Press

Liverpool Ghost Signs on TV

This was broadcast on ITV Granada on Sunday, 31st January and featured Caroline & Phil Bunford who have added their collection of signs from Liverpool to the archive.  This follows up the piece on the BBC Liverpool website. Well done Caroline, look out for more coverage of the project in the coming months. [Update: Liverpool […]

2 Feb 2010

Project press (BBC Liverpool)

Caroline has secured the first press coverage for the archive and her work capturing signs in Liverpool.  Read the full story on the BBC Liverpool website. If anyone else has any contacts that would be interested in covering the 18th March launch then get in touch. [Update: Liverpool Ghost Signs book now published.]

15 Jan 2010

Chatting with the Ritual Project

I did an interview with the New York project as it reaches its climax. Read it in full here and find out more about their work here.

1 Dec 2009

Black Cat Audio

Fascinating audio giving some history behind the Black Cat sign on Dingley Road, EC1.  This includes the observation that the growth of the cigarette industry in the early part of the last century was partly fuelled by the fact that soldiers fighting in the war were given fags in their rations. They then got hooked […]

27 Nov 2009

Londonist

I was interviewed by Jaz over at the Londonist blog a couple of weeks back and this was published on Monday.  It’s always nice to get some profile for the project, even nicer that this came as a result of other bloggers citing it in their earlier interviews for Londonist. Anyway, check it out here.

18 Nov 2009

Surrey Mirror

The appearance of this sign in Redhill, Surrey acted as a catalyst for an article on the subject of ghostsigns in the Surrey Mirror.  This was kindly sent to me by David Griffiths as it wasn’t published on their website. Some pictures of the other signs that get referenced can be seen here. Click on […]

14 Nov 2009

My Merton

Yelfy over at Faded London has just had a nice piece published by local magazine ‘My Merton’ which includes a picture of the full sign above with the covering billboard removed.  Also read Yelfy’s post about the article. Nice work Yelfy!

6 Jul 2009

Time Out Blog

I wrote a piece for the Time Out blog which covers a little of the personal journey I’ve been on over the last three years on the project.  Its interesting to reflect on how far things have come in such a short space of time, especially considering that I’ve also moved house, completed a masters […]

1 Jun 2009

Oxford Times

  Owen alerted me to a recent feature in the Oxford Times and kindly sent through these clippings which I’ve scanned.  While Oxford wasn’t an industrial centre like London or Leeds it still has its fair share of old painted signage. This is more evidence of the ubiquity of Ghost Signs and another organisation (Fat […]

24 Feb 2009

Exhibition & Press (USA)

Letitia Street at Market Street in Olde City, by Lawrence O’Toole Lawrence O’Toole from the The Philadelphia Ghost Sign Project has secured a month long exhibition at the PRIMER Microstudio.  For those readers who live anywhere near this it would be worth getting along, above is one example from Lawrence’s collection. In addition to this […]

7 Feb 2009

Ultrabold (Part 2)

Following the earlier mini-feature in the Ultrabold journal a longer photo feature has now made its way into the latest edition.  Thank you to Simon for doing a fantastic job on the layout, do grab yourself a copy. Or, if you’re too lazy, you can read a lower quality version with the scans below. [Update: […]

1 Jan 2009

Ghost Signs on Radio

Listen here. If you’re not familiar with the show it features lots of good music but also has a regular slot where you can call in with something ‘mysterious’ you’ve spotted around London and other listeners then phone in to help unravel the mystery. A couple of weeks ago they were talking about the Herbrand […]

27 Jun 2008

Ultrabold

Simon got in touch a while back asking if I could write a short piece for the Ultrabold magazine, the quarterly journal of St Bride Library. This is a specialist library and archive of print, graphic design, typography and more in Fleet Street. (Which reminds me that my visit is now well overdue!) The outcome […]

17 Jun 2008

Pulse of the Planet

A while ago I submitted some photos and general information to a competition run by USA science website Pulse of the Planet. And I won (!) with this picture of one of my personal favourites from Stoke Newington Church Street, N16. Interestingly one of the two runners up prizes went to another Stoke Newington sign […]

2 Dec 2007

Philadelphia Press

Lawrence O’Toole who has been documenting Ghost Signs in Philadelphia, USA got some press on his project recently in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read the full piece here [Jan 2012: Link no longer available] and visit Lawrence’s blog here for some great pictures. This adds to the growing levels of press.

18 Nov 2007

Literary London Article (Part One)

Sebastian Groes and I have been working on a Ghost Signs article in response to the presentation we gave at the annual Literary London Festival.  This looks broadly at the signs in the context of London and discusses what they symbolise and represent for the city. There are also some practical discussions about the techniques […]

14 Nov 2007

The Post (18th October)

Kathryn passed me this, which appears to have come as a follow up to the recent piece in the South London Press.  The article talks about the Streatham Society trying to get this great Portogram sign protected and also features the question to Mayor Ken again. I’ve tried to get in touch wth John Brown […]

10 Nov 2007

Colossal Media Press

While looking again at the Colossal Media site I came across this really nice spread they got in the New York Times back in October 2006.  I think they’re onto a great thing and the fact that big name clients such as Absolut, H&M and Stella Artois are buying in implies that others would agree.

16 Oct 2007

Hackney Gazette

Yesterday (11th October) the Hackney Gazette did a nice spread on the project.  I had a few photos taken for this, some of them very cheesy, so I was quite pleased with their eventual selection. It was great to see some more of my pictures in print, especially those that are most local to me. […]

12 Oct 2007

London Tonight

Last night (27th September) there was a feature on London Tonight all about Ghost Signs in London and how they should be protected. I was interviewed for the piece and Alistair Stewart commented that it was a “masterpiece”. High praise indeed!

27 Sep 2007

South London Press

Today there was a feature in the South London Press about protecting ghost signs.  This came on the back of the question to Mayor Ken. Although not credited, the Picture Post photo is one of mine and Robert has added some research to this. I get a mention with a couple of quotes on the […]

25 Sep 2007

Protecting Ghost Signs

It seems from people I’ve spoken to that it is very difficult to protect signs from distruction or being covered up.  However some notable exceptions exist such as the Bile Beans restoration project, the baker in Islington and now a judge has ruled in favour of a ghost sign and against a major outdoor advertising […]

21 Jun 2007

Louis Sheldon-Williams

  Louis Sheldon-Williams is a fellow Ghost Sign enthusiast and held an exhibition of his photos in 2003. He refers to them as “commercial archeaology” and makes reference to advertising being the second oldest profession.  He has also campaigned for the protection of these signs but with much resistance. Shown here [Update: Image expired] is a […]

19 Jun 2007

Shop Local

Not all Brickads are Ghost Signs and the most recent examples I know of are from artist Bob and Roberta Smith as part of his ‘Shop Local’ campaign at Peer Gallery.  This involved bringing together artists and sign writers to recreate the old style of advertising on behalf of local Hoxton businesses. This photo is […]

18 Jun 2007