The Boyd is Back in Town

The Boyd is Back in Town by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Boyd Pianos' ghost sign on Shaklewell Lane, London E8, revealed again after 13 years' hibernation.

The Boyd is Back in Town by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: The Boyd is Back in Town

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

1001 London Ghost Signs, Mapped

1001 London Ghost Signs, Mapped by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

The online map that accompanies the book, Ghost Signs: A London Story, now has over 1,000 pinned signs.

1001 London Ghost Signs, Mapped by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: 1001 London Ghost Signs, Mapped

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Pawned for Good: The Partial Palimpsest in St James

Pawned for Good: The Partial Palimpsest in St James by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

The ghost sign for the J.A. & G.E. Smith pawnbrokers in east London has been painted over and now lost. RIP.

Pawned for Good: The Partial Palimpsest in St James by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Pawned for Good: The Partial Palimpsest in St James

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

The Mirrored Owl Cigars of San Francisco

The Mirrored Owl Cigars of San Francisco by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Early twentieth century photos show an Owl Cigars sign in reverse on a huge San Francisco wall. But why was it painted like that?

The Mirrored Owl Cigars of San Francisco by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: The Mirrored Owl Cigars of San Francisco

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

X Doesn’t Mark the Spot: Revisiting an Islington Ghost Sign

X Doesn’t Mark the Spot: Revisiting an Islington Ghost Sign by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Correcting the record for the Popham Street ghost sign previously thought to advertise X-Zalia, but now known to be for Nazalia. Photo: Roy Reed.

X Doesn’t Mark the Spot: Revisiting an Islington Ghost Sign by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: X Doesn’t Mark the Spot: Revisiting an Islington Ghost Sign

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

H. Newman & Sons (Have Removed), Melbourne

H. Newman & Sons (Have Removed), Melbourne by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A surviving palimpsest in the centre of Melbourne reveals the legacy of the jeweller and watchmaker Henry Newman. Photo: Sean Reynolds.

H. Newman & Sons (Have Removed), Melbourne by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: H. Newman & Sons (Have Removed), Melbourne

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Brain’s Honest Ale: Lost But Not Forgotten in Cardiff

Brain’s Honest Ale: Lost But Not Forgotten in Cardiff by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A wonderful pictorial ghost sign for Brain's 'honest' ales, photographed in Cardiff in the late-1970s by John Jenkins.

Brain’s Honest Ale: Lost But Not Forgotten in Cardiff by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Brain’s Honest Ale: Lost But Not Forgotten in Cardiff

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

W.E. Baxter: A Beautiful Palimpsest in Lewes, Sussex

W.E. Baxter: A Beautiful Palimpsest in Lewes, Sussex by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Layers of lettering in Lewes, advertising the W.E. Baxter printers, bookbinders, and stationers. Photo: David Quay.

W.E. Baxter: A Beautiful Palimpsest in Lewes, Sussex by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: W.E. Baxter: A Beautiful Palimpsest in Lewes, Sussex

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Milwaukee’s Ghost Signs Revealed in a New ‘Augmented History’ Tour

Milwaukee’s Ghost Signs Revealed in a New ‘Augmented History’ Tour by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Augmented reality is used to facilitate a tour of Milwaukee's HIstoric Third Ward ghost signs, presenting them as they once looked.

Milwaukee’s Ghost Signs Revealed in a New ‘Augmented History’ Tour by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Milwaukee’s Ghost Signs Revealed in a New ‘Augmented History’ Tour

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A Halesworth Ghost Sign with a Celebrity Connection

A Halesworth Ghost Sign with a Celebrity Connection by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A surviving ghost sign for William Frost, the ironmonger grandfather of the late television star Sir David Frost. Photo: Wayne Tanswell.

A Halesworth Ghost Sign with a Celebrity Connection by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: A Halesworth Ghost Sign with a Celebrity Connection

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Karen Stamper’s Ghost Sign-Inspired Collages

Karen Stamper’s Ghost Sign-Inspired Collages by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Artist Karen Stamper shares the process behind her collages, inspired by the ghost signs in the south of France.

Karen Stamper’s Ghost Sign-Inspired Collages by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Karen Stamper’s Ghost Sign-Inspired Collages

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

J.C. Rogers’ Beautiful Fading Fascia in Penzance

J.C. Rogers’ Beautiful Fading Fascia in Penzance by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A surviving fading fascia for the J.C. Rogers butchers is a real treat in a classic style. Photos: Jon Herbert.

J.C. Rogers’ Beautiful Fading Fascia in Penzance by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: J.C. Rogers’ Beautiful Fading Fascia in Penzance

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Handel in Aardappelen (Potato Dealer) in Delft

Handel in Aardappelen (Potato Dealer) in Delft by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A 1920s potato dealer sign from Delft in The Netherlands, photographed by David Quay, Type Tourist.

Handel in Aardappelen (Potato Dealer) in Delft by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Handel in Aardappelen (Potato Dealer) in Delft

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Alain Murzeau, Furniture Maker, Angers, France

Alain Murzeau, Furniture Maker, Angers, France by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

The former home of this century-old business tells a story of its changing family ownership. Photos: Keith Roberts.

Alain Murzeau, Furniture Maker, Angers, France by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Alain Murzeau, Furniture Maker, Angers, France

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia

Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Pictorials and palimpsests on ghost signs for Ridomil, Lupano, and Gladymar photographed by Sarah Jupp in Colombia and Bolivia in 2015.

Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

An Eye Test at Bateman’s Bournemouth Opticians

An Eye Test at Bateman’s Bournemouth Opticians by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A ghost sign for the former Bournemouth optician, Bateman's, is a contemporary test for the eyes in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Photo: Paul Godier.

An Eye Test at Bateman’s Bournemouth Opticians by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: An Eye Test at Bateman’s Bournemouth Opticians

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

RIP: The Chronicle, High Street, Crewe

RIP: The Chronicle, High Street, Crewe by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A noteworthy letter 'r' on a now-lost ghost signs advertising The Chronicle newspaper in Crewe, Cheshire. Photographed by Alex Hoggarth.

RIP: The Chronicle, High Street, Crewe by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: RIP: The Chronicle, High Street, Crewe

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on New Book: Ghost Signs of Bath by Medical and Surgical Home, Catharine Place, Bath | Ghostsigns

[…] on Catharine Place, Bath, is the remnant of a basic utilitarian sign. However, the brief notes in Ghost Signs of Bath highlight something that is so far unexplained about its […]

Medical and Surgical Home, Catharine Place, Bath

Medical and Surgical Home, Catharine Place, Bath by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

The mysterious location of the Medical and Surgical Home ghost sign on Catharine Place, Bath. Photo: Tim Lindsay.

Medical and Surgical Home, Catharine Place, Bath by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Medical and Surgical Home, Catharine Place, Bath

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on Bile Beans, York: Correction and update by (Ambu)lances, Navigation Road, York | Ghostsigns

[…] Fortunately, Lisa at York Stories had done the hard work, figuring out that part of the wall to the left has been lost, and the full sign once read “Ambulances”. (I’ve previously cited Lisa’s work in the context of York’s famous, and repainted, Bile Beans ghost sign.) […]

(Ambu)lances, Navigation Road, York

(Ambu)lances, Navigation Road, York by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

An apparent ghost sign for Lances on Navigation Road, York, turns out to be something completely different on closer inspection. Photo: Annie Greenhouse.

(Ambu)lances, Navigation Road, York by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: (Ambu)lances, Navigation Road, York

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on Faux Ghostsigns for Coca-Cola’s London HQ by Hidden Coca-Cola Ghostsign in Portland’s Witherspoon Building | Ghostsigns

[…] It features the ‘Relieves Fatigue’ slogan for the brand, and the long-time pricing of 5 cents in the USA. Both of these elements were used in our creation of faux ghostsigns for Coca-Cola’s London headquarters. […]

Evolution of a Wall at Oneida Market, Hudson, New York

Evolution of a Wall at Oneida Market, Hudson, New York by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

A ghost sign for Oneida Market in Hudson, New York, shows the changes that have had to is fragmented appearance. Photos from Gabriel Nieto.

Evolution of a Wall at Oneida Market, Hudson, New York by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Evolution of a Wall at Oneida Market, Hudson, New York

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Holland-America Line, Santander

Holland-America Line, Santander by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

The retouching of an illustrated ghost sign for the America-Holland Line in Santander, Cantabria, Spain. Photographed by Federico Barrera Garaña / Santatipo.

Holland-America Line, Santander by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Holland-America Line, Santander

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on A Curious Palimpsest: Foster Ltd in Bristol by Ghostsigns (Sam Roberts0

In reply to <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/@thcatsmother/111909274700202860">Karen Fletcher</a>. <p><a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/@thcatsmother" rel="nofollow ugc">@thcatsmother</a> <a href="https://ghostsigns.co.uk/author/sroberts/" rel="ugc">@sroberts</a> That makes a lot more sense, and I see the 't' in 'quantity' now I look more closely. Thank you!</p>

Comment on A Curious Palimpsest: Foster Ltd in Bristol by Karen Fletcher

<p><a href="https://ghostsigns.co.uk/author/sroberts/" rel="ugc">@sroberts</a> what a beauty! Think that last line reads Any Quantity Delivered</p>

A Curious Palimpsest: Foster Ltd in Bristol

A Curious Palimpsest: Foster Ltd in Bristol by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Small lettering emerging beneath a recently revealed ghost sign for Foster Ltd in Bristol. Photographed by Tobias Newbigin.

A Curious Palimpsest: Foster Ltd in Bristol by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: A Curious Palimpsest: Foster Ltd in Bristol

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on Cigarettes Marouf, Ghent, Belgium by Ghostsigns (Sam Roberts0

<p><a href="https://ghostsigns.co.uk/author/sroberts/" rel="ugc">@sroberts</a> Here's a comment on a post to see if it becomes a comment on the blog, too...</p>

Cigarettes Marouf, Ghent, Belgium

Cigarettes Marouf, Ghent, Belgium by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Outstanding pictorial ghost sign for Marouf cigarettes in Ghent. Photographed by Edwin Deschepper.

Cigarettes Marouf, Ghent, Belgium by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Cigarettes Marouf, Ghent, Belgium

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on Its All Art by Emmanuel Nouaillier | Ghostsigns

[…] Keith Hampton […]

Comment on Emmanuel Nouaillier Update by Emmanuel Nouaillier | Ghostsigns

[…] [Update: More from Emmanuel.] […]

Why Lead Paint Makes Signs Last: A Toxic Legacy

Why Lead Paint Makes Signs Last: A Toxic Legacy by Sam Roberts of https://ghostsigns.co.uk

An account of the enduring (and highly toxic) legacy of lead paint on signs, and sign painters.

Why Lead Paint Makes Signs Last: A Toxic Legacy by Sam Roberts first appeared on Ghostsigns here: Why Lead Paint Makes Signs Last: A Toxic Legacy

https://ghostsigns.co.uk

Comment on Redfern’s Rubber Heels Make Walking a Pleasure Again in Islington by The Shifting Sands of London’s Ghost Signs Landscape

[…] be stripped back to reveal the sign once again. There is precedent for this type of solution, as documented here in Islington, but the consensus was that it wouldn’t work in this […]

Comment on Waygoods’ Broken Glass, West Norwood by The Shifting Sands of London’s Ghost Signs Landscape

[…] Broken glass isn’t usually associated with the loss/decline of ghost signs, but this is precisely what has been happening to the Waygoods sign on Chatsworth Way, SE27, as previously documented here. […]

Comment on The Boro’ Bill Posting Company and Their Surviving Ghost Signs by The Shifting Sands of London’s Ghost Signs Landscape

[…] sign is one of those that had traces of advertising for the billposting firm, Boro, which the entry in our book references. This leaves London’s last surviving Germolene ghost […]

Comment on New Brands on Holborn’s Gillette Palimpsest by The Shifting Sands of London’s Ghost Signs Landscape | Ghostsigns

[…] Ghost Signs: A London Story, we included two locations that we knew were under imminent threat: the Gillette palimpsest in Holborn, and the Albion House Clothing Company on Borough High Street (featured on my Bankside Ghostsigns […]

Comment on RIP: Black Cat Cigarettes by Venos & Veglio Reveals on Oxford Street | Ghostsigns

[…] from similar developments elsewhere. Recent examples include the Co-Op sign in Walthamstow, and the fabulous Black Cat Cigarettes advertisement in Finsbury. While these losses are saddening, my general attitude has been that you win some, you lose some, […]

Comment on Missing in Action: Barlow & Roberts by London’s Hidden Walks volume 4 by Stephen Millar – The Riverside Bookshop

[…] Barlow and Roberts ghost sign on Southwark Street near here, but it seems to be gone now – https://ghostsigns.co.uk/2021/10/barlow-roberts/). This book encourages us to look up: there is often something interesting up […]

Comment on Redfern’s Rubber Heels Make Walking a Pleasure Again in Islington by On the wall of Dulverton Mansions, 170 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 – J...

[…] half of the word ‘Heels’ in yellow towards the bottom of the wall. This directly corresponds to a piece in Islington for Redfern’s, a rubber manufacturer that appears alongside Gillette in the ‘Branding the City’ chapter of […]

Comment on The Boro’ Bill Posting Company and Their Surviving Ghost Signs by On the wall of Dulverton Mansions, 170 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 – Juli...

[…] Inn Road, WC1, near the junction with Clerkenwell Road. Advertising here was managed by the Boro’ Bill Posting Company, whose history we discuss in the ‘Sign Economics’ chapter of our book. Their ‘10,000 Sites’ […]

Comment on E. Mono in North London by J.R.Brewer, the Butcher | Ghostsigns

[…] and handcrafted furniture’. The name of this business? Well, J.R. Brewer of course! As with E. Mono in Kentish Town, Cal has taken inspiration from the discovery of this fascia in the naming of his new venture. […]

Comment on Martin Thompson by Stuart Free | Ghostsigns

[…] between Stuart and Paul Talling over at Derelict London. It is also worth comparing to the work of Martin Thompson who has pursued the Ghost Sign theme to a greater extent in his ‘Urban Fossils’ series […]

Comment on Derelict London Part 2 by Stuart Free | Ghostsigns

[…] that may be of interest. There are similarities in terms of the locations chosen between Stuart and Paul Talling over at Derelict London. It is also worth comparing to the work of Martin Thompson who has pursued the Ghost Sign theme to […]

Comment on The Donovan Bros Sign at 46 Crispin Street by Stuart Free | Ghostsigns

[…] For my birthday earlier this week my girlfriend bought me a limited edition print from north London artist Stuart Free. It is a painting depicting the distinctive Donovan Bros. shopfront in Spitalfields which has always been one of my favourite sites in London. [Update here.] […]

Comment on Redfern’s Rubber Heels Make Walking a Pleasure Again in Islington by New Brands on Holborn’s Gillette Palimpsest | Ghostsigns

[…] the word ‘Heels’ in yellow towards the bottom of the wall. This directly corresponds to a piece in Islington for Redfern’s, a rubber manufacturer that appears alongside Gillette in the ‘Branding the City’ […]

Comment on The Boro’ Bill Posting Company and Their Surviving Ghost Signs by New Brands on Holborn’s Gillette Palimpsest | Ghostsigns

[…] near the junction with Clerkenwell Road [Map | Streetview]. Advertising here was managed by the Boro’ Bill Posting Company, whose history we discuss in the ‘Sign Economics’ chapter of our book. Their […]

Comment on Restoration Period: My Monotype Recorder Article Now Available to Read Online by Restoration of Palladium Cinema Ghostsign in Morecambe | G...

[…] to this practice, a previous blog post titled ‘A Fresh Lick of Paint‘. See also ‘Restoration Period‘ for a more extended take on themes relating to protection and […]

Comment on RIP: Signwriters – Gilding & Pictorial Artists by The Theft of L. Lambert, Timber Merchant | Ghostsigns

[…] the value of authentic antique and vintage signs in the architectural salvage market, and also of another theft not far from yesterday’s incident. One of our fears when doing the survey of surviving N.E. […]