Handsome apostrophe there …

It’s all changing on York’s Piccadilly this year, with large sites cleared on either side of Ryedale House, and Ryedale House remodelled. I had a walk down there back in June, when the covers were coming off that massive former office building.

Ryedale House and cleared adjacent site, Piccadilly, 5 June 2019

I didn’t get around to covering this at the time here on these pages, and don’t intend to cover it in any detail now, having written about the old office block a couple of times before. But I did want to record on here that the clearance of some of the buildings on Piccadilly revealed one of those rather handsome old hand-painted wall ads we’ve looked at many times before — also known as ghost signs.

Across a cleared site on Piccadilly, an old advertisement reappears (5 June 2019)

Foxton’s Garage sign, Piccadilly, 5 June 2019

‘FOXTON’S GARAGE LTD. MORRIS CARS SALES & SERVICE.’

Here’s an image of the building in the old days.

Foxton’s on Piccadilly, probably 1930s. Photo: York Images (imagineyork.co.uk)

Back then the ad on the wall advertised ‘saloon buses’, so had clearly been repainted at least once since.

The Foxton’s building looks quite handsome and smart in the archive photo above. Seeing it in recent years you’d never have guessed that it ever looked like that.

Some years back I included an image of a smaller painted ad on the other side of the building.

Ghost sign – or two – on Piccadilly

That one had been visible for some years, though as it hadn’t been covered and protected it was rather weathered. Again the ad had clearly been repainted, with the word Trident covering the previous lettering. It used to say ‘GARAGE’.

Photo: York Images (imagineyork.co.uk)

There was a lot of interest in the recently rediscovered Foxton’s Garage sign on the other side of the building, over the summer. York Mix reported that a petition had been launched to preserve it.

I haven’t been down Piccadilly for some time, so don’t know if it’s still there, or if there are indeed any plans to preserve it, in response to the petition. I’d be surprised if there were, as I’d imagine that making as much profit as possible from the redevelopment of all the parcels of land in Piccadilly will be the main concern, and a bit of old wall would take up land where another bit of hotel room or hotel lobby, etc, could be squeezed in.

Thanks to everyone who noticed it and photographed it, and brought it to my attention.

Thanks too to for your virtual coffees, via ko-fi.com,  in support of these pages.

The post All change on Piccadilly, and an old sign revealed appeared first on York Stories.

‘Ghost sign’ on the corner of Ordnance Lane and Fulford Rd

We’ve just been looking at buildings in Ordnance Lane, and before we leave there I should mention this ‘ghost sign’ — an old faded painted sign on the brickwork on the corner where Ordnance Lane meets Fulford Road. I thought we’d covered most of the ghost signs in previous pages, but I missed this one. It’s a rather handsome green, and still visible is the name ‘A H Davies’ and ‘Wills’s’. Wills’s made cigarettes. Perhaps behind the more modern billboard added since more of the old advert is preserved, brighter green. It was a huge painted ad, and a closer look suggests it was repainted more than once, as there’s a shadow of a former ‘W’ rather obvious.

It’s now just one of four signs on this prominent end wall, at the end of Ordnance Lane.

‘Ghost sign’, with other signs, on the corner of Ordnance Lane and Fulford Rd

The old signs fade, or erode, and don’t seem prominent enough, so new ones are added, sometimes repeating, rather than replacing, what was there before:

Escrick Terrace, street signs old and new

Escrick Terrace: so good they named it twice.

Also in the same area of York, moving closer to the city centre, I noticed this handsome old hand-painted sign in the doorway of a post-war block of flats on Fishergate:

Sign on Festival Flats, Fishergate

Some of its carefully created lettering has since been obscured by a patch of paint and a note added in marker pen, but perhaps this casual addition makes us appreciate the earlier elegant lettering even more.

Those examples were all from the Fishergate/Fulford Road area. On the same side of town, but off Lawrence Street, heading out towards Hull Road, a relatively modern sign. But it’s old enough to make me feel a bit nostalgic:

Lyons Maid sign, Milton Street

On Milton Street, one of the streets of terraced houses, this plastic sign still sticking out from the wall of what looks like an ordinary house the same as all the others, with a bay window rather than a shop window, but it clearly was a shop at one time and it sold Lyons Maid ice cream.

That image/logo was so successful, a brilliant piece of work. It still evokes carefree childhood times and happy summer days, so many decades after it was designed to represent this brand. According to Wikipedia it is ‘sometimes known as the “Good Time Sign” but more generally referred to in house as the “Dancing Children”.’

The sign is double-sided, and still bright on one side. On its sunny side, the other side, its colours are pale and bleached out by all those years of sunny summer days when we rushed down to the local shop or the ice cream van for ice lollies.

Lyons Maid sign, Milton Street (2: sunny/faded side)

Whether or not it’s hot enough for ice lollies, I hope everyone’s enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend.

‘Signage Sunday’ may become a regular addition to the site, or not. Comments welcome, as always, below.

The post Sunday signage selection appeared first on York Stories.

Aviva building, 2 Rougier St, reminders of old signage, April 2016

While on my way to look at Hudson House earlier this week I noticed this, the subject of today’s ‘April daily photo‘, from the vantage point of the city walls.

It’s a building I’ve written about before, a rather dominant presence at the end of Rougier Street. I took a few quick snapshots of it, noticing what we might call a ‘ghost sign’, revealed by the removal of its most recent signage for Aviva.

When I wrote about it before — inspired by a splendid hand-drawn illustration of it in a 1970s advertisement — I wasn’t sure what to call it. Because it seemed to have changed its name quite often, as the insurance company whose office it was changed its name, following various acquisitions and mergers. So I just called it ‘2 Rougier Street’.

But here, under its most recent plastic signage, it held ghostly reminders of a couple of those changes of name. Zooming in and doing a bit of digital enhancement reveals them:

2 Rougier St, detail: reminders of old signage, April 2016

‘Norwich Union’ is obvious. I thought I could also see a large ‘C’ to the right, and then remembered — wasn’t it CGU? — and some Googling revealed that it was (formed in 1998 from the merger of Commercial Union and General Accident).

When I’ve written about ‘ghost signs’ before it’s been in the sense of old adverts painted on brick walls, the fading kind, often hidden away behind newer advertising billboards, or still faintly visible. This is even more ‘ghostly’, though no paint has been involved here.

The signs, as I recall and as these reminders of them suggest, were plastic lettering. So what we’re seeing now must be the shadow left around them from the dirt accumulated back then.

This is a very congested, traffic-filled corner, with high levels of air pollution, something noted in the planning application documents for its conversion to residential.

These subtle sooty reminders of decades past made me think about how this office too was a major employer in the city, and when I think about the place now, having focused my attention, the name that comes to mind is ‘General Accident’, which must have been the name it had around the time I left school, when many people seemed to get jobs at General Accident.

No sign of that in the sooty shadows, but important to remember these things.

I guess they’ll clean up this important bar-walls-facing frontage, so I’m glad I captured this, if only on my compact camera in a quick passing snapshot.

Further information

‘Aviva’s history in York is really the history of Yorkshire Insurance’ says this fascinating article including many old photographs of York and advertisements from decades past.

There’s more information on heritage.aviva.com, on the Yorkshire Insurance Company Ltd (includes General Accident), and see also CGNU and Norwich Union.

A photo of the building in 2008 with the Norwich Union name

The post Aviva building ‘ghost signs’ (April daily photo 29) appeared first on York Stories.

‘Shop at the Co-op’, ghost sign. Corner of Holgate Road and the Mount

Following on from the earlier pages on ghost signs within the walls, a few ghost signs to be found outside the city walls. This one is on the corner of Holgate Road and The Mount, on a building also proudly bearing the date of its construction. I thought it just said ‘Co-op’. While applying some ‘digital enhancements’ to the image I realised that it once said ‘Shop at the Co-op’.

The city archives have a photo of this building in 1910, or rather, of the tramlines being laid, with this building in the background.

Grocery store, later Co-op, corner of Holgate Rd, 1910 (c) City of York Council

There appears to be some kind of covering on that area where the Co-op sign was later painted, and at this time, although it’s clearly a shop, it doesn’t seem to be a Co-op. I wonder if any readers remember it being a Co-op, in the 20th century? Please add a comment if you do.

Faded sign just outside Walmgate Bar, 2004

Captured in passing in 2004, and now I think covered by a plastic replacement. Fish and chips available at the Corner Cafe, just outside Walmgate Bar, on the corner of Lawrence Street and Foss Islands Road.

Ghost sign, Magnet Ales, Apollo St, 29 Oct 2006

I’ve had a few emails reminding me about this one, on the same side of town, on Apollo Street just off Heslington Road. This is a larger version of the photo taken in 2006, originally included on the ‘Painted wall ads’ page, and described like this: ‘Off Heslington Road, one that hasn’t been repainted and restored, and will never be, I imagine. It advertises “JOHN SMITH’S MAGNET ALES”. I don’t know when this ad dates from, but it conjures up images of the old days when no one had thought of measuring alcohol in “units”, only in pints, and when adults weren’t being constantly nagged at about their bad habits by patronising government ministers.’

This once said ‘GARAGE’. Faded painted sign, St Mary’s, York

Over on the Bootham/Clifton side of town, a very faded example. It once said GARAGE, and I vaguely recall perhaps an arrow pointing down the lane to where the garage was, and I wish I’d taken a photo of it back in the late 1980s when I used to pass here often, or even in the mid-90s when I also passed often. I’m still passing often and so thought I’d take a quick photo even though there’s barely anything left of it. But it used to advertise the fact that there was a garage in St Mary’s Lane, off the street called St Mary’s. In the days when motoring was a joy and there was a friendly local car mechanic at virtually every corner, and you could buy your petrol in the city centre (on that link is a photo of another long-gone wall-painted sign, for Ankers garage on Gillygate).

Florist’s advert

(And on Gillygate, here’s one we mentioned earlier, a faded ad for a florist’s shop.)

Faded remnant, reminder of Clifton cinema, now Clifton bingo

If you continue up the road, from Bootham to Clifton, you’ll pass a small cinema — or it was once, it’s now a bingo hall. Round the back, past the artwork painted this century on the wall alongside, a small remnant of this building’s previous life as a cinema. What did it say? — Guildhall Box? — something-hall box? I don’t know and won’t go any further with my guessing, after that earlier embarrassing incident with the builder’s yard I imagined called ‘Lances’, which turned out to be a depot for ambulances.

Bile Beans sign, April 2014. (Photo: Michael Sheridan)

And then of course there’s this one. The famous one. Recently repainted, and covered in many pages on this site around the time of its repainting.

Michael, who sent me this photo, said he thinks the ad has a good humorous approach today. I think he’s right. The brightness of it, the name of the product, and the cheery slogan, combine to make it a jokey, quirky thing.

I have to say that I never had any particular interest in it until the repainting debate began. Which is why I guess that I can offer only this photo of it, taken in passing, from a distance (from the bar walls), at an angle, six years ago.

The repainting prompted debate and discussion and led to the far more interesting story of its earlier restoration. All that info is under the Bile Beans tag if you’d like to read more on York’s most famous wall-painted advert, and several other ghost signs pages also.

Elsewhere on the web

The Press recently ran a ‘ghost signs quiz’, and featured a few I haven’t mentioned, so you may find this of interest too. The comments under it mentioned this site, which was nice, and the last comment made me laugh — it’s worth a look, following on from the above.

And if you’d like to see a genuine old Bile Beans tin there’s an example on the BBC website.

The post Ghost signs collection: beyond the walls appeared first on York Stories.

‘Olivers’ ghost sign, Micklegate, 2005

(… A continuation of Ghost signs collection: within the walls /1 )

A rather beautiful ghost sign within the city walls. It has featured before as an illustration to Audrey’s memories of Micklegate, but I thought it should have a bit more attention. And also some digital enhancement, as the original image came out rather dark. I’ve brightened it a bit so we can better appreciate its handsomeness.

It’s high up on the gable, elegantly done, quietly fading.

Olivers, Micklegate, 1930s. (Photo: Edwin Lofthouse, (c) City of York Council)

This 1930s image from the archives shows the old Olivers store, to the left of the photo. Clearly the remaining ad was just one of many adorning the building’s exterior. Difficult to tell from this photo whether the ones on the front were painted directly on the brickwork.

The building is now occupied by Brigantes.

Other ghost signs nearby have featured on these pages before:

This reminder of a local business was on Barker Lane, close by, just off Micklegate. The same wall now has a fresh new painted advert for ‘The Lawrance’. More info under the Harvey-Scruton tag.

One of my favourites, mainly because the building it’s on is one of only a few remaining from the old Fetter Lane. All around it are new buildings, and since this photo was taken the Capaldi building too has been modernised, but here on this evening in July 2007 the way the light fell on it made it look rather magical, if you like this kind of thing. And if you’re reading this page I guess you probably do.
See also: more on the building and its lettering, and all other pages tagged Capaldi. Including a couple of lovely old photos of ice cream vans.

And previously mentioned, fairly recently, but as this is a collection, ie gathering things together, we should gather this one in too. On Goodramgate, just inside Monk Bar, above more modern shopfronts, a very pale and ghostly reminder of the previous life of this particular building. Previously included on Ghost signs: Gillygate and Goodramgate.

The gathering in should also include the SS Empire signs, previously pictured in: A boxer, a dancer, and a wrestler: SS Empire ghost signs.

And from the city archives

These painted ads on walls used to be everywhere. I’ve noticed a few particularly impressive examples in the city archives online collection York Images.

Micklegate and Priory St corner, a long long time ago. Get your Hovis here. (c) City of York Council

A beautiful old image of part of Micklegate, roughly opposite the ‘Olivers’ sign pictured at the top of the page.

Foss Bridge and impressive signage: get your tea here. (Photo: Tempest Anderson. (c) City of York Council)

The photo above was taken in 1912 by the marvellously named Tempest Anderson. He was highly regarded and quite famous (do have a look at that link, it’s really interesting). Of particular interest here on this website is that he also took many photos recording York scenes, very ordinary things like the railway lines near the Rowntree factory, and this rather more picturesque photo of Foss Bridge, which also captures the nice bold adverts on the tea warehouse.

Floral Specialists, Spurriergate/High Ousegate corner
(c) City of York Council

This corner has changed quite dramatically. Not just the old ads that have gone, the buildings have too. See the Google Street View for a comparison.

There’s another page on its way on the subject of ghost signs outside the walls, and in due course you’ll be able to find it under the ghost signs tag, along with earlier pages on this subject.

As mentioned before, the best source of information on ghost signs in general is www.ghostsigns.co.uk.

The post Ghost signs collection: within the walls /2 appeared first on York Stories.

Navigation Road: ‘LANCES’. It once read AMBULANCES

Our ‘Bile Beans‘ sign is now well-known. There are other painted signs on walls around the city, and I thought I’d round up the ones not already mentioned while revisiting others.

This page has also been prompted by a comment left on my first ‘ghost signs’ page, many years ago. I thought this sign, on Navigation Road, was for a company called Lances. As that comment points out, it actually read ‘AMBULANCES’. Part of the wall it was on has been reduced in height. The bottom of the U is just visible still.

In more recent memory it has been the boundary of a builder’s yard, full of stacks of bricks and the like. LANCES sounded like the kind of name such a business might have. But no, it was an ambulance depot.

Do add a comment if you remember this or can add any further information.

Sign for Stubbs, ironmonger, 14 Aug 2004, before repainting

Leaving Navigation Road, turning right up Walmgate, then reaching Fossgate, on the corner where it meets Merchantgate is our most decorated ‘ghost signs’ building: Loch Fyne, formerly Stubbs the ironmongers.

This is one of the Stubbs signs, a rather hurried snapshot taken in 2004. This sign was repainted, as were many of the others, when the building was redeveloped as the restaurant with apartments above.

At the back of the building another of the original Stubbs signs was repainted afresh, while on the front Loch Fyne painted their own ads over the Stubbs name. (For an image of how it was with the Stubbs signage, see this page, about half way down.)

Last remnants of paint from an advert for the King’s Arms Hotel, Fossgate

Not far away from that frontage, just over the little hump of Foss Bridge, is a ghost sign you’d never know was ever a sign, it’s so ghostly. I know it was only because of images in the city archives I chanced upon recently.

(c) City of York Council. Archive image of painted ad for the King’s Arms Hotel, Fossgate

It used to be the King’s Arms Hotel.

Barely visible now, but once a proud painted ad on this gable end, Fossgate (c) City of York Council

Here’s another image of the hand-painted advertising it once displayed, from a little earlier – about 1920 according to the archives information.

Ghost sign – or two – on Piccadilly

Retracing our steps back over the bridge and to the corner, past Stubbs/Loch Fyne, turning right along Merchantgate, then left into Piccadilly, there’s a reminder of this street’s many garages. The most obvious word is TRIDENT, which has been painted over the word GARAGE.

Dating from 1938/9, from the city archives collection (c) City of York Council

Again the city archives have an image of the building when it had that use, in the mid-20th century. The now faded and overpainted sign for GARAGE was bright then, and partly covered an earlier sign taking up a larger area of wall.

This fading reminder of an era when the car was king will be gone soon as the area is to be cleared and redeveloped. So thank you to my companion who noticed it on our Christmas afternoon wander, as I have to confess I’d never noticed it before.

Foxton’s garage and its fine old painted signs, 1938/9, from the city archives
(c) City of York Council

So let’s leave this area and its ghost signs with another fine example from the days when these things were everywhere. The other side of the Foxton’s garage building, with its gable end covered in skilfully applied lettering, advertising FOXTON’S GARAGE in confident capitals, and saloon buses for pleasure parties.

See also, part 2: Ghost signs collection: within the walls /2.

More information

The only place you need to go for more information is Sam’s website on ghost signs. Please do visit, preferably via this link to a page on his site which says nice things about me.

The post Ghost signs collection: within the walls /1 appeared first on York Stories.