Fading painted signs

HAT

Back in 2016 I gave a short talk about my archiving work at the annual conference of the Business Archives Council, where one of the organisers was a project archivist for Boots chemists. Afterwards I shared the above image and forwarded her the archival photo […]

Tracking Down Boots in Stoke-on-Trent

This entry was posted in Sign Stories and tagged Archival Photos Archive Boots Business Archives Council Chemist Chris Morris HAT Horace Dudley Middlesbrough Stoke Stoke-on-Trent UK Wigan on March 30, 2018 by Sam Roberts

Fading painted sign on a wall advertising Daren Bread — ‘Ask for Daren Bread’ was once the simple slogan on this ghostsign on Avignon Road, London, SE4. The above image was taken by Lisa Edwards in 2007, sourced here in the History of Advertising Trust Ghostsigns Archive. The site was likely a former bakery, sourcing […]

When Daren Became Hovis: A Bizarre Ghostsigns ‘Restoration’

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Sign Stories Signs of Note and tagged Authenticity Avignon Road Bread Brockley Dainty Bread Daren Daren Bread HAT History of Advertising Trust Hovis Katie Wignall Lisa Edwards London Look Up London Nunhead Repainting Restoration SE4 UK on January 7, 2017 by Sam Roberts

Painted advertisement on a gable end for Puck Matches — This fascinating archival image is part of a larger collection of outdoor advertising captured photographically in the early 1930s and donated to the History of Advertising Trust (HAT) by Alan Bristow. This particular gable end in Pendleton features a painted sign advertising Puck Matches, which […]

Puck Matches: Archival Photo of a Gable End

This entry was posted in Sign Collections Signs of Note and tagged Alan Bristow Bryant and May Brymay Eccles New Road Ghostsigns HAT History of Advertising Trust Matches Pendleton Puck Matches UK on October 9, 2014 by Sam Roberts

Screen shot showing galleries from the HAT Ghostsigns archive — The Ghostsigns Archive has been updated as part of the wider upgrade to the History of Advertising Trust website. There are not only more photos available but also a new search function which allows you to browse just the ghostsigns pages. This is not the […]

HAT Ghostsigns Archive upgrade

This entry was posted in Sign Collections and tagged Archive HAT Ireland UK on October 3, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Puck Match Bryant and May ghostsign Leeds — Laura Carletti and I have written a short paper for History Workshop Online. This builds on the survey and offers some reflections on the development of the archive in 2009-10.

Digital Engagement & the Ghostsigns Archive: History Workshop Article

This entry was posted in Sign Collections Sign Initiatives Signs in Media and tagged Archive Ghostsigns Community HAT HWO Press Survey on April 4, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Hand painted sign on building for W.E.Baxter Ltd Printers Bookbinders Stationers — A number of new additions have been made to the History of Advertising Trust Ghostsigns Archive. Some of these are new photos of signs already covered in the archive but many are completely new material for the collection. Here are a handful of my favourite […]

HAT Archive: January 2012 Additions

This entry was posted in Sign Collections and tagged Agriculture Alcohol Ale Archive Baxter Bookbinder Builder Drink Dunlops HAT Hotel Inn Printers Richards Royal Oak Inn Stationery Stout Thompsons Tradesman UK Water Whitaker on January 31, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Hand painted advertising on a building for various motoring brands — Since handing over day-to-day responsibility for the archive to the History of Advertising Trust there has been a steady influx of new material. 49 new signs have been uploaded to the online galleries and this means that c.750 are now documented through the collective efforts […]

49 New Signs

This entry was posted in Sign Collections and tagged AA Alcohol Archive Beer Bookbinder Bovril Coca-Cola Coke Darvill's Drink Furniture Gramophones HAT Household Jewellery Little Miss Barber Motoring Music Pianos Printers Puck Matches RAC Soft Drink Stationery Tea Transport Twinings Vaux on August 5, 2011 by Sam Roberts

The History of Advertising Trust have been hugely supportive of the development and hosting of the Ghostsigns Archive but, like all charities, they rely on the generosity of donors to keep their activities going. From next week (6th December) all donations to HAT will be […]

HAT Appeal

This entry was posted in Sign Collections and tagged Archive HAT Related and Random Video on December 1, 2010 by Sam Roberts

Caroline has secured the first press coverage for the archive and her work capturing signs in Liverpool. Read the full story on the BBC Liverpool website. If anyone else has any contacts that would be interested in covering the 18th March launch then get in […]

Project press (BBC Liverpool)

This entry was posted in Signs in Media and tagged Archive BBC Caroline Bunford HAT Liverpool People Press UK on January 15, 2010 by Sam Roberts

Hovis Van Painting Directions — Also on my visit to HAT I found this nice example of how big companies got the consistency of style across the country. It is some directions issued by Hovis as to how the back of a bread van should be painted. In a 1952 […]

Hovis Process

This entry was posted in Sign Making and tagged Bread Food HAT Hovis Painters guide Production Research Signwriting on June 18, 2007 by Sam Roberts

Watneys Competition Entries — Further to the post on Watneys Wall here are a couple of pictures showing how the competition was run. Above is the sign that was displayed in bars to encourage entries for a prize of £50, and below a picture from the article in the […]

Watneys Competition

This entry was posted in Sign Stories Signs of Note and tagged Competition HAT Poster Watneys on June 17, 2007 by Sam Roberts

Watneys Wall poster — Yesterday I visited the History of Advertising Trust (HAT). I came across a funny old poster for Watney’s Ale. It was a parody of the painted ad format and of painted political slogans and was done in 1938 by an advertising agency called Horrocks and […]

Watneys Wall

This entry was posted in Sign Stories Signs of Note and tagged HAT Research Watneys on June 16, 2007 by Sam Roberts