Fire Prevention Strategy, Advice No. 4, Xizhou, China

This sign is part of the Chinese authorities' fire prevention strategy, which includes twelve precautionary meaures. It represents the fourth advice (see them all here). In a small rural town such as Xizhou, where stoves are widely used, it is particularly relevant.

炉灶附近不放置可燃易燃物品，炉灰完全熄灭后

再倾倒，草垛要远离房屋.

[Do Not Place Inflammable Items Near Stoves, Make Sure Ashes Are Completely Cold Before Disposal, Keep Stacks of Hay Outside the House]

Location: Xizhou, Yunnan, China

Protect Arable Land for the Benefit of the Children, Xizhou, China

This week features a series of painted signs from Xizhou, a small town in the province of Yunnan, China, famous for its well preserved Bai architecture. As can be expected in China, advertising, political slogans, and various pieces of public information can be found on the walls.

The slogan below reminds people of the importance of preserving agricultural land for future generations. The sentence first appeared in official publications in the early 2010s and highlights one of China's growing problems: the increasing pollution of its land and water resources, and the ensuing challenge to feed its population.

保护耕地, 造福子孙!

[Protect Arable Land for the Benefit of the Children!]

Location: Xizhou, Yunnan, China

Carter Paterson & Co, Brixton

Carrier company Carter Paterson was founded in 1860 by Walter Carter, John Paterson James Paterson, and Robert Paterson. It adopted the name Carter Paterson & Co on January 1, 1869 and in 1887, it became a limited company. Its head office was located at 128 Goswell Road, EC1. Like other leading carriers, Carter Paterson & Co worked closely with the railways. In October 1933 the Big Four railway companies (Southern Railway; Great Western Railway; London, Midland & Scottish Railway; and London & North Eastern Railway) took control in equal shares of Carter Paterson & Co Ltd. The company then operated as a subsidiary of another carrier the Big Four had bought at the same time, the Hay's Wharf Cartage Company Ltd. Following the nationalisation of railways in 1948, Carter Paterson was absorbed into British Road Services.

In the late 19th century Carter Paterson was the country's largest carrier, with more than 2,000 horses in its 20 London depots. One such depot was in Mandrell Road in Brixton. The company acquired the premises, which included stables and several buildings, in 1901. These were largely rebuilt and enlarged in 1904 to meet growing demand for the company's services in the area.

CP & Co
Brixton Depot

The same text was painted twice. The original sign used a slightly larger typeface.

In 1948 the depot became the property of British Road Services but it seems BRS closed it a few years later. The property was then purchased by Danish brewing company Tuborg (see yesterday's ghost sign).

Some information about carriers in the late 19th century and their horses can be found in Chapter 3 of The Horse-World of London by W. J. Gordon, published in 1893 (the paragraphs about Carter Paterson are after the third illustration).

In 1983 a large mural, which appropriately includes horses, was painted by Jane Gifford, Ruth Blench, Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorpe. Sadly its future, and that of the Carter Paterson ghost sign, now seems uncertain as a developer has applied to build nine apartments on the site of the former depot.

Location: Mauleverer Road

King, corn flour and seed merchant, Kingston

Corn Flour		... King		& Seed Merchant
Hay, Strawchaff, Meals, Etc.

Location: Canbury Avenue

Bordesley cattle station, Birmingham

Bordesley station, on the former Great Western Railway (GWR) Oxford to Birmingham line, opened in 1855. Located near Birmingham's cattle markets (their location in Deritend and Digbeth changed over the years but they remained less than a kilometre away), the station included facilities to handle cattle trains. The cattle dock was on the northern side of the station, with access onto Upper Trinity Street. It made use of the space created when the Duddeston Viaduct was built and the shunting line extended onto the viaduct itself. It is on the parapet of this viaduct, one of the country's railway follies, that today's ghost sign can be found.

Looking at Duddeston Viaduct from the north. Bordesley Viaduct is in the background.
The latter carries the line of the former GWR across the Rea Valley, between Bordesley and Moor Street / the eastern portal of the Snow Hill tunnel.

Duddeston Viaduct in Birmingham is a folly indeed. It is the city's "Viaduct to Nowhere", a piece of Victorian engineering the Great Western Railway (GWR) never wanted to build and the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) never really intended to use. Here is why.

The London & Birmingham Railway reached the city in 1838 and in cooperation with the Grand Junction Railway built a terminus in Curzon Street. However this station was inconveniently located on the northeastern edge of the city and over the following years the different companies serving the city lobbied local authorities and Parliament for the authorisation to build a more central station.

In 1846, the year the London & Birmingham Railway, the Grand Junction Railway, and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway merged to form the L&NWR, Parliament passed the Act authorising a new company, the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway, to lay its tracks between the two cities. For several years the L&NWR had managed to delay the approval of such a project. As it controlled most of the traffic between Birmingham and the south, the L&NWR did not want a new line that would connect with the tracks of the GWR at Oxford to be built as it would offer an alternative route to London (although to be fair, the route via Oxford to London Paddington was much longer than the direct L&NWR route into London Euston). The L&NWR did not lose out completely as the Act granted it running rights over the new line as far south as Banbury. Yet the L&NWR had to accept, reluctantly, to provide access to its Curzon Street station to the B&OJR. Thus in order to connect the tracks of the two companies, a viaduct was to be built by both companies between Bordesley and a point in the vicinity of Curzon Street station.

At the same time it voted the bill creating the B&OJR, Parliament authorized the construction of not one but two new stations closer to Birmingham city centre: New Street and Snow Hill. While New Street would be built by the L&NWR and the Midland Railway, Snow Hill was to be operated jointly by the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley Railway coming from the north and the B&OJR coming from the south. As they were to use the same facilities in Birmingham the latter two companies decided to merge during their first general meeting. Actually these were nothing but speculative railways, whose promoters, having been granted the right to build a line, sought to sell or lease them to one of the established railway companies for a large profit. In that case the directors approached the GWR, which agreed to pay £30 5s 0d for each £20 share! However the L&NWR countered the move by buying as much shares as it could to control the company, replace the board of directors, and get new ones to repudiate the deal with the GWR. The bitter battle between the L&NWR the GWR that ensued eventually ended in the House of Lords and in 1848 the Lord Chancellor ruled in favour of the original agreement with the GWR. Brunel's company had its access to Birmingham! Since the company it had acquired had been granted the right to build its own station, Snow Hill, and since its runnning rights on L&NWR's tracks did not extend beyond Curzon Street station into New Street, the GWR lost any interest in the link with the L&NWR. As for the L&NWR, it had no intention of using its running rights to Banbury. Yet in spite of this lack of interest on both sides, the L&NWR still insisted the GWR complied with the Act of Parliament and build the Duddeston viaduct.

Construction started c. 1848 and in February 1853 Brunel reported that his company had reached the limits of the L&NWR's property. However the rest of the viaduct was never built and the junction with the L&NWR at Curzon Street never made. To this day Duddeston viaduct ends abrupty after 325 metres and its brick arches stand as a memorial to the battle the two biggest railway companies in the country fought during the Railway Mania of the 1840s.

Bordesley
Cattle Station. G.W.R.

Note the manicule immediately to the left of 'Cattle' pointing towards the entrance of the cattle station in Upper Trinity Street.

Given its position on the north side of the viaduct, and since there is no equivalent on the south side, it can be assumed this ghost sign was painted after 1897. Indeed before that date the main livestock market was at Smithfield and this sign would not have been visible from the route taken by farmers and their cattle. In 1892 Birmingham Corporation decided to relocate the pig market from Smithfield to a site in Montague Street, further west from the centre (incidentally, this is the street where Duddeston Viaduct ends). Opposition from the pig trade delayed the move but it was eventually completed in 1897. One year later cows and sheep also left Smithfield for Montague Street. Heading from from Montague Street towards Bordesley Cattle Station, farmers would have gone southward and emerged into Adderley Street, where they would have been able to catch sight of this sign.

Bordesley goods station closed in 1964. The cattle station would have closed at the same time if not earlier.

The Warwickshire Railway website has a picture of some cattle wagons at Bordesley cattle station and information about the cattle trains.

Location: Adderley Street / Pictures taken in May 2012

Spratt's dog food, Acton

People who, unlike me, are into dogs may remember the name Spratt's, a brand of dog biscuits that fed generations of animals.

It is said US citizen James Spratt got the idea of producing biscuits for dogs when he noticed stray dogs eating discarded hardtacks in the Liverpool (or London) dockyards. Until then most dogs ate table scraps but Spratt's genius was to convince dog owners they needed to replace leftovers with something more expensive for the sake of their animals' health. In 1861 he established a company in London to manufacture and sell his patented dog biscuits that combined blended wheat meals, vegetables, beetroot and meat. His two main targets were sportsmen, who needed to give something convenient to their hunting dogs while in the open, and wealthy pet lovers.

In 1866, Spratt recruited a fourteen year old boy: Charles Cruft. Over the following decades, Cruft rose from office boy to general manager before moving on to run his own dog show business. The marketing and advertising flair of both Spratt and Cruft ensured the success of Spratt's Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes. The company made full use of its endorsement by royals and other leading public figures and relied on a wide range of supports to promote its products, from full page advertising in the specialized press to cigarette cards and billboards. From 1878 it was also organising dog shows. In the 1870s the company set up a subsidiary in the US, just as the country was embarking on a love affair with dogs.

Spratt died in 1880, a few years after selling his business to Edward Wylan. In 1885 its legal status changed when Spratt's Patent Limited was registered. The company continued to expand, offering food for each stage in the dog's life, plus a whole variety of special foods linked to the activity level of a dog and its health. In 1899 it built in Poplar, East London, what remained for decades the largest pet food factory in the world. Under Cruft's management Spratt's Patent Ltd ventured into the game bird and poultry food markets. It also produced a range of accessories for cats and dogs.

Food		A. H. Payne		& Seed Stores
Spratts Dog, Poultry & Cage Bird Foods

For a few decades the dog food market on both sides of the Atlantic was largely dominated by Spratt's but over time competitors appeared. Still it retained a strong position throughout the first half of the 20th century but in 1950 the US subsidiary was sold to General Mills. Then in 1960 Spratt's Patent Ltd was bought for £3.94 m by Spillers one of its main competitors. In 1968 Spillers reorganized its operations and in the process changed the name of Spratt's to Spratt's Patent (Holdings) Ltd. In 1972 it was changed again, this time to Spillers Food Ltd. In 1979 Spillers was acquired by Australian company Dalgety. However in the 1990s Dalgety was badly affected by the BSE crisis in the UK and disposed of several of its branches, including Spillers, which was bought by Nestlé for £715 m in 1997.
The Spratt's brand, which had survived in spite of these changes, was finally discontinued in 2008.

Unfortunately I haven't found any trace of A. H. Payne's food and seed stores anywhere. This may have provided some information about the age of this ghost sign. Without that, all we can rely on is the style of the lettering. My guess, looking in particular at the Payne's part, is it was painted around the last decade of the 19th century or the first one of the 20th century but I may be wrong. It any case this ghost sign is amazingly well preserved!

Spratt's food for animals wasn't the only ghost sign on this wall. Another name, written diagonally in large letters can also be seen:

Gunn's

Yet I haven't found what kind of business or product that was. If anyone has any information, please leave a comment.

Location: Acton Lane / Pictures taken in July 2011

Pet and flower shop, Altenburg

Throughout the eastern part of Germany many painted signs can still be seen, often on unrestored buildings. Most of them were painted during the German Democratic Republic period, when paint was readily available and cheap, contrary to neon or plastic materials. Altenburg is no exception and even a rapid tour of the town will reveal signs for a whole range of trades and services.

Zoo Handlung Blumen
[Pet and Flower Shop]
The shop closed some time ago and the building is for sale (the posters behind the windows are there purely for decorative purposes). While I was taking some pictures, the neighbour came out and asked me if I was interested in buying it!

Location: Wallstraße, Altenburg, Thüringen / Picture taken on: 27/04/2010

J. Graven, Ely

James Graven founded his agricultural engineering business in 1860, exporting products to India and other parts of the world. These first years may have been difficult and he was declared bankrupt by the Ely courts in July 1869. However Craven rebounced after that setback and started making steam tractors and other machines, mostly for agricultural purposes. Around this time the firm was located at 1 Annedale terrace (1875 edition of the Post Office Directory) but relocated a few years later to Broad Street (1883 edition of Kelly's Directory) where it remained, apparently, until the early 2000s. In 1912, following a meeting with Henry Ford, James Craven ventured into the motor vehicles industry. Little is known about the following years. Craven continued to sell steam machines as well as Ford tractors and Ford Anglia cars. The company's name is listed in several magazines for the farming industry but nothing of major importance seemed to have occurred until 1969. That year, the Agricultural Machinery Journal, included the following short article:

Ernest Doe & Sons Ltd, agricultural engineers and agents of Fulbourn, near Cambridge, have taken over the Ford tractor and agricultural engineering side of the business of James Graven & Sons Ltd, 17 High Street, Chatteris, Cambs, and Broad Street, Ely. The service will be continued at Ely and Fulbourn.

Since then James Graven has been specialising in retailing, in particular of locally-produced food, and runs several shops in partnership with Budgens, BP and Spar in the Ely - Cambridge area.


J. Graven
Engineer and
Agricultural Machinist
The house where this sign was painted may have been the family home of James Craven and his successors. The workshop and showrooms were located just across the street. Most of the site was demolished a few years ago but one of the showrooms survived and was converted into a dwelling.


The company's website doesn't include much information about the history of James Craven, but they have a few interesting photographs, including one on which the showroom, to the left of the church, is in its original state (third picture. On the same photograph, look for the house with two windows opposite the production site's exit: you may be able to make out the painted sign, just about...).

Location: Broad Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire / Pictures taken on: 03/07/2010

Le Paysan: flower and vegetable seeds, Saintes

Back to Saintes for a brand well known to several generations of gardeners across France.
The story began in 1854 when André Blain founded Les Docks de l'Herboristerie (The Herbalist's Warehouse) to produce and market seeds. Originally these were sold in bulk but shortly afterwards a new company, Le Paysan, was created to sell seeds in sealed paper bags to amateur gardeners. The two companies remained closely connected, with Le Paysan purchasing its vegetable and flower seeds from Les Docks de l'Herboristerie, until the heirs of André Blain brought them together in 1949 to create the Société de Production Grainière. The brand Le Paysan was kept: by then it had become a leading suplier of quality seeds in France and was increasing its presence abroad. Around 180,000 bags of seeds were dispatched every day. These were sold not only in specialized shops and stalls at markets and fairs but also by mail order. I remember my grand-pa in Saintes used to have a catalogue from Le Paysan, even if he always bought his seeds in a shop or at the monthly fair.
Le Paysan's seeds and now bulbs are still widely planted today by anyone with a plot of land.

Even if the first line is hidden by the billboard, it can be guessed as it used to be one of Le Paysan's catch phrases.

Célèbres graines en sachets [The Famous Seeds in Bags]
Le Paysan
Fleurs Légumes [Flowers Vegetables]
There used to be another painted sign on this wall but only a few letters appear between 'Fleurs' and 'Légumes'.

Location: Rue Gautier, Saintes, Charente-Maritime / Picture taken on: 08/06/2010