UK

Mapping Ghostsigns

Here’s a neat little thing, all the postcodes in the archive so far plotted onto a map.  This gives a really good sense of just how much this is becoming a nationwide project thanks to all the efforts of those submitting their photos to the Flickr group. If you go to the map proper then […]

22 Jun 2009

Chemists & Health

Some great signs in the category of Chemists, Medical & Health.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs […]

20 Jun 2009

Household & Furniture

Some great signs in the category of Household & Furniture.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs from […]

3 Jun 2009

H H stark (RIP)

Having only very recently featured in the montage for Travel & Transport I learn from sarflondondunc that this sign is no more.  The building has been knocked down to make way for new flats (see 2007 status below). Another one bites the dust… Photo by sarflondondunc

31 May 2009

Travel & Transport

Some great signs in the category of Travel & Transport.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs from the UK or Ireland then please […]

27 May 2009

Latest Received (sort of…)

Its been a while since I’ve posted some images received and I’ll probably be doing less of this as the Flickr group for the ghostsigns archive is now the natural home for all submissions, at least those from the UK and Ireland. However, I’ve been sitting on some pictures for a while now which its […]

25 May 2009

Shoes & Clothing

Slightly less material in the Shoes & Clothing category.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs from the UK or Ireland then please get […]

21 May 2009

Food & Drink

So the Food & Drink category was a popular one with plenty of material submitted to the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive.  Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs, adding to last week’s on Booze & Fags. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep […]

16 May 2009

Booze & Fags 2

Since creating the montage of signs received in the Booze & Fags category a handful more have been added to the pool which are worth sharing (see below). I’m currently working on Food & Drink and it feels like the archive is finally arriving. A striking gable end for Hemmingways brewery in Leeds taken by […]

13 May 2009

Booze & Fags

So the archive is going well, there are now over 130 members who have collectively contributed over 850 pictures.  Thank you all, keep up the good work. If you not involved yet then get on board and find out more before adding your pictures. The approach I’m going to take from now on is to […]

10 May 2009

Jack Daniels Update

Sheffield, Photo by Nicky Roberts My Aunt captured the above picture in Sheffield recently (Westfield Terrace, just off West Stand). This adds to the growing number of locations in this nationwide campaign by Jack Daniels (see previous posts). Photos of those discovered so far are below (Brighton, Bristol, Leicester & Newcastle), and, awaiting photographic evidence, […]

29 Apr 2009

Google Street View

I’ve been geotagging lots of my pictures on Flickr for the UK Ghost Signs archive project. In order to get postcodes for some of the locations I’ve also been putting the street names into Google Maps. If you haven’t come across it already then you must check out Google Street View. They’ve taken what must […]

29 Mar 2009

The Archive Kicks Off

The response to getting this archive off the ground has been fantastic, thank you all for your enthusiasm and efforts so far. There are already 60 members in the Flickr Group and over 450 images contributed. Below are some of my favourites so far, just some of the evidence that the archive is going to […]

23 Mar 2009

Maggie Jones joins the archive

Maggie Jones has signed up to contribute her work to the UK Ghost Signs archive.  Here’s one of my favourites from her set, a new addition to the Hovis collection, this one from Tooting in South London. You can get involved too, more information here and the Flickr group here.

22 Mar 2009

Ghost Signs, The Archive

[The following blog post was written in March 2009 and signified the start of the effort to create a Ghostsigns Archive. This has been realised with the archive opening for business on 19th March 2010. Visit this page for more information.] So, what’s this new look banner on the blog? It’s the start of a […]

21 Mar 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

Ghost Signs Received

Having been busy on my dissertation I have been neglecting to feature all the signs that I get sent by friends and readers of this blog. The last time I did a profile like this was back in March 2008 when I showed some examples from London, Europe and the USA. So here are some […]

29 Jan 2009

James Ashby & Sons (Rose Brand Fine Teas)

James Ashby & Sons, Union Street, SE1 Rachel at Jerwood Space recently told me that the building at 195-205 Union Street is currently awaiting final confirmation of its demolition and development. It may not be long before the building and its little piece of ghost sign history is lost forever so I got down there […]

12 Dec 2008

The Return of Boyd Pianos

I saw the above headline come through on my RSS feed from Flickr and I was very excited to see the news from Fin Fahey that the classic Boyd Pianos sign has returned after being covered for some time. Perhaps something similar might happen to the old Redferns double-bill in Wandsworth one day… Good spot […]

20 Nov 2008

Stuart Free

For my birthday earlier this week my girlfriend bought me a limited edition print from north London artist Stuart Free. It is a painting depicting the distinctive Donovan Bros. shopfront in Spitalfields which has always been one of my favourite sites in London. [Update here.] Stuart clearly produced this painting before the sign was recently […]

11 Sep 2008

Hovis Update

Some time ago Rosemary tipped me off about this well preserved Hovis sign just off Green Lanes in Harringey which I’ve now got round to photographing. It is an excellent example, well preserved, and strikingly similar to the one in Islington (see below) in terms of the logo and design.  However, the slogans differ, this […]

10 Sep 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

One Year On (www.ghostsigns.co.uk)

It has now been a year since I started writing this blog and making posts relating to research and other areas of interest. My first ever post showed the sign that first inspired me and, as fate would have it, has been selected by youtube for the still to introduce my latest Ghost Signs video/slideshow […]

16 Jun 2008

Derelict London Part 2

Since my post last year on Pall Talling’s Derelict London site he has had his work published in a book.  It makes for fascinating reading and is truly inclusive of the whole city. The book is divided into sections along the lines of those featured on his site such as ‘Houses & Flats’, ‘Pubs & […]

31 May 2008