diff --git a/include/mapnik/datasource_cache.hpp b/include/mapnik/datasource_cache.hpp
index 1568b85c5..67aec76a1 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/datasource_cache.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/datasource_cache.hpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/config.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 
 // stl
diff --git a/include/mapnik/debug.hpp b/include/mapnik/debug.hpp
index a00bca619..6f24e4365 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/debug.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/debug.hpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 // mapnik (should not depend on anything that need to use this)
 #include <mapnik/config.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 
 // std
diff --git a/include/mapnik/factory.hpp b/include/mapnik/factory.hpp
index 87b437157..68d7ea110 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/factory.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/factory.hpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #define MAPNIK_FACTORY_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 
 // stl
 #include <stdexcept>
diff --git a/include/mapnik/mapped_memory_cache.hpp b/include/mapnik/mapped_memory_cache.hpp
index 3673c15e0..bbdf02e70 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/mapped_memory_cache.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/mapped_memory_cache.hpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/config.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 
 // boost
diff --git a/include/mapnik/marker_cache.hpp b/include/mapnik/marker_cache.hpp
index d685cc94b..7072b3921 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/marker_cache.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/marker_cache.hpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #define MAPNIK_MARKER_CACHE_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/config.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 
diff --git a/include/mapnik/pool.hpp b/include/mapnik/pool.hpp
index 59e8661d3..44c82941d 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/pool.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/pool.hpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #define MAPNIK_POOL_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 
 // boost
diff --git a/include/mapnik/text/formatting/registry.hpp b/include/mapnik/text/formatting/registry.hpp
index 5ad22dd5a..dbbce936f 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/text/formatting/registry.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/text/formatting/registry.hpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #define FORMATTING_REGISTRY_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/text/formatting/base.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/text/text_properties.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
diff --git a/include/mapnik/text/placements/registry.hpp b/include/mapnik/text/placements/registry.hpp
index eadfdb361..2f833709d 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/text/placements/registry.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/text/placements/registry.hpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #define PLACEMENTS_REGISTRY_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/text/placements/base.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 
diff --git a/include/mapnik/util/file_io.hpp b/include/mapnik/util/file_io.hpp
index ff9f37e17..e4e0cd559 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/util/file_io.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/util/file_io.hpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #define MAPNIK_FILE_IO_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/make_unique.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/noncopyable.hpp>
 //#include <mapnik/config.hpp>
diff --git a/include/mapnik/utils.hpp b/include/mapnik/util/singleton.hpp
similarity index 90%
rename from include/mapnik/utils.hpp
rename to include/mapnik/util/singleton.hpp
index c9d5b42ba..2c4040603 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/utils.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/util/singleton.hpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  *
  * This file is part of Mapnik (c++ mapping toolkit)
  *
- * Copyright (C) 2014 Artem Pavlenko
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Artem Pavlenko
  *
  * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
  * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
  *
  *****************************************************************************/
 
-#ifndef MAPNIK_UTILS_HPP
-#define MAPNIK_UTILS_HPP
+#ifndef MAPNIK_UTIL_SINGLETON_HPP
+#define MAPNIK_UTIL_SINGLETON_HPP
 
 #include <mapnik/config.hpp>
 
@@ -128,24 +128,12 @@ template <typename T,
         }
     };
 
-
     template <typename T,
               template <typename U> class CreatePolicy> std::mutex singleton<T,CreatePolicy>::mutex_;
     template <typename T,
               template <typename U> class CreatePolicy> std::atomic<T*> singleton<T,CreatePolicy>::pInstance_;
     template <typename T,
-              template <typename U> class CreatePolicy> bool singleton<T,CreatePolicy>::destroyed_=false;
-
-
-#ifdef _WINDOWS
-
-// UTF8 <--> UTF16 conversion routines
-
-    MAPNIK_DECL std::string utf16_to_utf8(std::wstring const& wstr);
-    MAPNIK_DECL std::wstring utf8_to_utf16(std::string const& str);
-
-#endif  // _WINDOWS
-
+              template <typename U> class CreatePolicy> bool singleton<T,CreatePolicy>::destroyed_ = false;
 }
 
-#endif // MAPNIK_UTILS_HPP
+#endif // MAPNIK_UTIL_SINGLETON_HPP
diff --git a/include/mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp b/include/mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..68e28ec15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*****************************************************************************
+ *
+ * This file is part of Mapnik (c++ mapping toolkit)
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Artem Pavlenko
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ *
+ *****************************************************************************/
+
+#ifndef MAPNIK_UTIL_UTF_CONV_WIN_HPP
+#define MAPNIK_UTIL_UTF_CONV_WIN_HPP
+
+#ifdef _WINDOWS
+// mapnik
+#include <mapnik/config.hpp>
+// stl
+#include <string>
+
+namespace mapnik
+{
+
+// UTF8 <--> UTF16 conversion routines
+
+    MAPNIK_DECL std::string utf16_to_utf8(std::wstring const& wstr);
+    MAPNIK_DECL std::wstring utf8_to_utf16(std::string const& str);
+
+}
+#endif  // _WINDOWS
+
+#endif // MAPNIK_UTIL_UTF_CONV_WIN_HPP
diff --git a/plugins/input/csv/csv_datasource.cpp b/plugins/input/csv/csv_datasource.cpp
index aab802b9e..3deb429d4 100644
--- a/plugins/input/csv/csv_datasource.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/csv/csv_datasource.cpp
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/debug.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/unicode.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature_layer_desc.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature_factory.hpp>
diff --git a/plugins/input/geojson/geojson_datasource.cpp b/plugins/input/geojson/geojson_datasource.cpp
index c30d25803..8d82f4266 100644
--- a/plugins/input/geojson/geojson_datasource.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/geojson/geojson_datasource.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/boolean.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/unicode.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature_factory.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature_kv_iterator.hpp>
diff --git a/plugins/input/geojson/large_geojson_featureset.cpp b/plugins/input/geojson/large_geojson_featureset.cpp
index f3922b279..158455ef7 100644
--- a/plugins/input/geojson/large_geojson_featureset.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/geojson/large_geojson_featureset.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/feature_factory.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/json/geometry_grammar.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/json/feature_grammar.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 // stl
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
diff --git a/plugins/input/occi/occi_types.hpp b/plugins/input/occi/occi_types.hpp
index 752246abd..c405fd525 100644
--- a/plugins/input/occi/occi_types.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/occi/occi_types.hpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/debug.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 
 // occi
 #include <occi.h>
diff --git a/plugins/input/ogr/ogr_datasource.cpp b/plugins/input/ogr/ogr_datasource.cpp
index dc6247aa9..2c0d90aac 100644
--- a/plugins/input/ogr/ogr_datasource.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/ogr/ogr_datasource.cpp
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/boolean.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/geom_util.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/timer.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/trim.hpp>
 
 // boost
diff --git a/plugins/input/postgis/connection_manager.hpp b/plugins/input/postgis/connection_manager.hpp
index 64271900a..c1b6dc456 100644
--- a/plugins/input/postgis/connection_manager.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/postgis/connection_manager.hpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/pool.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 
 // boost
 #include <memory>
diff --git a/plugins/input/shape/dbfile.cpp b/plugins/input/shape/dbfile.cpp
index 5b1c76e46..2da4978a6 100644
--- a/plugins/input/shape/dbfile.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/shape/dbfile.cpp
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/value_types.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/global.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/unicode.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/trim.hpp>
 
diff --git a/plugins/input/shape/shape_datasource.cpp b/plugins/input/shape/shape_datasource.cpp
index 152e107a4..8cf8ba09d 100644
--- a/plugins/input/shape/shape_datasource.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/shape/shape_datasource.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/make_unique.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/fs.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/global.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/boolean.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/conversions.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/geom_util.hpp>
diff --git a/plugins/input/shape/shapefile.hpp b/plugins/input/shape/shapefile.hpp
index 3e35544d3..a6468b190 100644
--- a/plugins/input/shape/shapefile.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/shape/shapefile.hpp
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/global.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/box2d.hpp>
 #ifdef SHAPE_MEMORY_MAPPED_FILE
 #include <boost/interprocess/mapped_region.hpp>
diff --git a/plugins/input/sqlite/sqlite_utils.hpp b/plugins/input/sqlite/sqlite_utils.hpp
index b38dd0654..fe055ac5e 100644
--- a/plugins/input/sqlite/sqlite_utils.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/sqlite/sqlite_utils.hpp
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/debug.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/datasource.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/params.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/sql_utils.hpp>
diff --git a/src/datasource_cache.cpp b/src/datasource_cache.cpp
index 97d65508f..a83f15797 100644
--- a/src/datasource_cache.cpp
+++ b/src/datasource_cache.cpp
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/params.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/plugin.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/fs.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 
 // boost
 #pragma GCC diagnostic push
diff --git a/src/font_engine_freetype.cpp b/src/font_engine_freetype.cpp
index 1c87f87c1..6c2f01057 100644
--- a/src/font_engine_freetype.cpp
+++ b/src/font_engine_freetype.cpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/text/face.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/fs.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/file_io.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/make_unique.hpp>
 
 // boost
diff --git a/src/fs.cpp b/src/fs.cpp
index 655472487..0a129e4a6 100644
--- a/src/fs.cpp
+++ b/src/fs.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
  *****************************************************************************/
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/fs.hpp>
 
 // boost
diff --git a/src/proj_transform.cpp b/src/proj_transform.cpp
index b2cb37de9..f929a7ac9 100644
--- a/src/proj_transform.cpp
+++ b/src/proj_transform.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 #include <mapnik/projection.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/proj_transform.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/coord.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
 
 #ifdef MAPNIK_USE_PROJ4
 // proj4
@@ -233,7 +232,7 @@ unsigned int proj_transform::backward (geometry::line_string<double> & ls) const
 {
     std::size_t size = ls.size();
     if (size == 0) return 0;
-    
+
     if (is_source_equal_dest_)
         return 0;
 
@@ -247,7 +246,7 @@ unsigned int proj_transform::backward (geometry::line_string<double> & ls) const
         lonlat2merc(ls);
         return 0;
     }
-    
+
     geometry::point<double> * ptr = ls.data();
     double * x = reinterpret_cast<double*>(ptr);
     double * y = x + 1;
@@ -270,7 +269,7 @@ bool proj_transform::forward (box2d<double> & box) const
     double lry = box.miny();
     double lrx = box.maxx();
     double urx = box.maxx();
-    double uly = box.maxy(); 
+    double uly = box.maxy();
     double ury = box.maxy();
     double z = 0.0;
     if (!forward(llx,lly,z))
@@ -304,7 +303,7 @@ bool proj_transform::backward (box2d<double> & box) const
     double lry = box.miny();
     double lrx = box.maxx();
     double urx = box.maxx();
-    double uly = box.maxy(); 
+    double uly = box.maxy();
     double ury = box.maxy();
     double z = 0.0;
     if (!backward(llx,lly,z))
@@ -326,8 +325,7 @@ bool proj_transform::backward (box2d<double> & box) const
     return true;
 }
 
-/* Returns points in clockwise order. This allows us to do anti-meridian checks.
- */
+// Returns points in clockwise order. This allows us to do anti-meridian checks.
 void envelope_points(std::vector< coord<double,2> > & coords, box2d<double>& env, int points)
 {
     double width = env.width();
@@ -358,7 +356,7 @@ void envelope_points(std::vector< coord<double,2> > & coords, box2d<double>& env
     }
 }
 
-/* determine if an ordered sequence of coordinates is in clockwise order */
+// determine if an ordered sequence of coordinates is in clockwise order
 bool is_clockwise(const std::vector< coord<double,2> > & coords)
 {
     int n = coords.size();
@@ -385,12 +383,12 @@ box2d<double> calculate_bbox(std::vector<coord<double,2> > & points) {
 }
 
 
-/* More robust, but expensive, bbox transform
- * in the face of proj4 out of bounds conditions.
- * Can result in 20 -> 10 r/s performance hit.
- * Alternative is to provide proper clipping box
- * in the target srs by setting map 'maximum-extent'
- */
+// More robust, but expensive, bbox transform
+// in the face of proj4 out of bounds conditions.
+// Can result in 20 -> 10 r/s performance hit.
+// Alternative is to provide proper clipping box
+// in the target srs by setting map 'maximum-extent'
+
 bool proj_transform::backward(box2d<double>& env, int points) const
 {
     if (is_source_equal_dest_)
@@ -413,15 +411,15 @@ bool proj_transform::backward(box2d<double>& env, int points) const
     }
 
     box2d<double> result = calculate_bbox(coords);
-    if (is_source_longlat_ && !is_clockwise(coords)) {
-        /* we've gone to a geographic CS, and our clockwise envelope has
-         * changed into an anticlockwise one. This means we've crossed the antimeridian, and
-         * need to expand the X direction to +/-180 to include all the data. Once we can deal
-         * with multiple bboxes in queries we can improve.
-         */
-         double miny = result.miny();
-         result.expand_to_include(-180.0, miny);
-         result.expand_to_include(180.0, miny);
+    if (is_source_longlat_ && !is_clockwise(coords))
+    {
+        // we've gone to a geographic CS, and our clockwise envelope has
+        // changed into an anticlockwise one. This means we've crossed the antimeridian, and
+        // need to expand the X direction to +/-180 to include all the data. Once we can deal
+        // with multiple bboxes in queries we can improve.
+        double miny = result.miny();
+        result.expand_to_include(-180.0, miny);
+        result.expand_to_include(180.0, miny);
     }
 
     env.re_center(result.center().x, result.center().y);
@@ -454,15 +452,15 @@ bool proj_transform::forward(box2d<double>& env, int points) const
 
     box2d<double> result = calculate_bbox(coords);
 
-    if (is_dest_longlat_ && !is_clockwise(coords)) {
-        /* we've gone to a geographic CS, and our clockwise envelope has
-         * changed into an anticlockwise one. This means we've crossed the antimeridian, and
-         * need to expand the X direction to +/-180 to include all the data. Once we can deal
-         * with multiple bboxes in queries we can improve.
-         */
-         double miny = result.miny();
-         result.expand_to_include(-180.0, miny);
-         result.expand_to_include(180.0, miny);
+    if (is_dest_longlat_ && !is_clockwise(coords))
+    {
+        // we've gone to a geographic CS, and our clockwise envelope has
+        // changed into an anticlockwise one. This means we've crossed the antimeridian, and
+        // need to expand the X direction to +/-180 to include all the data. Once we can deal
+        // with multiple bboxes in queries we can improve.
+        double miny = result.miny();
+        result.expand_to_include(-180.0, miny);
+        result.expand_to_include(180.0, miny);
     }
 
     env.re_center(result.center().x, result.center().y);
diff --git a/src/projection.cpp b/src/projection.cpp
index 81e24277f..7cacae462 100644
--- a/src/projection.cpp
+++ b/src/projection.cpp
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/projection.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/singleton.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/trim.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/well_known_srs.hpp>
 
diff --git a/src/rapidxml_loader.cpp b/src/rapidxml_loader.cpp
index 841fa9fd2..77d9dac7e 100644
--- a/src/rapidxml_loader.cpp
+++ b/src/rapidxml_loader.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 
 // mapnik
 #include <mapnik/config_error.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/fs.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/xml_loader.hpp>
 #include <boost/property_tree/detail/xml_parser_read_rapidxml.hpp>
diff --git a/src/utils.cpp b/src/util/utf_conv_win.cpp
similarity index 96%
rename from src/utils.cpp
rename to src/util/utf_conv_win.cpp
index f694faa18..7bfcbc29f 100644
--- a/src/utils.cpp
+++ b/src/util/utf_conv_win.cpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  *
  * This file is part of Mapnik (c++ mapping toolkit)
  *
- * Copyright (C) 2014 Artem Pavlenko
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Artem Pavlenko
  *
  * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
  * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 #ifdef _WINDOWS
 // windows specific methods for UTF8 from/to UTF16
-#include <mapnik/utils.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/utf_conv_win.hpp>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 #define NOMINMAX