I've always wanted to buy an old restaurant and turn it into a train station.

There was a movement called "adaptive re-use" here in the States back in the 1970's. One in a while you see something like tour bank/eatery that works well and it's a joy to be able to be there. You're going to have to start giving us GPS coordinates for all of these great places that you've been showing us.

As an aside (okay...slightly off topic maybe), I once worked as a stand in elevator operator in a building in Downtown Chicago. I took a fella down to the basement where he had storage and it was full of fantastic old architectural fragments and things line old gas pumps, church statuary, chandeliers, signs...tons of stuff. As it turns out, the fella ran around collecting this stuff and selling it as decorative elements for restaurants..."instant old", so to speak. Apparently a darn good business from a financial perspective. So it is that every time I go into a restaurant that has elements of that type that I wonder what's real and what was carted in by a designer. I may be cynical about it, but that local place, The Duke of Perth", has me wondering just how much of it's slightly shabby ambience is genuine and how much was put in by a designer.

...and it's great to have you back, Derek. I was sure that you had the gig opening for the Rolling Stones and didn't have any time for the "kilted peasantry" anymore.

Best

AA