MBO in insurance.   Non Executive Director, Firstline Insurance -1996 - 1997 1 yr Bermuda captive insurance company.   Director, Oriel Group plc -1994 - 1996 2 yrs. Insurance broker.   General Manager, Royal Insurance -1987 - 1994 7 yrs. Created major direct insurer. Chairman, The Insurance Service plc - 1987 - 1994 7 yrs Set up and ran. Managing Director, Cavendish Insurance plc - 1987 - 1994 7 yrs Set up and ran.   Vice President, Director of Business Development, Citibank - 1986 - 1987 1.5 yr Created JV with Storehouse. Marketing Director, Storecard -1986 - 1987 1.5 yr. Set up and grew.   Marketing Director, Welbeck Finance plc -1981 - 1985 4 yrs. Created marketing machine.   Marketing Executive, American Express, -1978 - 1981 3 yrs. Doubled UK Corporate Card division.   Sales Executive, Sherry House Ltd. 1974 - 1976 2 yrs Represented international brands to major accounts.   Cellar & Shop Manager Pearl Vintners -1972 - 1974 2 yrs. Shipped and bottled wine imports, ran wholesale and direct distribution & onsite retail outlet.   Resort Representative, Martlet Travel - 1970 - 1971 · 1 yr. Brighton and Jersey, Telemarketing Adviser for holidays then Resort Representative   Founder Member: Institute of Direct Marketing. Member: Chartered Institute of Marketing. Chartered Management Institute. The Marketing Society. Association of MBAs. Institute of Directors. Also: Member of (B.) D.M.A.Council for 5 years. Member of D.M.C. (now I.D.M.) Council for 5 years. External Examiner for (B.) D.M.A. Diploma for 3 years. Helped to found the Telephone Preference Service. Entrepreneur then retired family man with a real interest in local history