A CHANCE discovery at a café has led to more investigations into the history of the building.

At the Fat Frog in Liskeard, a beautiful glass sign with the inscription “Home and Colonial” harks back to the time, around a century ago, when the Home and Colonial Stores company opened a branch in the town.

“They were like the Tesco of their time, they had about 3,000 shops all over the UK,” says Fat Frog owner Marc Boylan, who explains how they uncovered the sign on the shop front.

“We were painting and there was a layer of vinyl that had been painted over with many different colours. It started to come away and when we got a knife behind it, it came away and we could see glass. We were amazed.”

Marc is keen to hear from anyone who may have got information or photographs from the days of the Home and Colonial Stores in Liskeard, or whose relatives may have worked in the shop.

He believes that the company, which formed in the late 1800s, came to Liskeard in the 1920s or 30s, and that the shop was open until the 1970s, after which it was used by William Hill.

“What I would love to do is have something in the window to explain what the history is about,” he said.

“People have really loved it. So many people have commented on the sign.”

In the meantime, with help from Brian Oldham of Liskeard and District Museum, Marc has put together a display inside the café with old photographs of shops and buildings in the Market Street area of the town, and explanations of what they were.

One photo shows the lease document for the property from 1848, when the cost was £50 for the year – Marc jokes that the landlord has not been so keen as everyone else on taking a trip back in time!