London
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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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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
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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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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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London’s Ghost Signs in the 80s and 90s, by Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall’s collection of London’s ghost signs from the 1980s and 90s are part of a wider set of historically significant images.
10 May 2022
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Tooting Ghost Signs for Gowns and Grooves
Digging into the Tooting ghost signs for gowns and grooves revealed on Mitcham Road.
29 Mar 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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Advertising Time Capsules in Paris and London
In the London Underground and Paris Metro these advertising time capsules show original posters dating from the 1950s and earlier, as revealed by works.
29 Dec 2021
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Redfern’s Rubber Heels Make Walking a Pleasure Again in Islington
Between a Redfern’s Rubber Heels ghost sign and its partial whitewash in Islington was a mystery layer with pink background. Until now…
14 Dec 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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Return of the Poland Street Ghost Signs
Art restorers Plowden & Smith have brought back the pair of ghost signs at the entrance to the car park on Poland Street, funded by Westminster Council.
13 Sep 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
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Getting Closer to André Perot’s Faux Ghost Sign on Park Street
A ‘faux’ ghost sign for André Perot near Borough Market prompts an investigation of films and TV series using the location for sets.
5 Apr 2021
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A Sly Fox (& Sons) on Hither Green Lane
Unlocking the mystery of the Fox & Sons ghost sign on HIther Green Lane, Lewisham.
22 Mar 2021
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When Haig Finally Became Vague (RIP)
When Haig finally became vague, documents the one-time ghost sign at Milkwell Yard in Camberwell, which was cleaned to oblivion in 2017.
22 Feb 2021
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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?
11 Jan 2021
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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.
28 Dec 2020
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22 Hovis Ghost Signs Across the Capital
Documentation of Hovis ghost signs across London, including archival photos and contextual research.
21 Dec 2020
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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.
14 Dec 2020
