A growing map catalogues the capital's faded adverts.
Spotted a ghost sign? These are the giant adverts painted decades, sometimes centuries ago onto London's walls. You may have seen the great BOVRIL sign in Windrush Square, Brixton, or one of the Bryant and May safety match murals that decorate Earl's Court, New Cross and other places.
Now there's a map. Sam Roberts and Roy Reed, long-time chroniclers of London's ghost signs, have pinpointed the locations of 1,001 examples in Greater London. From Barnet in the north to Sutton in the south; Barking in the east to Hounslow in the west.
The map was started by Sam and Roy during the compilation of their book Ghost Signs: A London Story, as a way to keep track of the 250 signs included in that project. It has since grown significantly, often with the help of fellow ghost-sign spotters.
Says Sam: "[the map] reached 1,000 pinned signs this month when Roger Chicken’s 12-year-old son spotted a very faded panel on the wall of 86 Bromley High Street". We can thank "Flickr's StockCarPete" for number 1,001, which is a sign for Perkins Wine and Spirit Importers on Junction Road, Archway.
Importantly, the map collects together not only still-visible ghost signs, but also examples that have disappeared in recent years, usually because of redevelopment. It is an important document of London's changing streetscape.
The project has always been a collaborative, community effort, and the map will continue to grow. As we were preparing this article, a 1,002nd entry hit the map. As Sam tells us:
"On Wednesday, 18 September, a decorator was carrying out external repairs on the Kensington Church Street side of 1 Bedford Gardens, W8, revealing a fragment of old painted signage in the process. This was opportunistically snapped by Nina Harrison who sent me the photo."
"Onwards to 2,000!," says Sam.
The London Ghost Signs map can be found here. If you've spotted a London ghost sign that is not on the map, Sam would love to hear from you (though do double-check the sign isn't already on the map).
