Wanstead's handsome sign was installed in 2010. It shows the old coat of arms of Wanstead and Woodford Borough Council. Image: Matt Brown
Greater London is, essentially, a collection of ancient villages. We don't notice it so much in the inner boroughs. Places like Brixton, Kensington, Hackney and Lewisham do not evoke the whiff of cowpat and song of the skylark. But all were once villages, formed in the Anglo-Saxon period and retaining a village feel up to the industrial age.
Move further out, and many London localities *do* take on a village-y feel. These typically are the smaller settlements that retain village greens, medieval churches and (decommissioned) water pumps. But it's the painted sign that best signals villagehood. These are more common that you might think. The best signs not only look attractive and serve as a community focus, but also reveal historical notes about the village. And, perhaps surprisingly, almost all of them date from the 21st century.
Let's take a look at a few...
Woodford Green puts cricket, that perennial favourite of any proper village green, front and centre. Nearby, we see a cow grazing, the local church of St Paul, and the statue of Winston Churchill, who long served as MP for the area. Image: Matt BrownHam is a leafy, affluent area between Richmond and Kingston. Its village sign again gives prominence to the cricketing arts. The top of the sign is decorated with the area's most famous landmark, Ham House. The abstract emblem is from the coat of arms of the Tollemache family, who owned Ham House. The significance of the woodpecker is less certain — perhaps simply a nod to the tree coverage in these parts. Image: Matt BrownHarefield in north-west London has a highly inventive, three-dimensional sign. The leaping hare as a fairly obvious rebus of the place name. The inclusion of Australia on the wire globe is a reference to the Australian military hospital, present here during the first world war. The hearts on the name ring remind us of Harefield Hospital's pioneering contribution to heart transplants. Image: Matt Brown The sign in Wanstead is double-sided (see top of article for the other side). This face shows three local buildings: at top is the ornamental drinking fountain near the tube station, then we have Christ Church and St Mary the Virgin. The horse-chestnut leaves are symbolic of Redbridge Borough Council. Image: Matt BrownHavering-atte-Bower (the middle bit is pronounced "atter") is a delightful village to the north of Romford. Its village sign was unveiled in 2010 by then-Mayor Boris Johnson (a pair of stocks can be found just to the left of this photo, which would seem a better pairing for this disgraced numbat of a man). The sign depicts the medieval Havering Palace (long gone), the local church (the real thing is a few metres away, so this seems a bit redundant), and the coat of arms of the London Borough of Havering. The date of 1042 is the first regnal year of Edward the Confessor, who was (probably) the first to hold it. Image: Matt BrownMill Hill village has one of London shortest 'High Streets'. It also has a simple if handsome sign. Its meaning is self explanatory. This is Mill Hill. Mill Hill was once a hill with windmills. So here is a windmill. Image: Matt BrownDowne was famously home to Charles Darwin, whose dwelling was confusingly called Down House (which you can, and should, visit). There he is on the tripartite village sign, accompanied by the local church and the Invicta logo of Kent (which Downe hasn't been administratively part of since 1965). Image: Matt BrownDowne's neighbouring village of Cudham goes for a very different look with this mosaic village sign. Unveiled in 2001, it shows the local church of St Peter and St Paul, the Blacksmith's Arms pub, and the Domesday Book, which contains the first record of Cudham. Image: David Anstiss, creative commons.Hayes (the one in Bromley) also goes for the mosaic look. This sign from 2002 shows two local landmarks, St Mary the Virgin church and Hayes Place. The latter was home to William Pitts the Elder and Younger, and the political duo are depicted above like ghostly presences. A Kent Invicta can also be seen. Image: David Anstiss, creative commonsNew Eltham is not your traditional ye olde village. Its roots are as recent as 1878, when New Eltham railway station opened, hence the prominent depiction of a steam locomotive on the sign. It's about to be thwacked by a giant golf club, which is always a possibility in this area, which features several courses (including a quirky dinosaur golf course, which really should be on the sign). Other sporting motifs show what an active village this is. The beehive is a reference to the local pub of that name, while the background shows local housing that's well out of our price range. Image: Ethan Doyle White, creative commonsClose to New Eltham, Mottingham has adopted a similar style for its sign. And, boy, has it gone big with the cricketing motif. Mottingham has a bigger boast than most in this respect. WG Grace lived nearby. I have to confess that I can find no explanation for the tiny row of houses up in the tree. Perhaps such Lilliputian housing is all that's affordable in Mottingham these days. The AD 862 refers to the first mention of Mottingham. Image: David Anstiss, creative commonsKeston in Bromley's village sign, erected in 2013, is relatively easy to interpret. The windmill of 1716 still exists and is Grade I listed. The church is medieval and, unusually, has no dedication to any saint. The stone foundations to the top-left show the 3rd century mausoleum, discovered to the south of the village. The central date of 55 BC is ludicrously early for a London place. An Iron Age encampment was present hereabouts, but the date refers to the year Julius Caesar passed through on his short reconnaissance mission to southern England. The sign features other local landmarks on the reverse, including Caesar's Well and the Wilberforce Oak. Image: Ethan Doyle White, creative commonsDown in Croydon, Addington Village's sign quite simply depicts the St Mary the Blessed Virgin church, which stands nearby, and is the resting place of five Archbishops of Canterbury. They all spent time at Addington Palace, another historically-rich building which can still be found in Addington. In fact, you can get married at either of these buildings. Image: Londonist
