Knitting wools, Exeter

I first noticed this ghost sign from the train as it was leaving Exeter St Thomas. A couple of days later I went back to take some pictures. Unfortunately it is largely obscured by the building next door.

The Warehouse For
Childrens
Knitting Wools

There is no information online about this store. The design of this ghost sign could suggest it was painted in the 1950s or early 1960s.

On the picture below I brightened the part in the shadow. The result is not perfect -by then it was drizzling quite a bit- but it gives an idea of what the ghost sign looks like.

Location: Cowick Street, Exeter, Devon / Picture taken in April 2012

Eastmans, Exeter

Since the butchery firm Eastmans Ltd had hundreds of outlets across the country, I was bound to find another of their doorstep mosaics after the one in Exmouth. Indeed a couple of days later, I noticed this one in Exeter.
The post about the Exmouth mosaic includes a couple of paragraphs about Eastmans.

Location: Cowick Street, Exeter, Devon / Picture taken in April 2012

The West of England, Exeter

Initially called the West of England Institute for the Instruction and Employment of the Blind, the West of England School was founded on 28th April 1838 by a group of people led by Sarah Friend to improve the life of Exeter's blind population. The school moved to St David's Hill in 1843, after a Mrs Wilkinson donated a house outside the city walls, and stayed there until 1965. That year the school moved to new premises in Countess Wear, outside Exeter, where it still caters for blind and partially sighted pupils aged between 2 and 19+. The website of the school's association includes a page about its history.

The West of England

Founded 1839 Enlarged 1855

Only part of the ghost sign has survived. The image printed in 1881 shows "Institution for the Blind" appeared on the central part of the building. This has now completely disappeared.

Location: St David's Hill, Exeter, Devon / Pictures taken in April 2012

Manor Theatre, Exmouth

The Manor Theatre, in the seaside town of Exmouth, Devon, was built in the 1920s or 1930s (the decade varies according to the source) by C. H. Palmer. Originally this was an entertainment venue with a programme of dances, lectures and other kinds of social events. However the venture did not make enough money and the building was later converted into Exmouth's fourth cinema. Was it then that the name changed to Regal Cinema?
In the 1950s the cinema closed down and one part the building was transformed into a dance hall while another one later became a ten pin bowling alley. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the ballroom was taken over by Deneys, who in 1973, transformed the whole building into a nightclub. In 1978 Alan Clarke joined the club as DJ before becoming manager and rebranding it as Samantha's. Under his leadership the nightclub became a popular venue in South West England. However in late 2008 Samantha's closed down and plans were drawn to convert the building into 14 flats. Although these plans were supported in principle, they were put on hold in 2009 because of lack of adequate parking provisions. Three years later the situation has not changed. This means the ghost signs found on the walls of the building, which may well disappear when work gets underway, are still with us for a bit longer.

Half of the original name of the venue still appears on the façade

Manor

'Theatre' would have been painted under the arch shown on the picture below but that has completely disappeared. At least two ghost signs appear on the side wall though.

One sign, largely obstructed, was painted horizontally. It reads Man[or]
G..a

Another sign was painted vertically but the letter 'R' is the only one that can be seen properly.

In order to find complete ghost signs, it is necessary to go to Manor Gardens and to look at the back of the building.

Manor Theatre

Regal
Dances

This last ghost sign must be the most recent one, certainly dating from the 1950s, when the cinema was converted into a ballroom.

Location: St Andrews Road, Exmouth, Devon / Pictures taken in April 2012

Chemists, Sidmouth

This simple but elegant mosaic has been preserved even though the store is no longer a pharmacy. Several volumes of the Yearbook of Pharmacy published during the last three decades of the 19th century mention Mr R. Chessal, chemist, of Fore Street but in the absence of a house number, it isn't possible to be absolutely sure whether this mosaic greeted his customers. Yet since Fore Street isn't too long, that may well be possible.

Location: Fore Street, Sidmouth, Devon / Picture taken in April 2012

Gliddons, Sidmouth

Gliddons toy shop in the charming seaside resort of Sidmouth on the Jurassic Coast has been attracting children for decades. I haven't found any precise information about this store but it seems Gliddons was already sellings toys, games and other goods for children in the early 20th century.

Gliddons
For
Nursery
Furniture.
Prams.
Toys.

Location: Church Street, Sidmouth, Devon / Pictures taken in April 2012

Limited, Exeter

The name of the company that owned the North Warehouse in Exeter was once painted on the outside wall. Yet contrary to the brick store on the opposite bank, where W. Hibberd & Co can still be read, there the ghost sign has faded too much to be legible.

The North Warehouse was built in the mid-19th century. It stands between the River Exe (on the pictures) and Exeter's Canal Basin and opens onto the latter. The basin opened in 1830, five years after work on the extension and widening of the Exeter Canal was completed.

In 1969 Exeter's Maritime Museum opened in the North Warehouse and the adjacent building but it closed down in 1997.

...

Unfortunately I haven't found any information about the previous occupiers of the building.

... Limited

Location: Haven Banks, Exeter, Devon / Pictures taken in April 2012