Blackpool Art Comes to Manchester

As a Northerner in my early 30s, the word ‘Blackpool’ conjures flashbacks to childhood day trips along with a torrent of other images. Trams, large candy dummies, fish and chips, tooth-assaulting rock, Mick Hucknall on a rollercoaster and the illuminated faces of Coronation Street characters floating past painfully slowly through the sunroof of a 1980s Astra …

Four Manchester Art Events in One Night – Is It Possible?

Although Manchester’s arts scene thrives all year-round, there comes a transition between spring and summer when the laziness of the darker months dissipates. It’s at this point that Manchester art events, previews and socials start to sprout like mushrooms. Thursday 27th April was an evening working in overdrive. I didn’t …

Kyoto’s Best-Kept Secret

Looking for Kyoto’s best-kept secret? Forget geisha-hunting in Gion. Instead, head for Kanga-an, a temple with the most unlikely of features. My first time in Kyoto was not wholly successful. I’d heard too much about how it was impossible not to love this history-drenched, wooden-housed cultural capital of Japan – the hub …

Who was Eva Perón? Understanding Buenos Aires

Sometimes the lives of a city and a character are inextricably intertwined. As travellers on a mission to get under the skin of our destinations, a little knowledge of a person’s life, their impact and legacy can be instrumental in understanding the places we explore. During a trip to Buenos Aires in December …

Did we Break the Curse of Lokrum Island?

The Curse of Lokrum Island In the shadows of Lokrum Island’s trees at nightfall, a monk stood waiting. In his ears rang the last mass he would ever attend on his beloved home, just off the coast of Ragusan, or Dubrovnik, as it’s known today. Filled with a deep sorrow …

60-Second Gallery: Fonts Around Ludlow and a New Year Cottage

Fonts Around Ludlow

It is a truth universally acknowledged that New Years’ Eve in Manchester involves three things – partying, drinking and socialising. In a bid to try something different, I accepted a kind offer from a good friend to stay with her and some other folks at a picture-postcard cottage in Ludlow, Shropshire.

New Years’ Eve in Ludlow

Literally named ‘The Fairie Cottage,’ our base was a beautiful, low-ceilinged, wooden-beamed stone house tucked down a country lane in the centre of the sleepy market town.

Our New Year was spent ushering out the old and welcoming the new with the traditional first foot, which my grandma used to make us carry out with a piece of coal in-hand.

It also involved waving sparklers in the garden, drinking bubbles and setting the world to rights over cheese, wine and a roaring wood-burning stove. When it comes to painting a fantasy New Year in a remote countryside setting, it couldn’t have been more idyllic.

Colours, Designs, Signs and Fonts Around Ludlow

The next morning, we went on our usual irresistible hunt for colours, fonts, signs and designs around Ludlow to get a feel for the town. Check out our gallery for some of the fonts, typography, signs and designs we spotted. Though there’s a largely traditional approach taken to signage overall, presumably to compliment Ludlow’s ‘ye olde market town’ status, there were also some interesting and more contemporary spots. Enjoy! Also, we recommend a trip to Ludlow if possible and even better, a stay in a fairytale cottage. Happy 2017!