AN HISTORIC shop sign could be stuck in a dark basement for the foreseeable future – or even disposed of – if a new home cannot be found.
A C Pailthorp Jewellers, in Victoria Street, Grimsby, closed in 1983 and the building was dismantled to make way for a betting shop and pizza restaurant.
The frontage of the well-known shop was taken down and stored in the basement of the Tennyson House housing complex in Kent Street, Grimsby.
At the time, the building was in the hands of North East Lincolnshire Council, until it was handed over to Shoreline Housing Partnership in 2005.
Terry Larn, a senior caretaker at Shoreline, said: "The shop front is currently in the basement of Tennyson House, where it has been for a number of years.
"It is in good condition and all the original coving and fixings are in tact.
"The last I heard about the progress of where the front was going was that the council was looking into cleaning it up and putting it on a lorry and storing it somewhere.
"The shop front is part of the town's heritage. It is among the last of the old town and it would be nice to keep it and put it to good use."
The shop was originally three cottages joined together. In 1895, Arthur Charles Pailthorp opened a jewellers and opticians in one of the buildings, and in subsequent years the other two were also converted into retail.
It became a successful business, with branches opening in other towns in the region.
Jason Longhurst, head of development at NELC, said: "The council is currently looking for opportunities to see if the shop front can be brought back into use, in conjunction with the Freeman Street Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme.
"We are also making arrangements for a proper assessment to be carried out on the items.
"However, if a use for the shop front cannot be found, at this stage, it is unlikely it will be taken into the council's museum stores, and may have to be disposed of."
Jeremy Mason was the director of the Grimsby shop when it closed and now runs an A C Pailthorp branch in Brigg.
He said: "I wasn't aware that the old shop front was still around.
"It would be brilliant if it could be put to use again and it would be a real shame if it had to be disposed of.
"If I was opening up a shop again, I would snap it up straight away.
"There must be someone out there that could use it."
Shoreline is willing to store the shop front for the time being..
Anyone interested in preserving it can contact Donna Riley on 01472 326391.
