Sign Company Oldham Greater Manchester

Approximate Population: 103,544

Much of Oldham’s history is concerned with textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution; it has been said that “if ever the Industrial Revolution placed a town firmly and squarely on the map of the world, that town is Oldham.”  Oldham’s soils were too thin and poor to sustain crop growing, and so for decades prior to industrialisation the area was used for grazing sheep, which provided the raw material for a local woollen weaving trade.

By 1756, Oldham emerged as centre of the hatting industry in England. The rough felt used in the production process is the origin of the term “Owdham Roughyed” a nickname for people from Oldham.  It was not until the last quarter of the 18th century that Oldham changed from being a cottage industry township producing woollen garments via domestic manual labour, to a sprawling industrial metropolis of textile factories.

The climate, geology, and topography of Oldham were unrelenting constraints upon the social and economic activities of the human inhabitants.  Located 700 feet (213 m) above sea level with no major river or visible natural resources, Oldham had poor geographic attributes compared with other settlements for investors and their engineers.  

As a result, Oldham played no part in the initial period of the Industrial Revolution, although it did later become seen as obvious territory to industrialise because of its convenient position between the labour forces of Manchester and southwest Yorkshire.

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Sign Company Lowestoft Suffolk

Approximate Population: 57,746

Lowestoft is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England, lying between the eastern edge of The Broads National Park at Oulton Broad and the North Sea within the parliamentary constituency of Waveney. It is home to Lowestoft Ness, the most easterly point of the United Kingdom.

Lowestoft is Suffolk’s second largest town and is divided in two by Lake Lothing, home of its port, divided into an inner- and outer- harbour by a bascule bridge carrying the A12 through the town. Both north and south sides of the town contain a variety of business and residential areas, with the main shopping centre lying just to the north and the award-winning Blue Flag beaches to the south.

The town has two piers, situated on the south beach. The southerly pier, called the Claremont Pier, originally served as a port of call for steamers travelling to and from London. The pier structure itself has been closed for many years, now in a state of disrepair and not open to the public, though the building at the land end still hosts an arcade, bar, club and fish restaurant. Just over half a mile (1 km) to the north of that is the South Pier (so called because it is placed on the south side of the outer harbour).

Lowestoft railway station is centrally placed within the town, as well as also being within walking distance of the beach, providing services to Norwich along the Wherry Line and Ipswich on the East Suffolk Line. Some services also continue on through to London Liverpool Street along the main line from Ipswich. All services are operated by National Express East Anglia.

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Sign Company Coventry West Midlands

Approximate Population: 306,000

Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. With a population of 303,475 at the 2001 Census (306,000 est. 2007), Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham.

Coventry is near the M6, M69, M45 and M40 motorways.   It is also served by the A45 and A46 dual carriageways. Coventry has a much used inner ring road opened in the 1960s (approx.).   Phoenix Way, a dual carriageway running north – south opened 1998 (approx.), has improved traffic flows through the city.

For rail, Coventry railway station is served by the West Coast Main Line, and has regular rail services between London and Birmingham (and stations beyond). It is also served by railway lines to Nuneaton via Bedworth. There is a line linking it to Leamington Spa and onwards to the south coast. Coventry also has two Suburban Rail stations in Canley and in Tile Hill.

Bus service operators in Coventry include National Express Coventry, Travel De Courcey and Stagecoach in Warwickshire. Pool Meadow Bus Station is the main bus and coach interchange in the city centre.  The nearest major airports are Birmingham International Airport, some 17 km (11 miles) to the west of the city and Coventry Airport in Baginton, located 8 km (5 miles) south of the city centre.  The Coventry Canal terminates near the city centre at Coventry Canal Basin and is navigable for 61 km (38 miles) to Fradley Junction in Staffordshire.

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Sign Company Gravesend Kent

Approximate Population: 56,000

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of England. It still retains today a strong link with the river. The opening of the Eurostar railway station at Ebbsfleet, and the fact that it lies with the Thames Gateway, add to the town’s importance.

The town was recorded as Gravesham in the Domesday Book in 1086 as belonging to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux: the name probably derived from “graaf-ham”: the home of the Reeve, or Bailiff, of the Lord of the Manor. Another theory suggests that the name Gravesham may be a corruption of the words grafs-ham – a place “at the end of the grove”. The Domesday spelling is the only historical record; all other spellings - in the later (c1100) Domesday Monarchorum and in Textus Roffensis the town is Gravesend/Gravesende. Gravesham has however been adopted for the 1974 Borough title.

Stone Age implements have been found in the area; as has the evidence of an Iron Age settlement at nearby Springhead. Extensive Roman remains have been found nearby, at Vagniacae (Springhead); and Gravesend lies immediately to the north of their road connecting London with the Kent coast – now called Watling Street. The Domesday Book recorded mills hythes and fisheries here.

In the Fort Gardens is Milton Chantry, Gravesend’s earliest existing building of the late 13th century. It was refounded about 1321 on the site of a hospital founded in 1189. At the time it was supported by lands in Essex.

Gravesend has one of the oldest surviving markets in the country, its earliest charter dating from 1268. Town status was granted to the two parishes of Gravesend and Milton, the Charter of Incorporation being received in that year. The first Mayor of Gravesend was elected in that year, although the first Town Hall was in place by 1573: it was replaced in 1764. A new frontage was built in 1836. Although its use as a Town Hall came to an end in 1968, when the new Civic Centre was opened, it continued in use as the Magistrates’ Courts. At present (2004) it is disused, and discussions are being held with a view to its future.

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Sign Company Southend Essex

Approximate Population: 162,000

Southend is known for its seafront. Since 1986, a diesel-hydraulic railway has run the length of pier, replacing the electric service which opened in 1890.   A fire in October 2005 damaged the far end of the pier.   The pier has been beset by fires; a fire in 1995 destroyed the bowling alley at the start of the pier.   The pier was also run through by a boat in 1984.

The Kursaal was one of the earliest theme parks, built at the start of the 20th century.   It closed in the 1970s and much of the land was developed as housing.   The entrance hall, a listed building, is a bowling alley arcade operated by Megabowl and casino.   A newer theme park, Adventure Island, developed on land formerly occupied by Peter Pan’s Playground, straddles the pier entrance. It has grown into a large amusement park with 50 rides. The seafront also houses the “Sea-Life Adventure” aquarium.

The cliff gardens, which included Never Never Land and Victorian bandstand were an attraction until slippage in 2003 made parts of the cliffs unstable, and the bandstand has been removed.  The council wants to re-erect the bandstand but a location has to be found.

A cliff lift links the base of the High Street with the new pier entrance.   The older lift, a short funicular, is a few hundred metres away, closed because structural and mechanical work needs to be done in order to meet European Union legislation which classes it as a cablecar. In August Southend Carnival opens along the Golden Mile with the lighting of the Southend Illuminations. On the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, Southend hosts a farmers’ market.

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Sign Company Weston Super Mare Somerset

Approximate Population: 71,758

Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort town and civil parish in North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, 18 miles (29 km) south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Oldmixon, West Wick and Worle. Its population according to the 2001 census was 71,758. It is twinned with Hildesheim, Germany.

Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon for the west tun or settlement. The descriptive part of its name is unusual because it is in medieval Latin and was first recorded by an unknown medieval church clerk, presumably to distinguish it from other settlements named Weston in the area. It is a popular myth that the description was a later Victorian invention. It means literally “on sea”. It is pronounced mair rather than mahrey. Often people will write the town’s name as “Weston-Super-Mare”; this however is incorrect, as “super” should always be written in lower case.

Weston’s oldest structure is Worlebury camp, on Worlebury Hill, dating from the Iron Age. The medieval church of St John has been rebuilt but its preaching cross survives. The cellars of the adjoining former rectory are said to be 17th century. The Old Thatched Cottage restaurant on the seafront carries the date 1774; it is the surviving portion of a summer cottage built by the Revd. Leeves of Wrington.

The town has a number of arts venues. The Playhouse serves both tourists and the local population. The Winter Gardens on the seafront hosts shows, exhibitions and conferences. The Blakehay Theatre & Community Arts Centre is a small venue housed in a former Baptist church.

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Sign Company Burnley Lancashire

Approximate Population: 73,021

Burnley is a large market town in the borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies 11 miles (18 km) east of Blackburn and 25 miles (40 km) east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun.

It began life in the early medieval period as a small market town, but its main period of expansion came during the Industrial Revolution, when it became the world’s largest producer of cotton cloth. Today, Burnley has lost much of its industry, and is increasingly a dormitory town for Manchester, Leeds and the M65 corridor. The public sector is now the town’s largest employer.

The United Kingdom Census 2001 showed a total resident population for Burnley of 73,021. The town is the main population centre in the Burnley-Nelson urban area, which has an estimated population of 149,796; for comparison purposes, this is about the same size as Huddersfield, Oxford or Poole.

Burnley is served by Junctions 9, 10 and 11 of the M65 motorway, which runs west to Accrington, Blackburn and Preston, and northeast to Nelson and Colne. From the town centre, the A646 runs to Todmorden, the A679 to Accrington, the A671 to Clitheroe, and the A682 – Britain’s most dangerous road – south to Rawtenstall and northeast to Nelson and the Yorkshire Dales.

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Sign Company Oxford Oxfordshire

Approximate Population: 151,000

The prestige of Oxford is seen in the fact that it received a charter from King Henry II, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; and various important religious houses were founded in or near the city.

A grandson of King John established Rewley Abbey for the Cistercian Order; and friars of various orders (Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustinians, and Trinitarians), all had houses at Oxford of varying importance.   Parliaments were often held in the city during the thirteenth century.   The Provisions of Oxford were installed by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort; these documents are often regarded as England’s first written constitution.

The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford’s earliest colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264). These colleges were established at a time when Europeans were starting to translate the writings of Greek philosophers. These writings challenged European ideology – inspiring scientific discoveries and advancements in the arts – as society began seeing itself in a new way.

These colleges at Oxford were supported by the Church in hopes to reconcile Greek Philosophy and Christian Theology. The relationship between “town and gown” has often been uneasy — as many as 93 students and townspeople were killed in the St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355.

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Sign Company Bournemouth Dorset

Approximate Population: 163, 444

Bournemouth  is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England.   The town has a population of 163,444 according to the 2001 Census, making it the largest settlement in Dorset.   With Poole it forms the main part (discluding Christchurch) of the South East Dorset conurbation.   It is also the largest town on the English south coast between Southampton and Plymouth.

The town was founded by Lewis Tregonwell in 1810 and grew steadily until becoming a proper town in 1870, with the arrival of the railway.   Originally part of Hampshire, it became part of Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974.   Since 1997 the town has been administered by a unitary authority, meaning that it has autonomy from Dorset County Council.

Bournemouth’s location on the south coast of England has made it a popular destination for tourists.  The town is a regional centre of business, home of the Bournemouth International Centre and financial companies that include: Liverpool Victoria and Standard Life Healthcare.

Bournemouth appears as Sandbourne in Thomas Hardy’s novels. Tess lived in Sandbourne with Alec d’Urberville, and the town also features in The Well-Beloved and Jude the Obscure. It is also mentioned in So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish, the fourth book of the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. In James Herbert’s horror novel The Fog, the entire population of Bournemouth runs into the sea and drowns in a mass suicide. In Andy McDermott’s thriller The Secret of Excalibur, a car chase through the town centre and beach front leads to the destruction of the IMAX Cinema. It is also mentioned in Roald Dahl’s The Witches.

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Sign Company Lewisham Greater London

Approximate Population: 263,400

Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is most likely to have been founded by a pagan Jute, Leof, who settled (by burning his boat) near St Mary’s Church (Ladywell) where the ground was drier, in the 6th century. As to the etymology of the name, Daniel Lysons (1796) wrote:

“In the most ancient Saxon records this place is called Levesham, that is, the house among the meadows; leswe, læs, læse, or læsew, in the Saxon, signifies a meadow, and ham, a dwelling. It is now written, as well in parochial and other records as in common usage, Lewisham.”

‘Leofshema’ was an important settlement at the confluence of the rivers Quaggy (from Farnborough) and Ravensbourne (Caesar’s Well, Keston), so the village expanded north into the wetter area as drainage techniques improved.   In the mid-seventeenth century the then vicar of Lewisham, Abraham Colfe, built a grammar school, primary school and six almshouses for the inhabitants. The Earl of Dartmouth became the (hereditary) Viscount Lewisham in 1711.

Lewisham is a major transport hub, lying on the A20 road towards Dover and at the start of A21 to Hastings, with its own large bus station, railway station and the southern terminus of the Docklands Light Railway. Tube lines run into the north of the borough at New Cross and are due to be expanded south as part of the East London Line extension.

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