The lost signage for one of Glasgow's best-loved ice cream parlours has been unearthed during a refit - and it's quite the scoop.
With ice cream and churros outlet Loop and Scoop gearing up for the much-anticipated opening of its new parlour in the city's southside later this year, a familiar name from the past has emerged.
As many will know, the site at 515-517 Victoria Road was previously the home of the iconic Queen's Cafe - Glasgow royalty in Italian gelato terms.
READ MORE: Loop and Scoop Queen's Park: third venue to open on historic ice cream site
While the southside institution has moved on to pastures new, re-emerging as Ginesi's Artisan Gelato a wee bit further up the street, flakes of yesteryear still remain at the old location - not least the cafe's beautiful stained glass windows and signage.
But it's not the famous 'Queens Cafe' in red and white branding that most of us will recognise that's been uncovered.
Currently on show, for a limited time, we imagine, are two layers of ghost signage from the ice cream parlour's deep past. Hand-painted in greens, blues and golds with elegant lettering, they are absolutely gorgeous.
It's difficult to put an exact date on them, but the older of the two could well be the original signage that graced the café when it was first opened by the Iaconnelli family after they arrived in the 1890s. This is a real piece of Glasgow history.
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The ghost signs were spotted this week by Lost Glasgow's Norry Wilson, who posted: "I'm a sucker for a good ghostsign, so here's two in one, which let us peer back through the years.
"The old Queen's Cafe, on Victoria Road, seems to have been shut and getting done up, for an age, yet this beauty has just been revealed - ghostsign on ghostsign, which predate the sign I've known all my life."
The uncovering of the historic signage has had local tongues wagging, with many fondly remembering their visits to "Glasgow's best ice cream parlour" and calling for the signs to be retained.
Writing on the Lost Glasgow page, John Mckinlay said: "Loved that wee place, and lovely family who owned it. Used to go in for coffee and a burger to start the day, then head across the road to the other QP Cafe."
Adrienne Kerr recalled: "My mum would take us there in winter for hot orange juice. Burny hot in a special way. Happy memories."
Betty McInnes said: "They used to do an ice cream with marshmallow sauce. Yummy."
John Auld wrote: "This would've taken some amount of time to do this so it’s quite possible this sign is going to be reclaimed."
Andy Rossiter commented: "Really hoping authorities protect these."
Luca Graham said: "I love that. I'd clean it and lacquer over it. Old signage like this is beautiful."
Andrew Divine added: "I’ll keep championing the original, they just moved down a block. Amazing ice cream and incredible range."
The parlour at 515-517 Victoria Road will be the third Loop and Scoop ice cream and churro bar to open in the Glasgow area since 2017. There are currently two in operation at Great Western Road and Bearsden.
The Govanhill outlet was originally scheduled to open in spring 2022, but this has been pushed back, with the parlour now set to welcome customers later this year.
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