Sign of the Times

I went shoe shopping this morning (unsuccessfully), and my route took me along part of Rose Street.

There are a lot of pubs in Rose Street - always have been. Having a drink in each one was a rite of passage for the young men of the town, back in the day. The reputation of the street was such that young ladies would not venture there after dark. 

Shops and eateries abound now, but some of the old drinking dens survive, done up out of all recognition. The Kenilworth is one, named after one of Sir Walter Scott's novels, and that's the man himself on the sign, He doesn't look too happy.