Hovis, Dulwich

On a dull winter day I was walking through Dulwich village towards the Dulwich Picture Gallery when I noticed an off-white rectangle on a brick wall. As expected, this turned out to be a ghost sign. This one once advertised a bakery, where bread was made using Hovis flour. While the baker provided the space on the wall, Hovis paid for the sign and its upkeep.

The name of the baker has faded too much to be able to identify it and a quick search online did not provide any satisfying result. Once I have more time I may go and have a look at the local library.

The presence of the tilde on the 'O' of Hovis indicates this sign was certainly painted between the 1920s and 1950s. Such a spelling appears on several Hovis ghost signs found in Tonbridge, Tooting (in the original version of the sign), Islington, Guildford, Clapham, and Battersea, published earlier on this blog.

...s...er
Maker of
Hõvis

Location: Dulwich Village / Pictures taken in March 2013

J. W. Webb's dental surgery, Dulwich

Sadly, if Google street view is to be believed, it seems this ghost sign is now largely hidden by a billboard.

J. W. Webb's
Dental
Surgery
Location: Heber Road / Picture taken in August 2009

Ready mixed paints, Dulwich

I wanted to do a bit of research for a couple of signs I spotted in the Richmond area but instead I've been spending some time telling my students about Argentine writer Tomás Eloy Martínez, who died yesterday. Sad news. I was looking forward to his next novel... If you haven't read La novela de Perón / The Peron Novel (1985) or Santa Evita / id. (1995), I would strongly recommend them to you (El vuelo de la reina or Purgatorio are excellent as well but they haven't been translated into English, so you'd have to read them in Spanish).
Since I don't have much time now, I've chosen a sign I don't have much to write about. My guess is it would have been for a local shop rather than a specific brand.

Noted For ...
Genuine Turpentine
Linseed Oil, Boiled Oil
White Lead, Colors, Etc.
Ready Mixed Paints
I suppose 'Boiled Oil' would have been boiled linseed oil, which is used as a paint binder or wood finish.
This is not the only sign on this wall. It looks as if there was a longer one slightly above this one (bits of white paint and black letters can be seen outside the frame). Additionally it is still possible to read a couple of lines from an earlier sign painted within the same frame:Kitchen Utensils
Brooms, Pails ...
Location: Pellatt Road / Picture taken on: 24/08/2009

Money advance, Hounslow; Old gold bought, Dulwich; and Perry & Sons, Tooting

I've been neglecting this blog a bit lately so to compensate, today's posting features several painted signs.

Last week the expenses scandal came to haunt MPs again. With the leaders of the main parties insisting that those seeking reelection would have to pay some money back, I thought I should give those who struggle to raise the funds they may have to repay a couple of addresses where they may get some help. I don't guarantee they're still open.

The first address isn't too far from the constituency of the right honourable gentleman whose name sounds a bit like an English county. Being accused of using around £100,000 of public money to fund his own research company, he may find repaying the total sum tricky. However since he has now annouced he would stand down at the next election, he may not need to repay it at all...

General...
Money
Advance
Jewellery / To Any Amount
Even if he decides or is obliged to repay part of that large sum, he may drive past this sign without noticing it as it is largely obscured by an evergreen tree growing a couple of meters from the wall. A close view reveals that the upper and lower parts were used twice ("/" indicates ovelapping text written at the same level)

Location: Staines Road / Picture taken on: 19/07/2008

If Hounslow if a bit far for some MPs, here are another couple of places closer to Westminster where they could trade in their goods for some cash.

Left...
or
Exchanged

Right
Jewelery
Old Gold
Bought
The right-hand part of this sign covers an earlier one. Part of it can still be seen: .w...
.lat...
Special Low Rate
...
Over £2.00
Since the price of gold has been going up lately, those who enter the premises will undoubtedly be given a better deal than the then chancellor, who decided to sell part of the country's gold reserves back in 1999-2002 at a time when the precious metal was at a 20-year low.

Location: Lordship Lane / Picure taken on: 24/08/2009

Finally for those MPs in need of cash but who don't have much gold or jewels, there is Perry & Sons. This may not be obvious from the picture below but they do accept a much wider range of goods and valuables. Indeed for a while I wondered what the words hidden from the street level could be, but then one day traffic was horribly slow so I hopped on a double-decker bus, and had enough time to read this sign before getting off one stop further. Actually not many people may have ever been able to see it in full. On a 1904 picture of the High Street (and the sign can't be much older) it is already partly hidden by the pediment of the building next door. The latter was demolished at some point but the Art Deco building that replaced it wasn't low enough either...

Money Lent To Any Amount Diamonds, Precious Stones Miniatures. Works of Art Furniture & Pianos

Perry & Sons

Old Gold & Silver Purchased Second-hand Furniture

Location: Tooting High Street / Picture taken on: 11/04/2008