The Woolhampton Bakery Compendium of Ghost Signs
Discussion
There are 2 fading painted signs on the Shore Road in Belfast and Newtownabbey, Co Antrim on the gable ends of red brick houses. One for Coca Cola (pre 'Coke' days) and one for India tyres. I'll get photos next time I'm in the area. Sad to see them fading away in recent years. Really wish they were restored.
Overlooked this thread, so here's one I can think of (prob more) in my home town of Witney, Oxfordshire.
Has housed several businesses over many years inc hotel to jewellers to undertakers, called Gloster House (the side road is 'Gloucester' Place - spelt correctly, perhaps it's something like the aircraft company that changed its name from Gloucestershire Aircraft Company to Gloster Aircraft Company in the 20s because overseas customers couldn't spell Gloucester!
State of the road in this one!
Nicely resurfaced road by now.
In case you're wondering about the pic with the bike 'badly parked!' was taken by a lady who'd just bought the bike brand new and was fascinated by the ghost signage so put her bike in the pic she took.
you can just make out 'Gloucester Place' sign on last pic (all nicked from local facebook group - I'll try and get a up to date pic tomorrow).
Has housed several businesses over many years inc hotel to jewellers to undertakers, called Gloster House (the side road is 'Gloucester' Place - spelt correctly, perhaps it's something like the aircraft company that changed its name from Gloucestershire Aircraft Company to Gloster Aircraft Company in the 20s because overseas customers couldn't spell Gloucester!
State of the road in this one!
Nicely resurfaced road by now.
In case you're wondering about the pic with the bike 'badly parked!' was taken by a lady who'd just bought the bike brand new and was fascinated by the ghost signage so put her bike in the pic she took.
you can just make out 'Gloucester Place' sign on last pic (all nicked from local facebook group - I'll try and get a up to date pic tomorrow).
I'm really pleased I'm not the only nutter who loves this stuff. I think they should all be listed and the building owners made to restore them. I was recently doing some work out in Milan, next door was an old garage with the most wonderfully faded Alfa Romeo sign drawn onto the brickwork as you went down to a small underground carpark.
stu67 said:
I'm really pleased I'm not the only nutter who loves this stuff. I think they should all be listed and the building owners made to restore them. I was recently doing some work out in Milan, next door was an old garage with the most wonderfully faded Alfa Romeo sign drawn onto the brickwork as you went down to a small underground carpark.
I agree.Slightly off topic but again for nutters!
When I was a kid in the 50s there was a clock/watchmaker named John Fletcher near my gran and gramps (his son is today the famous Steve Fletcher and appears on the Beeb's The Repair Shop). On old Mr Fletcher's garage door he didn't have a window, he placed an old 50s b/w TV screen which was if I recall to stop the CRT should it explode from shattering (or something like that). Bit of trivia for those interested.
Carry on topic.
dandarez said:
I agree.
Slightly off topic but again for nutters!
When I was a kid in the 50s there was a clock/watchmaker named John Fletcher near my gran and gramps (his son is today the famous Steve Fletcher and appears on the Beeb's The Repair Shop). On old Mr Fletcher's garage door he didn't have a window, he placed an old 50s b/w TV screen which was if I recall to stop the CRT should it explode from shattering (or something like that). Bit of trivia for those interested.
Carry on topic.
Slightly off topic but again for nutters!
When I was a kid in the 50s there was a clock/watchmaker named John Fletcher near my gran and gramps (his son is today the famous Steve Fletcher and appears on the Beeb's The Repair Shop). On old Mr Fletcher's garage door he didn't have a window, he placed an old 50s b/w TV screen which was if I recall to stop the CRT should it explode from shattering (or something like that). Bit of trivia for those interested.
Carry on topic.
So much more stylish than new screen protectors which are flat and rectangular. If you used a new one it would just look like a window.
Latest from our Roving Reporter formerly known as The Crack Fox:
Smith's Hygienic Bakery in Oakham which, CF adds, is a really lovely little town.
Plus, in a new development, The Crack Fox was sent a pic of ancient directions to the nearest Renault dealer by a friend in France which he then sent on to us.
Thanks to The Crack Fox and Les Pandre.
Smith's Hygienic Bakery in Oakham which, CF adds, is a really lovely little town.
Plus, in a new development, The Crack Fox was sent a pic of ancient directions to the nearest Renault dealer by a friend in France which he then sent on to us.
Thanks to The Crack Fox and Les Pandre.
The old White Horse Pub, now a house, on White Horse Lane near Harvel
https://goo.gl/maps/spr3eh7Uu9hnnKQDA
https://goo.gl/maps/spr3eh7Uu9hnnKQDA
DickyC said:
The Author formerly known as The Crack Fox sent me this:
It's in the Seven Dials area of London.
There's a story there. I shall investigate, but anyone who knows any of the background please enlighten us.
Right. Not a complete failure. Armstrong Siddeley's Wikipedia page makes no mention of Connaught Coachworks. Connaught Coachworks doesn't seem to have any connection to Connaught Cars of "the first 4WD Grand Prix car" fame. Armstrongs are worth reading up about - Armstrongs, Armstrong Siddeley, Armstrong Whitworth, Vickers Armstongs all related. No pics yet of the building in the old days. But I did find these:It's in the Seven Dials area of London.
There's a story there. I shall investigate, but anyone who knows any of the background please enlighten us.
The building is on the corner of Mercer Street and Long Acre.
Berkeley Square? Claridge's? Blimey.
As a little lad in the sixties, the chap over the road had an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. It seemed very grand. He was a lovely guy, ex-Army. Definitely officer type, such a gent. Been through the war but didn't talk about it. My mum decided to collect for the Poppy Appeal one year and I tagged along with her. We knocked on his door and he put a ten pound note in her collecting pot. It was a lot of money - a few years later my weekly wage as an apprentice was £8. One afternoon he stopped and gave me a lift home from the bus stop, The door handle all but came away in my hand. He apologised!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-647983...
Bit of a thread revival, an artist recording ghost signs in Bradford, there is even a fanzine.
Bit of a thread revival, an artist recording ghost signs in Bradford, there is even a fanzine.
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