Money Lent and The Mystery of Perry’s Son in Tooting
Perry & Son’s pawnbrokers sign in Tooting was painted by Frederick Benjamin Hall around the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries, but who was Perry’s mysterious son?
London
The Reverse Fade: Repainting, Repointing, or a Legacy of Black & White Photography?
Examining the phenomenon of ghost signs becoming more visible over time, and possible explanations for it, including overpainting, repointing and changing photographic technology.
22 Hovis Ghost Signs Across the Capital
Documentation of Hovis ghost signs across London, including archival photos and contextual research.
The Boro’ Bill Posting Company and Their Surviving Ghost Signs
Sharing research to date into what was once one of the major outdoor contractors leasing sites to advertisers for painted wall signs.
Exploring the Photography of the 1880s via a Greenwich Ghost Sign
Researching ghost signs is a very hit and miss affair, with dead ends fortunately offset by those that yield myriad clues and new paths to … Read more
Ghosts of London’s Wayfinding Past in this New Book
Highlights from Alistair Hall’s London Street Signs book.
Alf the Purse King
“Among the restaurants and cafes that dominate today’s Stoke Newington Church Street in North London is a ghost sign representing both the industrial and Jewish … Read more
London Street Level by Robert Brownjohn
I recently (28 October) hosted ‘Font Sunday’ on Twitter with the theme of ‘fading fonts’ to mark the changing of the clocks and the fading … Read more
Lancell Road’s Mystery Ghost Sign
[Download in high resolution] At 49 Stoke Newington Church Street, junction with Lancell Road, is this fragment of a ghost sign which, despite my best … Read more
Fonts Inspired by Ghost (and other) Signs
Earlier this year I was lucky to attend the launch of Lost & Foundry, a collection of fonts created and published by Fontsmith in collaboration … Read more
The Enduring Ephemera of J.M. Hill in Southwark
Although my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk ends further West along the road, it doesn’t spend any time on the Eastern end of Union Street. However, a … Read more
Commit Some Nuisance for Bankside
One of the ‘bonus’ stops on my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk is a pair of signs on the back The Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel (Doyce Street … 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
Bill-Poster: A London Type
Sadly we recently lost what was one of my all-time favourite ghost signs, in the shape of the Black Cat on Dingley Road. RIP. The … Read more
Bovril’s Windrush Square Legacy
Windrush Square in Brixton is home to this, one of the most famous ghost signs in London. While the Bovril sign is still very prominent, … 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
The Dioramas of Northall by Job Weessies
Job Weessies is a Dutch model maker and, after some time working on railway models, he has moved into working with card and on creating … Read more
A 1984 Photo of the Spitalfields Gillette Ghost Sign
I first posted about this illustrated Gillette ghost sign on Commercial Street back in 2007 when I came across it on Frank Jump’s Fading Ads … Read more
Michelle Heron’s Fantastic Fascias
Michelle Heron is a London-based painter with a paticular fascination for old shops and shop fronts. Her paintings depict iconic fascias, many of which have … Read more
NE Signs Scavenger Hunt
Following a series of discussions on Twitter myself and a handful of others have decided to run a scavenger hunt to locate, photograph and map … Read more
Ghostsigns of Clapham, a Forthcoming Walk
Following my talk to the Clapham Society last summer we are joining forces, with Roy Reed, to develop a walk exploring the many ghost signs … Read more
Ancient Lights in English Law
This blog post highlights an entire category of fading painted signs that I have never come across. They are for ‘ancient lights’ and reference an … Read more
London Street Signs with Alistair Hall
Alistair Hall of We Made This has spent the last couple of years documenting and researching the various forms taken by London’s Street Signs. He … Read more
Painted Advertisements in Islington: Part 4
The list below of painted advertisements in Islington was compiled in the hope that some of those reading it might write in with additional locations … Read more