Wild thing

Here's a pretty tiled entrance sign in Stockport's lovely old market place. I believe Wild was a shoe shop - the building is now part of the excellent Stockport Story museum. It's in an interesting part of town: the beautiful Victorian covered market has a great vintage fair once a month. The atmospheric Staircase House museum is next door. And once you've done all that you can treat yourself to a fantastic Art Deco afternoon tea in the Plaza. All this just seven miles out of Manchester. If you're coming from that direction, why not treat yourself to a trip on the fabled 192 bus route too?

Slip into French & Sons

There is something comforting about French's shoe shop. This wonderful sign is the hallmark of quality in the smart little parade of shops in Bedford Place, Southampton. Rather like St Paul's in London, as long as French & Sons is still standing, everything will be alright.

French & Sons have been making shoes since 1794 and the current store is run by an 8^th generation French. They moved into their fine Bedford Place premises in 1890 and this shop is still the first port of call for solid school shoes and slippers for maiden aunts.

I remember being dragged here for sensible school shoes when I’d much rather have been shopping at Dolcis (RIP). The shoes I came out with were inevitably plain, brown and dull. Nowadays, however, I confess to thinking “Ooh, they look comfy” when I walk past their window – surely a sign of age.

Check them out www.wjfrenchandson.co.uk.