Restoration Period: My Monotype Recorder Article Now Available to Read Online
Extended article examining what to do about ghost signs in terms of conservation, restoration, and protection.
Conservation
N.E. Signs Appreciation Society Wins Appreciation from Hackney Council
Update on work to document and protect Hackney’s surviving street signs with the now-defunct N.E. postal district, including successful Hackney Society lobbying.
Writing Off the Wall: The Wholesale Removal of a Viennese Ghost Sign
Last summer an extraordinary project took place in Vienna, Austria, with the aim of removing an early-20th Century ghost sign for Adolf Grünsfeld, in its … Read more
A Curtain Call for the Theatre Advertising of Old
Fading theater curtain with painted advertising discovered on former premises of Burr Theatre in Ludlow MA by Sean Hastings.
Two Paris Beauties Under Wraps
A couple of years ago these two well-preserved ghost signs were revealed in Paris (see Streetview), presumably by the removal of billboards that covered and … Read more
It’s All Popping Off in Deptford Market Yard
In Deptford, South East London, the processes of development/gentrification are having an impact on the area’s walls, including ghost signs. The following is cribbed from … Read more
Brilliant at Las Vegas’ Neon Museum
[This is a reposting of the original blog post on Better Letters.] Since 1996 Las Vegas’ Neon Museum has put the city’s decommissioned signage on … Read more
The Enduring Legacy of the Joshua Brothers Distillery
Pickles Street in Melbourne was once home to the Joshua Brothers Distillery, and later United Distillers. The latter adorned the building with a series of … Read more
Evans, Jones & Ricketts Restoration in Talgarth, Mid Wales
The restoration of ghost signs seems to be becoming more prevalent in the UK, or perhaps I’m just more conscious of them taking place. While … Read more
Ariel / Writers Revisited
This ghost sign for Ariel motorbikes, and the Writers shop that sold them in Kennington, is one of my London favourites, partly due to the … Read more
RIP: London Co-Op, Frederic Street
This ghost sign for the London Co-Operative Society on Frederic Street, London E17, has now been partially covered by new signage for the Still Bar … Read more
The Vacuum Shop and George Braun
Guests on my Stoke Newington Ghostsigns Walk in early 2015 were lucky to see a bonus fading fascia en route, advertising The Vacuum Shop. This … Read more
Tracing the Origins of ‘Ghost’ Signs
When did old painted signs on walls become known as ‘ghost’ signs, and who coined the phrase? These questions crop up often in my discussions … Read more
Restoration Period in the Monotype Recorder
Last year I was invited to contribute an article on ghostsigns to the reincarnation of the Monotype Recorder periodical. It focused on issues of protection … Read more
Skirting the Edges of a Ghostsign in Washington DC
Here is a new (to me at least) approach to respecting ghostsigns while undertaking building renovations/property development. The host wall of this sign in Washington … Read more
Conservation guidelines for ghostsigns in Australia
This report, Conserving Historic Signs, was written in 2002 and published by the Heritage Office, Department of Planning, State of New South Wales in 2006. I … Read more