Friday Bench: Meet Geoffrey
I'm rather taken with Geoffrey, a friendly giraffe used to promote Toys R Us since 1965. I'm even more taken with his bench inside W H Smith in Chippenham. Prior to the chain's sale earlier this year, it was agreed that certain stores would also have a Toys R Us section within them. Geoffrey's bench marks the transition from one of our traditional High Street retailers into something more fun and entertaining, though sadly rather empty when I took this photo. At some point the name W H Smith will morph into its new owner's chosen rebrand name, T G Jones* - rather bland in my opinion which appears to have been made up, unlike the original name which refers to the company's original founder Henry Walton Smith and reaches back to the year 1792. * = it has already in nearby Malmesbury, though they have yet to erase the etched W H Smith from the glass doors. They seem to have retained the corporate blue colour on the shopfront too, for now at least. UPDATE - it tur...
Groan!
ReplyDeleteHelen - I've wanted to take this picture for ages, but we don't always stop at this particular services when travelling up north.
ReplyDeleteSort of beef it up while you're there and work it off when you get home?
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy - have a look at the name of the service station...
ReplyDeleteI did - I had an image of digging with a trowel when you got home instead of a spade. Extra hard work to compensate for eating junk food.
ReplyDeleteAha :) No junk food for us - we were on a fast day. However, I will be wielding my trowel now it's stopped raining as there's bulbs to plant...
ReplyDeleteI will never drive past again without thinking of gardening implements :-)
ReplyDeleteHi EG - tee hee :)
ReplyDeleteThere are hidden treasures to be found at these pit stops - puns aside. The other week I stopped at the Reading Welcome Break to walk the dog and found the mecca of blackberry bushes. (Well out of dog pee-on zone might I add.)
ReplyDeleteMonica - what treasure! I hope you had time to pick some of them...
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