Websites: www.bl.ag and www.ghostsigns.co.uk 35 Issue 256 - December 2024 / January 2025 email: editor@signlink.co.uk ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS GHOST SIGN CORNER: J.A. & G.E. SMITH, ST JAMES, LONDON A ghost sign’s existence is a precarious one – if it’s not the slow fade to nothing caused by the sun, then the demolition of its host building will lead to a sudden demise. In the case of this East London sign, it was the whitewash of redecoration that brought an abrupt end to its life. While the surviving sign was incomplete – the central section was protected by a covering billboard until about 2015 – its loss erases layers of paint that represented over 100 years of history. The former pawnbrokers at this location was first established by Albert Pocock in 1901, with the Smiths taking over in the 1920s. It was their signage that survived in palimpsest, with at least two different iterations being painted one over the other. However, all may not be lost. In time, if allowed to do so, the whitewash will fade, once again revealing the letters and advertising for J.A. & G.E. Smith. And, perhaps even later, the remains of Pocock’s earlier sign beneath that… Sam Roberts is the editor and publisher of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine) www.bl.ag and www.ghostsigns.co.uk Grange Road (corner of St James Street), London E17 ▲ Luggage tags by Jack Hollands (Signwriting Jack) for Esther North (Sylvie Signs) ▲ From Bristol to Glasgow: Tozer (Tozer Signs) for Hana Lindsay (Bungo Sign Co.) in the 2022 UK edition of secret santa ▼ Tozer (Tozer Signs) upcycled a mirror for Archie Salandin (Irregular Signs) for the 2023 UK edition of secret santa ▼ Fruity work by Hana Sunny Whaler (Sunny Sign Studio) for Alex Richardson (Mango Signs)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==