Egertons Ltd

Haven's seen many of these old painted signs since leaving London but a day trip to Ipswich threw up this lovely one up. I'm not sure what Egertons was but with the old-skool BP sign up there I'm guessing it was a petrol pump or something similar. Loving the old fashioned fire escape that has bisected it too. 

Til Death

I've noticed this sign a few times on the way back from work but it is always too dark to take a picture. Last week I made sure on my way to work to turn around and get a quick snap. Funerals are never fun. I've seen a lot of funeral parlours that dress death up as something that needs lots of money and glitz pumped into it to make it an acceptable part of life. Each to their own I guess.This company seems to be part of the old club and seems to stand for a quiet, solemn affair. It's sign suggests simplicity and functionality which I think are never bad things at a dark time in someones life.

A Fine Duo

Albert and Pearl sound like a 20s jazz dance duo-but they were in fact 'purveyors of fine foods'. What would just be called a local corner shop or greengrocers nowadays had a much grander name back in the day. You can tell that these two took great pride in their work.

Make-shift Mosque

An ingenious way of turning a house into a place of worship with some stencils and a lick of paint. I love this.

Post, by horse

Lovely scene above a pub in Guildford, previously the home of both the posting house and a livery stables. Did post get delivered by hoof in those days? I guess all 'post vans' would have been powered by horse...

More manufactory action

Another smart piece of signage from my home town.And there's that fantastic word 'manufactory' again.

Bread and Butter

It seems that next to the Old Dairy pub in Stroud Green there used to be a bakers. Long before the days of the  all encompassing supermarkets, you would go shop to shop buying your milk, bread and meat separately. In my head every shop used to have a big painted sign such as this. Big, bold and now decidedly retro.

Signs of the times

Walking along Clapham Junction high street revelling in the sunshine I looked up and saw this collection of signs; one old, one hand painted and two new. I loved the mis-match of them all, though my favourite would have to be the fading paintwork of the old baker and confectioner's shop. Much more charming than its contemporaries.