Sign Stories
Ghost sign histories and mysteries.
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The Boyd is Back in Town
Boyd Pianos’ ghost sign on Shaklewell Lane, London E8, revealed again after 13 years’ hibernation.
16 May 2025
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Pawned for Good: The Partial Palimpsest in St James
The ghost sign for the J.A. & G.E. Smith pawnbrokers in east London has been painted over and now lost. RIP.
5 Sep 2024
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X Doesn’t Mark the Spot: Revisiting an Islington Ghost Sign
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.
16 Jul 2024
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H. Newman & Sons (Have Removed), Melbourne
A surviving palimpsest in the centre of Melbourne reveals the legacy of the jeweller and watchmaker Henry Newman. Photo: Sean Reynolds.
23 Jun 2024
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Brain’s Honest Ale: Lost But Not Forgotten in Cardiff
A wonderful pictorial ghost sign for Brain’s ‘honest’ ales, photographed in Cardiff in the late-1970s by John Jenkins.
10 Jun 2024
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J.C. Rogers’ Beautiful Fading Fascia in Penzance
A surviving fading fascia for the J.C. Rogers butchers is a real treat in a classic style. Photos: Jon Herbert.
5 Apr 2024
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Handel in Aardappelen (Potato Dealer) in Delft
A 1920s potato dealer sign from Delft in The Netherlands, photographed by David Quay, Type Tourist.
31 Mar 2024
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Alain Murzeau, Furniture Maker, Angers, France
The former home of this century-old business tells a story of its changing family ownership. Photos: Keith Roberts.
23 Mar 2024
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Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia
Pictorials and palimpsests on ghost signs for Ridomil, Lupano, and Gladymar photographed by Sarah Jupp in Colombia and Bolivia in 2015.
9 Mar 2024
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An Eye Test at Bateman’s Bournemouth Opticians
A ghost sign for the former Bournemouth optician, Bateman’s, is a contemporary test for the eyes in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Photo: Paul Godier.
6 Mar 2024
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Medical and Surgical Home, Catharine Place, Bath
The mysterious location of the Medical and Surgical Home ghost sign on Catharine Place, Bath. Photo: Tim Lindsay.
24 Feb 2024
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(Ambu)lances, Navigation Road, York
An apparent ghost sign for Lances on Navigation Road, York, turns out to be something completely different on closer inspection. Photo: Annie Greenhouse.
21 Feb 2024
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The Shifting Sands of London’s Ghost Signs Landscape
Ghost signs lost, partially destroyed, and ‘brought back’ from the dead in the shifting sands of London’s ghost signs landscape.
15 Jan 2024
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New Brands on Holborn’s Gillette Palimpsest
New brands on Holborn’s Gillette palimpsest revealed during building works next door.
23 Oct 2022
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The Theft of L. Lambert, Timber Merchant
Report of the Theft of the enamel L. Lambert, Timber Merchant sign on Hoxton Street, North London.
1 Oct 2022
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The Donovan Bros Sign at 46 Crispin Street
The Donovan Bros sign at 46 Crispin Street has a fascinating story to tell, and here’s more about proprietor Patrick Donovan and signwriter Alfred Keil.
22 Feb 2022
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Unpeeling Layers of Late-Victorian Signwriting
Three layers of late-Victorian signwriting in palimpsest are identified on this South London ghost sign, found on Anerley Road.
2 Feb 2022
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The Cycle of Life in Warmley, Bristol
Cliff Headford’s ghost sign for Raleigh and Humber Cycles on the former Webb’s of Warmley bike shop in Bristol receives a fresh lick of paint in redevelopment.
25 Nov 2021
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Missing in Action: Barlow & Roberts
Missing in Action: Barlow & Roberts, Southwark Street. The story of this ghost signs, its former location, and apparent loss in 2021.
27 Oct 2021
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Dating Dee’s Stores in Stoke Newington
A 1955 photo from Hackney Archives leads to a reappraisal of the date Stoke Newington’s ghost sign for Dee’s Stores. Featuring History of Stoke Newington.
23 Sep 2021
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Harry Green’s Modesty Preserved by Michelle ‘Fashions’
Fading fascia revealed in Essex after failed attempt by Michelle ‘Fashions’ to rebrand as Fifty Ways. It was once Harry Green’s tobacco and cigarette shop.
28 Jun 2021
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London’s Best Ghost Sign (And a New Book Cover)
Announcing the winner of the competition to be crowned London’s best ghost sign, and an exclusive kickstarter only cover for ‘Ghost Signs: A London Story’
5 Jun 2021
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The Curious Case of Two French Milliners
Two almost identical painted shopfronts for French Milliners, just two miles about, raise questions about chronology and authenticity.
3 May 2021
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Playing Hangman With Aplins’ Ghost Sign
The mystery of a docklands ghost sign, apparently advertising spirit and liqueur merchants Aplin’s, but with a twist in the tale.
19 Apr 2021
