Teas, Willesden

White lead oils & colors and tea don't go well together but ghost signs for both (and more) can be seen on the same building at the corner of High Road and Linacre Road in Willesden. Shops simply came and went, and some left their painted mark. As a result the space above the entrance, visible from far away, is a real palimpsest and is very difficult to decipher.

Try Our
...
...
Teas
Coffees
...

The different typefaces would suggest the first line of this ghost sign does not relate to the drinks mentioned further down.

Location: High Road / Picture taken in August 2009

Oils and colors, Willesden

Willesden still has a large number of ghost signs promoting a wide range of businesses and products including, opposite Saint Paul's Pianos, one for a shop that once sold white lead paints.

First employed around 400 BC, man-made white lead pigment remained widely used by artists and decorators until the 20th century, when its usage became restricted because of its toxicity.

White Lead
Oils & Colors
Paints & Polishes

Location: Linacre Road / Picture taken in August 2009

Sunlight and Lifebuoy, Willesden

In an earlier post about a Willesden cash store, I mentioned that much of the space available was used to advertise goods on sale inside. While R. White's soft drinks were confined to the wall by the entrance, the whole façade was promoting Lever Brothers' best selling soaps, Sunlight and Lifebuoy. Some information about the company, its products, and how it was at the forefront of product placement in movies can be found in previous posts about Sunlight ghost signs spotted in Clapham Junction and Upper Clapton.

Sunlight
Soap
Largest Sale
In The World

...

Lifebuoy Soap

Unfortunately whatever was written to the left of the window has faded too much to be able to read anything.

Apart from those mentioned above, other Sunlight ghost signs on this blog include examples from Ravenscourt Park and Highbury.

Location: Villiers Road / Pictures taken in: November and December 2011

Cash store, Willesden

Most of the space available at this corner shop was used to advertise the products on offer inside, including a whole range of drinks manufactured by R. White, of Camberwell. As precised on one of the ghost signs below, these and other goods were not sold on credit but had to be paid straight away as this was a 'cash store' (see the post about Fred Palmer, the cash butcher).
R. White was founded by -you've guessed it- Robert White and his wife Mary in 1845. It produced mineral and aerated waters, cordials, lemonade and ginger beer. Their sons Robert James and John George became partners thirty years later. Under their leadership the family firm expanded, taking over in 1891 H.D. Rawlings Ltd, a company that had been making mineral waters and ginger beer for more than a century. In 1894 the company was incorporated as R. White & Sons Limited. Over the following years, in order to cope with the growing demand for its drinks, it acquired several manufacturing sites around the country. As a consequence of some take-overs, R. White also became involved through its subsidiaries in the production of a greater range of products, including vinegar and sauces (White, Cottell & Co, of Camberwell) as well as fermented liquors and spirits (London Essence Company, of Peckham).
In 1970 R. White & Sons Ltd was taken over by Whitbread & Co Ltd. Sixteen years later the brand was acquired by soft drink manufacturer Britvic.

This is a real palimpsest, with two ghost signs relatively easy to read, plus one where only a few letters still appear.
The older ghost sign was painted in black on a while background. It reads:V. & ...
Cash Store
Grocery
& Provision
Dealer
Agent For
R. White's
Mineral Waters
And
Ginger Beer
Stop ... Cheapness
The more recent ghost sign, in yellow letters against a dark red background, reads:Com...
Uncle Tom
Prices
For R. White's
Minerals
Lemonades Sodas
Or Mixed ...
All Pints ...
Sent Home
I am slightly puzzled by the first lines of this sign. Maybe the owner of this cash store was known as Uncle Tom?


This was the first time I saw a ghost sign advertising R. White's drinks. It seems the company preferred to use enamel signs, which lasted for longer and could be moved easily if necessary. Two pictures of H. Wilson's and George Adnams's shops taken in Brentford in the 1910s and 1940s respectively show such enamel signs. Many, such as the one on the right, have survived and can be seen around the country.

Location: Villiers Road / Picture taken in November 2011

High class confectioner, Willesden

First of all, a very happy New Year to all the readers of this blog.

Today's story isn't that happy though. Indeed, while sometimes ghost signs emerge when modern billboards are removed or buildings demolished, the opposite is also true. Actually it even seems to be a more frequent occurence. To a certain extent this is the case with the ghost signs below, painted on a wall adjacent to the Spotted Dog on Willesden High Road. Unfortunately the last pints were poured on 20th May 2007 and the pub, which had opened in 1762, was earmarked for redevelopment in 2008. Last November, after fetching our visas for Cambodia at the embassy nearby (it saved us queueing at the border, plus I was kindly offered a CD of Cambodian music), I wandered through Willesden and noticed that work on the site was now well under way. The new complex, a combination of flats and retail units which retains the Georgian façade, extends over the alley that runs between the pub and the building with the ghost sign. That's where the problem lies. For the floors above the alleyway to stand, a massive pier has been erected and obstructs most of the ghost signs. Thus Mr Humphrey and Stepani, whose only trace left seems to have been these painted signs, are sinking further into oblivion.
Indeed the space on this wall was used on several occasions. The first sign painted there promoted a business by the name of Humphrey (the letters emerge between the larger ones of 'Stepani'). Since none of the other words found on this wall uses the same straightforward typeface, I believe the rest of this sign disappeared completely when the two newer ones were painted. The next sign advertised Stepani & Company, suppliers of ice and water (that this sign was painted next to a pub is slightly ironic). Was Stepani (but no longer '& Co') also the high class confectioner mentioned in the third sign? The absence of a name would suggest so. But then why wasn't the whole space used? Maybe a small structure, such as a hut for a newspaper seller, hid the left of the wall but didn't go as high as 'Stepani'?

. Stepani

& Company Makers of Pure ... Ices Supplied for Parties ... Iced Mineral Water ...		High Class Confectioner Caterer and Tobacconist ... of Havana Cigars
		Try a Freshly Made Cup

With regards to the last three lines, which undulate elegantly and were painted partly in black ('Try a Freshly'), partly in white ('Made Cup'), I think they related to a part of the sign that disappeared when part of the wall was rebuilt. Freshly grounded coffee maybe? Something was painted to the right of these lines but I can't identify what this is.

Location: High Road / Picture taken in August 2009

Saint Paul's pianos, Willesden

Saint Paul's Pianos was set up in the 1920s by Sydney Chidley, the son of composer, music instrument manufacturer and inventor Rock Chidley. The pianos he sold were usually second-hand instruments, which he repaired in his workshop located further up High Road in Willesden. Another shop was located in Birmingham. It seems Sydney Chidley gave up his business following the death of this wife and his subsequent remarriage. All this information comes from various messages left by Sydney's great grandson on several blogs and discussion forums.

Saint
Paul's
Pianos
This ghost sign was repainted when the current occupiers of 50 High Road moved in. I have mixed feelings about the outcome. One the one hand it looks over-restored but on the other hand one should be grateful it wasn't completely removed.

Location: Linacre Road / Picture taken in August 2009

Dutch the local house agents, Willesden

This estate agency based in northwest London was founded 111 years ago and is still in business under the name Dutch & Dutch.

Dutch
The Local
House
Agents
.3, Broadway
And at
Brondesbury
The number was certainly either 63 or 73 (more likely actually), rather than just 3.

Location: High Road / Picture taken on: 14/08/2009

Gillette: the different designs; Clapham, Spitalfields, and Willesden

Judging by the number of painted signs for safety razors still around, Gillette must have been one of the most prolific companies. However most of those ads, such as the one below in Clapham, are very similar, with their blue background and yellowish lettering.

Gillette
Shave
Like many Gillette signs across London, this one was painted over an earlier one for Iron Jelloids. The name and part of the familiar slogan for the great tonic, painted in white letters, can still be seen: For Health
And Beauty
Iron Jelloids

Location: Clapham High Street / Picure taken on: 09/04/2008

Gillette signs of a different design seem to be quite rare, especially those with a drawing. This is why I was amazed, and very happy, to find the one below.

Gillette
Safety Razor
The Shave With the S...

Location: High Road / Picture taken on: 14/08/2009

A building was erected certainly not so long after this sign was painted and, as a result, it is (unfortunately) barely visible, and (fortunately) rather well-preserved. The lettering looks definitely older than on most Gillette signs. As for the man gently stroking his cleanly-shaven chin and feeling refreshed, he reminded me of the sign in Spitalfields, even if here the figure seems to be a bit fuller (maybe it is an effect of the warmer colours). The other major difference, of course, is that here he is still holding a "mask" representing his unshaven, tired face.
Another sign was painted, above the Gillette one, but has peeled off. Some letters can still be seen:

The ...luction
...ite
S...

Gillette
British Made
Razor & Blades

Location: Commercial Road / Picture taken on: 02/04/2008

I suspect the sign above on Commercial Road would originally have looked like the previous one but Gillette had it repainted at a later date using its more modern design. A couple of words (twice "The") and traces of letters from the earlier version can still be spotted in the lower left-hand corner. A few more letters belonging possibly to a third, intermediate, Gillette sign can also be seen here and there ("...ety" and "...or", making "Safety Razor").

In the picture below, I have altered the perspective and done a bit of retouching in Photoshop to try to give a better idea of what the faces are like. The one on the left looks much more like King Camp Gillette, the head of the namesake company, whose portrait appeared on the packs of disposable razor blades. Click on the picture to enlarge it.