Ghostsigns

The Boyd is Back in Town

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

16 May 2025

1001 London Ghost Signs, Mapped

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

25 Sep 2024

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

The Mirrored Owl Cigars of San Francisco

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

26 Jul 2024

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

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

5 Jun 2024

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

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

1 May 2024

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

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

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

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

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

RIP: The Chronicle, High Street, Crewe

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

28 Feb 2024

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

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

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

17 Feb 2024

Holland-America Line, Santander

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

14 Feb 2024

The Future of Ghostsigns’ Walking Tours

After much deliberation I have taken the decision to cease leading my public walking tours after the last one in May this year. That means there are just two dates left for each of my Stoke Newington and Bankside walks. I will continue to offer private tours to larger groups, students and corporate clients, and […]

2 Feb 2018

More Minnesota Ghostsigns…

Earlier this month I was back in Mazeppa, Minnesota for more workshops with Mike Meyer and Better Letters. This gave me an opportunity to see some of the signs there without the snowy backdrop, and also to spend some time in Minneapolis where there were numerous new ghostsigns to discover. (See my earlier photos here.) […]

21 Jul 2017

Fading Ads of Gloucester by Chris West

Fading Ads of Gloucester extends the current series from the History Press in the UK, USA, and Ireland. The material has been researched and gathered by Chris West, graphic designer for the publisher. The format of the titles in the series varies but this one opts for some very brief introductory comments, before moving into […]

29 Apr 2017

Dingo Flour Restoration in Fremantle Australia

On one of my recent Bankside Ghostsigns Walks an Australian guest tipped me off about the recent restoration of a famous Dingo Flour ghost sign in Fremantle, Australia. This was undertaken at the end of 2016 with a grant from the Western Australian Heritage Council. The sign was originally painted in 1940, and was maintained […]

22 Apr 2017

The Vacuum Shop and George Braun

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. Ben Selig was the proprietor of an “electrical appliances” shop […]

15 Apr 2017

William Walker & Sons, Tanners, Curriers

This very faint ghost sign on Snowfields in Bermondsey is close to the start of my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk. It may not be around much longer if the building is lost to demolition, or another goes up in front of it as part of the redevelopment of the area around it. Roy Reed shared this […]

18 Feb 2017

What is a Ghost Sign?

‘What is a Ghost Sign?‘ is the title of the second chapter of our book, Advertising and Public Memory. It is an attempt to provide a logical approach to formulating a definition, and a formal response to the many times I’ve been asked, ‘Does this count?’. The article started life a few years ago as […]

11 Feb 2017

Tracing the Origins of ‘Ghost’ Signs

When did old painted signs on walls become known as ‘ghost’ signs, and who coined the phrase? These questions crop up often in my discussions with others, and on my tours, and I always have to hold my hand up and say I didn’t invent the term, but have just made use of it for […]

14 Jan 2017

Advertising & Public Memory: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives on Ghost Signs

Advertising & Public Memory is the first scholarly book focused on ghostsigns. It was a labour of love across much of 2015, work that included editing others’ work, as well as contributing to some of the writing inside, notably an attempt to answer the question ‘What is a Ghost Sign’ (Chapter 2). After submitting the […]

27 Dec 2016