Norwich: Hidden messages in restored Cat and Fiddle pub sign

Melita Morgan, 53, from Mulbarton, hand-painted the sign above the former Cat and Fiddle pub in Magdalen Street in her spare time over the space of three months.

The Grade II-listed building dates to the 1600s and opened as a boozer in around 1760. It closed in 2011 and has been converted into an apartment block.

Melita, who grew up in Lakenham, always felt a strong connection to the area, having loved the Cat and Fiddle's playful sign as a child in the 70s and 80s.

The Cat and Fiddle pub sign dating back to the 70s (Image: Supplied by Melita Morgan)

But it wasn't until later that she delved into her family history and found her heritage is well-rooted around Magdalen Street, Botolph Street and St Augustines going back around 500 years.

On her mother's side, she descends from the Fitt family known for Fitts Signs which painted the sign she remembers so fondly from her youth.

Joking that her family "infested" the area, Melita said: "Quite a few of my ancestors ran pubs in the area, like the Swan - some even at the Cat and Fiddle.

Scaffolding around the former Cat and Fiddle pub during its conversion into an apartment which Melita Morgan used to renovate the historic sign on it (Image: Melita Morgan)

"And it turns out a distant relative painted the Cat and Fiddle sign before me."

So when the opportunity arose for Melita to give her beloved sign a new lease of life, the creative specialist ensured she put her own stamp on it.

Melita's Cat and Fiddle sign on the former pub, now an apartment (Image: Auction House East Anglia)

"I was given a lot of artistic licence," she continued.

"There's a lot more that goes into the signs than what people see when they walk past.

Melita painting a mural (Image: Melita Morgan)

"I asked if I could write my ancestors' names as well as my living family's names and hide them in the painting.

"On the dog tag you can see the name William J Fitt, but there are names all over it and on the side, which you can see close up from the scaffolding that was once there and in photographs.

Names of Melita's family members both living and past are hidden in the renovated sign (Image: Melita Morgan)

"It means a great deal to me. It's deeply personal.

"Classic pub signs are a dying trade. They're usually quirky, personal, humorous and painted by hand.

Melita's son Tayt adding to the family history aspect of the pub (Image: Melita Morgan)

"It's great to keep that tradition alive and see it repainted in bright, cheery colours."