North Gower Street, London NW1

Up in London for beer and curry,  I found these 2 beauties just off the Euston Road. They're from Thomas Sampson 394-398 Euston Road, an ironmongers or foundry I've not encountered before.

Ahoy there. .HMS Warrior, Portsmouth

This is the most unusual place I've seen a coal hole cover. .. on board a ship.

I visited the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on Saturday and went aboard the fantastically restored HMS Warrior which was built in just 2 years between 1859 &1861. It was an ironclad sail and steamship so had to have coal delivered.  The coal came in through the gun ports and was then put down chutes to the engine room below. The ship was constructed at the Thames Ironworks but I don't know if these are the original coal hole covers over the chutes or replacements when the ship was restored in Hartlepool.

The ship was obsolete within a decade and never fired a gun in anger.
It's well worth a visit. More info here: hmswarrior.org

New finds in Euston

I was visiting a different part of London to normal yesterday and was hoping to find some interesting new covers. I wasn't disappointed.  Just outside Euston station on Euston Square I saw this Dudley and Dowell cover from Warley in Worcestershire. Perhaps it came in a train to Euston.  In Tavistock Place in the yard of Mary Sumner House there were 3 double sized Winser and Co (London) covers. They were notable because they had places for an iron ring to help lift them.

Portland Place, Brighton

One of the few bonuses of visiting the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton is mooching around the backstreets looking for coal hole covers. This one is in the fine wide avenue of Portland Place and is  the first Every and Newman plate I've seen featuring anything but circles.

Paston Place, Brighton

Another exciting recent find was this Darby & Co of Clapham Junction cover near the hospital in Kemptown. The star design is very similar to many others, but this is the first time I've seen a Darby cover. Darby is one of the manufacturers listed on the Faded London blog.

Dean Trent Street, London SW1

No, not a geezer called Dean, but presumably an ex Dean of Westminster Abbey as this is near the place. This is a monster size Haywards cover.

Herbert Road, Brighton

This is a most exciting (for me) find round the corner from my house. It's a cover inside someone's gate from a new foundry for me - Frederick Betts, from 33 Skipton St London SE. A couple of doors up the street, a house had railings and a gate  which also carried this mark.