You can take the boy out of London…
I am coming to London and leading two public walking tours on 22 and 23 July. These are my first since 2019, and likely be the only walks I do this year. I hope you can join me on one or both of them.
I also have some availability on Friday 21 July if you are interested in a private walk in any of my three London locations: Stoke Newington; Bankside; Clapham.
And don’t forget, all my walks, including the free Clapham one, are available digitally via my site.
SignLink Columns
I was recently invited to contribute two regular columns to the trade publication SignLink, one of which is a continuation of the ‘Ghost Sign Corner’ feature in BLAG (Better Letters Magazine). Here I share the first two instalments…
First up was the stunning Warings sign in Islington which owners of Ghost Signs: A London Story will be familiar with from page 111.
This impressive ghost sign features the flowing script logotype of ladies’ underwear manufacturer Warings from London Wall. These were their Wilton Factories, supplying shops in the City of London and the West End.
The business was established in 1874 as Smart, Black & Waring, but by 1914 it was under the sole control of the Waring family. This factory remained open until 1945 and the Waring name lives on at the David Henry Waring old people’s home in Middlesex, housed in a building gifted to the parish council by his widow when she died 1949.
The second instalment was a guest contribution from Sean Reynolds of @melbourne_ghostsigns, whose work also featured in the last issue of Words on Walls.
This beautifully preserved sign pictures Ballarat Bertie, one-time mascot for the Ballarat Brewing Company in Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 1910 when three local breweries amalgamated in order to fight the encroaching competition from the Melbourne-based CUB Brewing Company.
In 1926, the brewery director ran into an advertising agency representative on a train trip. They began discussing the possibility of creating a mascot for the brewery similar to that of Johnnie Walker whiskey. It was as the train pulled into Sydney that Ballarat Bertie was born.
Bertie quickly became an icon, not just for the brewery but for the town of Ballarat itself. His image appeared on beer bottles, merchandise, and advertisements in newspapers. And, of course, on walls.
During the Second World War, sailors on HMS Ballarat adopted Bertie as their mascot, and the current warship continues this tradition.
By 1958, Ballarat Brewing had been sold to their one-time rival, CUB Brewing Company, and in 1991 Ballarat Bitter was discontinued. However, in 2006, the crew of HMS Ballarat lobbied to have it brewed once again with a limited run of the beer selling out within days.
Ballarat Bertie, however, lives on.
Thank you to SignLink for publishing these pieces, and to Sean Reynolds for the brilliant Ballarat Bertie contribution.
Ghost Signs in BLAG
The third issue of my magazine, BLAG, is now out, and once again contains a healthy dose of fading painted signs. Here’s a little look at what’s inside, and don’t forget that Words on Walls subscribers get a 25% discount on the monthly Blagger plan, which includes the magazine in print.
Ghost Sign Corner
The regular ‘Ghost Sign Corner’ column features one of my favourites from Bath. Its story is also told in the book, Ghost Signs of Bath, whose authors kindly contributed this, and the photo below, to the magazine.
Old Signs of Amman
The issue’s ‘Lettering Location’ is Old Signs of Amman, which houses a remarkable collection of vintage signs from Jordan’s capital.
The Magic in the Minutiae
One of the main BLAG 03 features is about artists working with signs and lettering in miniature. The piece profiles five different artists from France, Japan, Norway, and the USA, one of which is Emmanuel Nouaillier who I have previously profiled on the blog.
Ye Olde Sign Shoppe
This regular column tells the story of a sign painter of old, and in the latest issue we head to Turkey and the work of Enver Yücebalkan.
The member-only newsletter from BLAG also has a regular spot dedicated to ghost signs, and the latest shared this short film about Craig Winslow’s permanent ‘light capsules’ installation in Astoria, Oregon. You can also join the free email list for a weekly dose of these adventures in sign painting.
Thank You
Thanks for reading. Do join me later this month for a walking tour, and sign up to BLAG (free, or with Words on Walls discount) to access my work there.