Psychogeography inspired urban wandering around London, various doorway mosaics and ghost signs

Work has been far too busy over the past few weeks, so this is my first post for a while. I thought today I would share some pictures of doorway mosaics and ghost signs taken from a few psychogeography inspired urban wanders around London.

This first doorway mosaic is one I have run past many times as I take an early morning run along to Hyde Park, but I'm usually far too focused on the run, or more likely out of breath to stop and take a photo. The building which this mosaic sits outside of has 3 inset windows or doorways, and each one has the same mosaic

CANDY

Doorway mosaic, Notting Hill Gate, London

This next picture is not a mosaic by any stretch of the imagination, but it does adorn a doorway, and I wonder if maybe there was a mosaic in the lower, inset part at one stage.

JAY

Doorway, Islington, London

No doubt about this one being a mosaic. Not sure what RG stood for though.

RG

Doorway mosaic, Islington, London

I'm sure at one time this would have been a magnificent ghost sign, but I'm struggling to make out any of the words on this one.

Ghost sign, Islington, London

    

An Urban Wander from Paddington to Hammersmith

With some time on my hands, and some reasonably favourable weather, I ended up walking between meetings rather than getting the tube. The pictures are commentary below are from my latest Urban Wander, which once more took me through some familiar territory, but with a new set of eyes.

The first picture is of a huge ghost sign just above Bayswater tube station. I cannot decipher the brand but I can make out the words

SAFETY

RAZORS

AND

BLADES

The manufacturer may be Gilette, or possibly Cleemak, but that's based on having seen previous shaving adverts and not from what I can (or can't) make out in this sign. There's also some italicised writing in the bottom left hand corner which reads

HE

NOW

?????

SHAVES

Ghost sign for Safety Razors and Blades, Bayswater, London

 This next ghost sign is in Notting Hill Gate. Being a music enthusiast, and one time devout record collector, I must have walked through Notting Hill Gate hundreds of times but only saw this ghost sign for the first time last week. It's slightly curious that the right hand third of the sign is missing. It doesn't look as though it's been painted over, and there's no suggestion that a building was once built right up against this one, thus overwriting the sign.

DUNDEE

MARMALADE

THE

FINEST

EVER

Ghost sign for Dundee Marmalade, Notting Hill Gate

After having walked through what felt like prime ghost sign spotting territory, I ventured south along side Holland Park. No ghost signs here but still plenty of places of interest. Until I discovered ghost signs, one of my previous passions had been London Mews, and Holland Park Mews was one I'd never seen before. Whilst many other mews are hidden away and quite understated, this one was very grand, with it's own signed entrance.

Holland Park Mews, London

Holland Park Mews, London

The last picture from this Urban Wander is one I've been trying to get for a while now, but it's in quite an awkward place. The sign is actually on the back of a building along the London Overground line, just before Kensington Olympia station as you approach from the south. I had to stand up tall and hold the phone over my head to get this picture above the parapet of the bridge crossing the railway line. Apart from the first two letters possibly being "RE" the rest is a bit of a mystery.

Ghost sign near Kensington Olympia station, London