Ghostsigns of Clapham
Ghostsigns are the old advertisements that were painted directly onto the brick on the sides of buildings. They are gradually fading away, although occasionally a new one is revealed when a modern poster site is removed for maintenance. Clapham is one of the best areas of London to see them.
Click on the photos to see them larger.
You can find out more about ghostsigns at the Ghostsigns website and at Painted Signs and Mosaics. and see more of my photos of them on Flickr.
Edit – 26/04/2017: I recently noticed two ghostsigns I hadn’t seen before on Lavender Hill. I’ve added them to the gallery. One is easily readable, but I can’t make out anything at all on the last one, although you can see that once there were six separate panels.
Also, the TV, Audio, Video Repair sign has been painted over and is gone for good.
Edit – 30/01/2018: A billboard at the junction of Killyon Road and Wandsworth Road was recently removed revealing a large ghostsign for Brymay Safety Matches.
Edit – 26/03/2018: As part of my collaboration with Ghostsigns and the Clapham Society some of my photographs are going to be used for a Clapham Ghostsigns walk which will happen later this year (on Sunday 30 September leaving at 10am and 2pm from Clapham North Station). To this end I’ve added two more ghostsigns to the set. These are for H.G. Benwell Ltd in Crescent Lane and A.I. Jones & Co Ltd at 6 Clapham Common South Side.
Edit – 02/04/2018: The Brymay Safety Matches ghostsign at the junction of Killyon Road and Wandsworth Road was sandblasted out of existence just a few weeks after it was revealed.
February 22nd, 2017 at 10:43 pm
Hey Roy
Great photography here, I love spotting these fading memories as I travel around London and other cities, really evocative! It’s great to know I’m not alone in this fetish!
Hope you’re doing well,
Rob