They are haunting reminders of a bygone age, some so faded the writing can hardly be deciphered, others still vivid reminders of the colour and variety that high streets once had.
Over this Halloween weekend, Historic England is asking people to help record the “ghost signs” still to be found on buildings across England and send them in for an online map.
Ghost signs are typically hand-painted advertising signs or old shop signs from the late 19th or early to mid-20th centuries preserved on buildings that have since changed use.
Duncan Wilson, the chief executive of Historic England, said he found ghost signs very evocative. “Once you start looking up on high streets and hunting for ghost signs, you’ll find that they’re hidden in plain sight, tucked away down alleyways or hiding among rooftops.
“These mysterious pieces of secret history are a reminder of the people who came before us, and the urban spaces and high streets they made their own.”
Historic England gives notable examples such as the Sankey’s Soap sign in Manchester on top of the Beehive Mill building, which was built in the 1820s as a cotton spinning mill and later used to manufacture soap. In recent years the building was transformed into a nightclub, which has also now moved on, but the Sankey’s Soap signs still stands sentinel.
Another lovely one is Yager’s Costumes to Measure in Stamford Hill, north London, which opened in 1919. As well as the main sign, there are enticements for customers: “The house of value”; “Buy here and save money”; “Mourning orders promptly executed.”
Not far away, on Stoke Newington Church Street, multiple ghost signs are painted on a building advertising the Westminster Gazette, Criterion Matches, Gillette Razors and one reading: “Fount Pens Repaired”.
Some can’t be missed. Rail travellers arriving in Shrewsbury are greeted by the vast Shropshire Maltings sign. Others such as a South Western Railway Offices sign on a building in Plymouth nowa gift and ice-cream shop have almost faded away.
One sign in a West Midlands market town is so degraded only whispers of what it advertised remain – the words “For Wednesbury & District” and “Monday to Saturday” linger, but the bulk of it has vanished.
Wilson said one of the reasons for Historic England’s appeal was to engage new audiences in heritage and to notice the history around them. “Ghost signs are very evocative partly because they speak directly of the high street and what it was used for. Looking for them brings people closer to their everyday heritage.”
Ghost signs are also reminders of how dominant independent businesses once were with most signs unique and hand-painted rather than mass-produced. Wilson said he had also been struck by how many ghost signs have an equine connection, such as Field and Son Saddlers in Canterbury, Kent.
Wilson said: “There were lots of saddlers and people like that. It shows the importance of horses in the high street until just before the first world war. By recording these ghost signs and letting us know about them people are helping preserve them.”
• Details of how to upload images of ghost signs can be found at Historic England. People can also post photographs on Instagram using the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets and tagging @PicturingHighStreets. Contributions will only be accepted until 31 October.
