Kay's Motors, West Norwood

Further down the road from the Brymay ghost sign that reemerged recently, the one for Kay's Motors has experienced an opposite fate. The car dealership that owns the courtyard and the building next door has put its sign higher on the wall and painted the lower part of the ghost sign in white. Not RIP but quite an amputation!

For more on this ghost sign (actually ghost signs since this is a real palimpsest), including what was written, please visit the original Kay's Motors post.

Location: Norwood High Street / Picture taken in August 2012

Brymay, West Norwood

Some weeks ago the removal of a hoarding revealed the missing part of the Nestlé ghost sign in Clapham. In West Norwood, it is a Brymay ghost sign that has now fully reemerged.

March 2010

The blue and yellow colours are characteristics of Brymay's signs but the wording is slightly different from that of the better-known ghost sign from New Cross.

British Matches for British Homes
Brymay
Safety Matches
Bryant & May Ltd

Westminster
Gazette

The Brymay sign was painted over an earlier one for the Westminster Gazette. For some information about this Liberal newspaper, please see the earlier post about the Criterion, Westminster Gazette, and Gillette ghost sign in Stoke Newington.

Location: Norwood Road / Pictures taken in March 2010 and August 2012

R. Day & Sons Depositories, West Norwood

Not much to say about this sign that extends over the whole length of this small building by the railway tracks except that I couldn't decide which picture to post. That's why you get two!


R. Day & Sons Depositories
Location: Pilgrim Hill / Picture taken on: 01/03/2010

Kay's motors, West Norwood

Sometimes so many signs have been painted on one wall that identifying each layer becomes virtually impossible. They overlap, parts that could go together don't necessarily if the design of the letters is taken into account,... The wall below is a good example of such an intriguing mess.

The most recent sign was painted in the lower part of that wall and is fairly easy to read:

Repairs Overhauls

Smith's Garage

Private Lock Ups

Then there are those giant letters:

Kay's
Motors
Repairs

That could make sense but 'Motors' is written differently. No perspective and a smaller font, so it may not go with the rest.

A close look reveals that 'Kay's' was painted over what looks like

...mbl... [Wimbledon?]
Stadium

As for those words written in red on top of everything else and in the lower part of the wall they read:

...
Racing ...
Jotale... [whatever that could be]

These words may actually go with the 'Stadium' part above. Indeed if it is 'Wimbledon Stadium' that is written, then it could refer to the greyhound races that have been staged there since 1928.

Finally it looks as if there could be a few more letters here and there. If you have any suggestion, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Location: Norwood High Street / Picture taken on: 01/03/2010