Fading painted signs

Protection

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 protected them. [Update via Caroline’s Miscelleny: The uncovering was in 2012, and the works can be seen underway in the […]

Two Paris Beauties Under Wraps

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Signs of Note and tagged Alcohol Bénédictine Conservation Eugène Charles Paul Vavasseur France Grafitti liqueur Paint Paris Protection Restoration Reveal Ripolin Wim Dammers on December 7, 2018 by Sam Roberts

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 painted bottles depicting the products that they distributed in Australia. The pieces were painted in the 1960s by signwriter Keith […]

The Enduring Legacy of the Joshua Brothers Distillery

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation and tagged Australia Bundaberg Conservation Jameson's Joshua Distillery Keith Martin Melbourne oldsignspotter Pickles Street Preservation Protection United Distillers Whiskey on July 6, 2018 by Sam Roberts

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 English law protecting the right of property owners to receive natural light through their windows. The assertion of this right […]

Ancient Lights in English Law

This entry was posted in Painted Lettering and tagged Ancient Lights Legal London Protection Spiritual Vigor UK on March 16, 2018 by Sam Roberts

The above ghost sign was revealed a couple of years ago by the redevelopment of a site on the North side of the Eastern end of Oxford Street in London. It is a palimpsest, and advertises ‘Venos Lightning Cough/Cold Cure’. It wasn’t their only painted […]

Venos & Veglio Reveals on Oxford Street

This entry was posted in Signs of Note and tagged Local Listing London Music Roll Exchange Oxford Street Protection Reveal RIP Spitalfields Life UK Veglio Venos W1 West End William Whiffin on December 1, 2017 by Sam Roberts

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 and Restaurant. In addition, the last visible portion of the sign, a small strip on the right, has been painted […]

RIP: London Co-Op, Frederic Street

This entry was posted in Sign Stories Signs in Media Signs of Note and tagged AdvertisingPublicMemory Big Local Co-Op Co-Operative Society Conservation E17 Frederic Street LCS London Preservation Protection RIP St James Street UK Yvette Williams Elliott on October 10, 2017 by Sam Roberts

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 was revealed by works to the Anglo Asian restaurant, which now straddles numbers 60 and 62 Stoke Newington Church Street. […]

The Vacuum Shop and George Braun

This entry was posted in Sign Making Sign Stories and tagged Ben Selig Catherine Shields Conservation Fading Fascias Fascia Fascias Geo Braun George Braun Ghost Signs Ghostsigns Hackney London N16 Protection Shop Fronts Signwriter Stoke Newington Stoke Newington Church Street The Vacuum Shop UK on April 15, 2017 by Sam Roberts

I am conducting a small investigation into the ghostsigns of Islington and am appealing for help from readers of this blog. The map below (view full screen) will form the basis for this, in the context of the following notes. Recently while going through old […]

Painted Advertisements in Islington: Part 1

This entry was posted in Sign Collections Sign Destinations Sign Initiatives Sign Preservation Sign Stories Signs in Media and tagged 1999 A. D. Harvey Black Cat Islington Listing Local Listing London London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Mapping Painted Advertisements in Islington Peter Powell Protection Research Transactions UK on February 4, 2017 by Sam Roberts

[28 July 2015 – This post updated with new images and comments below] This stunning reveal in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex features three ghostsigns. In sequence these are for Ambrosia, Black Cat Cigarettes and a tea rooms, captured here by Ed Loach. Their appearance has caught […]

The Cat gets the Cream in this Clacton-on-Sea Reveal

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Sign Stories and tagged Ambrosia Black Cat Carreras Clacton Clacton-on-Sea Cream Dairy Ed Loach Essex Protection Reveal Tea Tea Rooms UK on June 20, 2015 by Sam Roberts

E.Mono Shop Front — Back in 2011 an old 1920s shop fascia was revealed on Kentish Town High Street. The nature of the E.Mono business remains a mystery but the new occupants, a kebab shop, decided the sign was worth keeping and named their shop after the historic proprietors. […]

E.Mono in North London

This entry was posted in Inspired by Signs Sign Preservation Sign Stories Signs of Note and tagged 1920s E.Mono Fading Fascias Fascia Finsbury Park Kentish Town Lettering London North London Protection Reveal Station Place UK on February 28, 2015 by Sam Roberts

Painting on walls in Pompeii & Herculaneum — When I give talks on the history of signs painted on walls I often refer to their ancient history, going back at least as far as Roman times. Evidence for this comes from the ruins at Pompeii and Herculaneum as seen before on these photos […]

Signs & Frescoes in Pompeii & Herculaneum

This entry was posted in Photo Essays and tagged Ancient Erik Winkler Fresco Ghostsigns Herculaneum Italy Perspex Pompeii Protection Roman Schitterend on February 11, 2015 by Sam Roberts

Restoration Period spread from 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 and restoration which I have covered regularly on this blog and continue to maintain an active interest in. A couple […]

Restoration Period in the Monotype Recorder

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Signs in Media and tagged Article Conservation Emma Tucker Ghostsigns Luke Tonge Monotype Monotype Recorder Protection Restoration Sam Roberts on January 23, 2015 by Sam Roberts

Painted sign on a wall covered by a perspex sheet — This ghostsign for Peters Ice Cream in Sydney was photographed and shared by Mike Meyer while in Australia running signwriting workshops with Better Letters. It has been covered by a perspex sheet, presumably to protect it from vandalism and, to a degree, the elements. It […]

Perspex Protecting Ghostsigns from Barcelona to Sydney

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Signs of Note and tagged Australia Barcelona Mike Meyer Perspex Protection Spain Sydney on November 18, 2014 by Sam Roberts

Painted sign on a wall advertising 'Hospital for Horses and Dogs' — 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 DC has been painted, with a careful distance left around the surviving lettering for this veterinary hospital. It could well […]

Skirting the Edges of a Ghostsign in Washington DC

This entry was posted in Signs of Note and tagged Conservation Dogs Horses Hospital Keith Roberts Mark Eddison Protection USA Washington DC on August 20, 2014 by Sam Roberts

RE Ringer General Merchandise store front — In an effort to save this fading and rusting shop front, Beth and Tony Walls moved the entire building 150ft to allow for a highway widening project. Martin Garfinkel of Roadside Gallery has captured it beautifully in this fine art print, available to buy here. […]

Moving Walls to Save a Ghostsign

This entry was posted in Individual Signs and tagged Art Beth Walls Carrollton Coca-Cola Coke Georgia Ghostsigns Martin Garfinkel Photographer Photography Preservation Protection RE Ringer General Merchandise Restoration Roadside Gallery Tony Walls USA on March 14, 2014 by Sam Roberts

Fading painted advertisement on wall alongside piece of street art — Kasey Smith’s ‘Perception Filter‘ blog is well worth a follow for all ghostsigns enthusiasts. Her dispatches from San Francisco have been a big influence on me, as evidenced by the number of times I’ve decided to highlight her observations, insights, investigations and mapping efforts here on […]

Anarchy on the Walls: Ghostsigns, Street Art & Graffiti

This entry was posted in Inspired by Signs Sign Preservation and tagged Art Article Augustine Kofie Graffiti Kasey Smith London Patek-Ecklon Perception Filter Protection San Francisco Street Art UK USA on October 27, 2013 by Sam Roberts

Ghostsign in Ypres, Belgium, advertising details for visitors from the British Legion — [This post has been updated since it was first published on 18th August 2013 to reflect clarifications received from Genevra Charsley of Flanders Battlefield Tour.] This intriguing English-language ghostsigns is found in Ypres, Belgium, and has been identified for protection given its historical significance. I […]

Ghost of the British Legion in Ypres, Belgium

This entry was posted in Individual Signs and tagged Belgium British Legion Daniel Lohmann Geert Bourgeois Ghostsigns History Protection Restoration Ypres on August 18, 2013 by Sam Roberts

Fading hand-painted sign on a Hackney wall advertising Blooms Pianos — Love Local Landmarks, an English Heritage-backed project, has been successful in gaining local listing status for two of Hackney’s most famous ghostsigns. The Blooms Piano sign (above) and the Waterman’s Fountain Pen sign on Stoke Newington Church Street have both been recognised for their “Aesthetic […]

Local listing status for Hackney ghostsigns

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Signs of Note and tagged Blooms Pianos English Heritage Ghostsigns Hackney Hackney Council Hackney Society Listing Local Listing London Love Local Landmarks N16 Protection Stoke Newington UK Watermans Fountain Pen on May 12, 2013 by Sam Roberts

Scaffolding on a ghostsign for the Little Theatre in Vancouver — This ghostsign for the Little Theatre in Vancouver is the subject of a unique preservation effort prompted by the efforts of the Grandview Heritage Group. In response to a letter sent to the developers currently at work on the building they have been told that […]

A novel approach to ghostsign conservation from Vancouver

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Signs of Note and tagged Arts Canada Entertainment Grandview Heritage Group Little Theatre Protection Theatre Vancouver on November 17, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Hand painted sign on a building in Australia advertising HMV — 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 was alerted to it by Jos Peeters and it is a detailed and fascinating account of some of the considerations […]

Conservation guidelines for ghostsigns in Australia

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation and tagged Australia Caroline Lawrance Conservation Ghostsigns Heritage HMV New South Wales NSW Protection Rachel Jackson Restoration on April 16, 2012 by Sam Roberts

The ghostsigns on this flour mill have sparked debate over the desirability of a whitewashing as part of planned developments. In this article, local architect Robert Graham makes the case for the ghostsigns: “To paint over these features would be like refinishing a treasured piece of […]

To paint or not to paint: preservation debate over Tempe ...

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation Signs in Media and tagged Arizona Protection Tempe USA on March 29, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Van Houten's Cacao de Beste — Photo: Writing on the Wall This organisation in the Netherlands was established in 1999 and has been working ever since to raise the profile of hand painted wall advertising in the country. They also get involved with other outdoor forms such as hanging signs and […]

Writing on the Wall working to preserve and restore ghostsigns ...

This entry was posted in Sign Initiatives Sign Preservation and tagged Ghostsigns Community Netherlands Protection Restoration on March 9, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Photo: Steven Mantilla Interesting piece of legislation reported here from Danville City, California, including that “building owners…cannot recreate signs that have been painted over with other signs”, This must give preference to newer signs, assuming it is clear which came last… More on restoration and protection […]

Danville City Council defines rules for restoration of ghostsigns

This entry was posted in Sign Preservation and tagged Danville Ghostsigns Legislation Protection Restoration USA on March 3, 2012 by Sam Roberts

Following this post on the main blog I stumbled across this small collection of Vancouver ghostsigns and a link to this article where some of the local heritage and conservation issues are discussed. The situation in that respect is very similar to that in the […]

More Vancouver Ghostsigns and related article

This entry was posted in Sign Collections and tagged Canada Ghostsigns Protection Vancouver on February 28, 2012 by Sam Roberts

To protect or not to protect? As I’ve discussed before, my interest in Ghostsigns started in my home borough of Hackney in London. The concentration of specimens in Stoke Newington intrigued me and I had to learn more about them. I was soon finding […]

Love Local Landmarks and the Hackney Society

This entry was posted in Photo Essays Related Work and tagged English Heritage Hackney London Protection on October 29, 2011 by Sam Roberts