My second urban wander of the day was out to
Shoreditch. This has been on the “to do” list for a while now so I was
quite excited at finally being able to make it. There were so many
interesting buildings and railway bridges in various
states of disrepair, that I could have taken 100’s of photos. Instead
however I decided, for this visit anyway, to focus on ghost signs, of
which there were an abundance.
Well, actually the first one is not a ghost sign in
the true sense of the phrase, i.e. it is not a painted sign which now
only has feint lettering visible, but this is a rusting sign of a disused car
park and petrol station on Curtain Street. The
car park sign boasts the Meyers Bros Parking System which is a US based car parking company founded in 1964. The car park still exists but the petrol station is long gone
and has been replaced, like so many, by a hand car wash.
Next we have a real ghost sign, also on Curtain
Street. The only lettering I can make out is “NET FACTOR” but looking at
the right justification of the lettering against the lighter
background, I would assume that there was either some
sort of logo, or perhaps more letters on the left.
Unlike other places I’ve been and taken photos, I
felt a bit conspicuous in some areas of Shoreditch, so I don’t actually
remember where the next ghost sign was. There was an even better one on
the front of the building, but that would
have really been too much in the faces of the people standing directly
beneath it, so I had to settle for the “R.HOLLINGTON” one on the side of
the building instead.
The next three are all of the same company, W.A.Hudson Ltd., Furnishing Brassfounders, and again just off Curtain Road. When I was taking the first photo I didn't realise that it was partially obscured by a branch from a nearby tree, which slightly spoilt what would otherwise have been a great shot.
No branhces in the way of the next two photos though.
Of the three photos I took of the ghost signs of W.A.Hudson Ltd., this is my favourite. I particularly like the striking contrast of the blue woodwork against the brickwork. It's unfortunately a little grainy (as after all I was only using a mobile phone) and it's a shame about the glare from the windows in the top two doors. And interestingly, a very similar picture graces the cover of a book called Behind the Veneer: South Shoreditch - The Furniture Trade and Its Buildings: The South Shoreditch Furniture Trade and Its Buildings.
My penultimate photo is of a ghost sign unlike any
other I’ve seen before. This is a very thin and very tall sign, “POULTON
& NICHOLSON” written top to bottom. It looks like there may have
been a sign to the left of this at some stage given
the difference in brick colours.
By the time I found my final ghost sign it was
beginning to get dark, so unfortunately the quality of this last picture
is not that good. However it was such a great ghost sign I felt
obligated to share it. The advertisement if for Gillette
blades, and it runs not only across the wall of the building but also out
on to the chimney breast as well. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to revisit
in better light in the not too distant future, and if I’m honest I’m pretty sure I only scraped the surface
of Shoreditch, so there’s plenty more scope for a return visit.
Ghost sign for Gillette Blades, Shoreditch, London EC2
Love the Gillette Blades sign!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Just a shame the light was fading. Will definitely have to pay a return visit.
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