Wednesday 7 December 2011

Horses, brakes and carriages, Alton

Unfortunately I don't have any information about this particular business, which supplied horses as well as brakes and carriages. Before horses could pull a carriage safely, they had to be trained and a brake -a simple four-wheelled carriage frame with only a seat for the driver- was used for that purpose. Maybe some of their customers included the managers of the breweries attracted to Alton by the quality of its water, the extensive barley fields and hop plantations found in the vicinity, and the proximity of the London market?
Sadly a window was opened when the building was converted to other uses and a large part of this ghost sign, including the name of the owner, disappeared.

Horses, Brakes and Carriages, ...
Eve...
Proprietor

Below is a larger version of this ghost sign.


Location: Turk Street, Alton, Hampshire / Pictures taken in April 2010

2 comments:

Nicholas Brewer said...

Hi Seb,
Following your blog with interest especially as we have quite a lot in common. Please have a look at my blog http://teachyourselfphotography.blogspot.com/p/ghost-signs-of-london.html.
Let me know what you think.
Nick

Sebastien Ardouin said...

Hi Nick,
Sorry for not getting in touch earlier. Very busy times. I really like the pictures with people or traffic passing by, completely oblivious to these odd remains of the past. Looking forward to the next update of your collection.
Sebastien