The former William Cook and Sons Ltd, Saw Manufacturers, building on Houldsworth Street in the Anderston area of Glasgow. Built with polychromatic brick around 1870 (making it one of the oldest surviving buildings in the local area), it has some nice ghost signs along both its facades.
Angelo Brocato. Ursulines St French Quarter. Ice cream shop here 1921 - 1981.
Cigars & Tobacco. Camp Street, Central Business District. Probably for Lannis Bros Cigars, here c. 1889 - 1905.
J. Disimone’s Restaurant. Carondelet Street, Uptown. The “597” was the address before 1895 renumbering.
4)“For Restful Sleep”. Broad, Mid-City. Sandman logo of Crescent Bed factory here 1910-1961. @noladon #NOLA#NewOrleans#GhostSigns#Tiles#TilesTuesday
"'From my research, the best thing to do with any of these signs is to leave them as they are,' McConahay said. 'But from a heritage preservation standpoint, these signs are really important to the community.'"
These are not mutually exclusive. In fact, their importance to the community could be related to their faded states, and so leaving them alone could satisfy everyone...
My only in-person walking tour for 2024 is in Stoke Newington on Saturday, 24 August.
I am excited to get back on the street to introduce guests to the wonderful ghost signs in the area that I first started documenting and researching these remnants of advertising past.
Catch them while you can; ghost signs don't last forever.
Sadly, when John Connell headed out to photograph this multi-layered palimpsest in Wakefield, it was gone, lost to aggresive cleaning of the brick between 2016–23.
My guess is that this was an off licence, but maybe someone with local knowledge might remember?
New Orleans stale beer signs volume II, Regal edition. (Regal was brewed by American Brewing Company on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter c 1891-1961)
Elizabeth's Restaurant, Bywater (old signage since restored)
@Infrogmation@noladon FYI, some folks who are interested in old advertising signs on buildings use the term "ghost signs" and will happily find posts like this if you add hashtags such as #ghostsign#ghostsigns
I just added EIGHTEEN new signs to the San Francisco Ghost Sign Mapping Project -- including some new Lipton Tea window signs in the Mission and a fabulous secret Carnation sign on Nob Hill.
Appreciate my mapping work? Consider throwing me a buck or two on Patreon. #ghostsigns#sfba
The main facade of the former Broome and Green fruit merchants building just off Candleriggs in Glasgow. Hidden away in an internal courtyard, this rather elegant building has been swallowed up by the newer developments which now surround it and so is rarely seen by those exploring the city.
Many of these themes run through my Stoke Newington Ghostsigns Walk (https://ghostsigns.co.uk/tours), questioning what has legitimacy on the street, and who decides.
It's all offered free of charge to broaden access, but for those that can, a suggested $10 contribution to the running costs is appreciated: https://bl.ag/tip.
Please #Boost to help reach more people that might like to indulge in these adventures in sign painting.
The Light Capsules initiative from Craig Winslow had me hooked from the moment I saw it.
Craig's latest installation in Winnipeg was the 'Ghost Sign Corner' feature in BLAG 04 (https://bl.ag/04) and he will be sharing a little of that at this weekend's BLAG Meet, before diving into some of his process, and what's in the pipeline for future installations.
Craig's session is one of 18 across 11 hours, all online and free to join: https://bl.ag/meet.
Follow the link above for news of ghost signs lost, partially destroyed, and 'brought back' from the dead, as change is the only constant in the capital.
By way of a brief introduction, I'm Sam Roberts, author of Ghost Signs: A London Story (pictured, and at https://ghostsigns.co.uk/book), leader of the Ghostsigns Walking Tours (https://ghostsigns.co.uk/tours), and all-round ghost sign and sign painting obsessive.
I'm planning to use @pixelfed to periodically share photos of ghost signs, which may be my own, or may have been shared by others.
I'm halfway through making much-needed updates to the San Francisco Bay Area Ghost Sign Map! This has included surveying current sign status, adding historical photos, adding historical newspaper articles, and expanding the depth/breadth of historical research on each sign and building. #sfba#ghostsignshttps://www.patreon.com/posts/map-updates-for-92145185
The cart entrance to the old Crown Mill on Washington Street in the Anderston Area of Glasgow. This Italianate building was constructed in 1862, but all that is now left is the boarded up ground floor. However, you can still see traces of the company's name as a ghost sign above the door.