Transport

Follow the Tram Lines to the Mann Egerton Reveal in Norwich

Alex Clayton sent me photos of this recent reveal in Norwich. Located at Magdalen Road (opposite Whalebone Freehouse), it advertises the Mann Egerton & Co Garage, and is a classic gable-end ghost sign. It was covered, and partly protected, by a billboard as shown in the streetview capture below. However, at some other time, the […]

5 Oct 2018

For Hire: Stunning Reveal near Columbia Road Market

Via Amanda Jacks on Twitter I was alerted to the reveal of this ghost sign near Columbia Road Market. It’s at the junction of Ravenscroft Street and Wellington Row. The text at the bottom is clearly ‘For Hire’ with the firm’s name being either O. or D. Leakin. (If anyone has street directories then feel […]

15 Dec 2017

Cars No Longer Wanted: RIP

This car dealership sign has been recently whitewashed, as discovered while cycling past today. However, was it ever a ghostsign, given that the dealership remains in business at the same location? The sign had clearly fallen into disrepair, but was not completely abandoned. This has always been one of my London favourites, mainly due to […]

3 Sep 2014

Ghostsign building wrap from the culture+typography blog

I’ve just started following the culture+typography blog which is a regular source of interesting observations on lettering and signage in the public sphere.  Above is an image from blog author Nikki Villagomez from this post about an entire building wrapped in a ghostsign for Liberty Tire.  It is a great discovery from Cincinnati, and could […]

30 Jun 2012

Mid-20th Century photos of King’s Cross featuring some painted ads

This set of photos shows what King’s Cross was like 60 years ago with the odd painted ad caught inadvertently by what appears to have been a bus enthusiast.  The one above features a shop sign for Freeman, Hardy & Willis, and there’s this one too.  The full set here.

19 Feb 2012

49 New Signs

Since handing over day-to-day responsibility for the archive to the History of Advertising Trust there has been a steady influx of new material. 49 new signs have been uploaded to the online galleries and this means that c.750 are now documented through the collective efforts of photographers across the country. I’ve listed the codes for […]

5 Aug 2011