?? Another Ghost Sign ??

Over the last year, and with the help of another interested party, Tonbridge Daily has managed to locate 8 ghost signs in the town.  Some of them are really good examples, whilst others are so badly faded, or painted over, they can simply only serve as evidence that a sign has existed in the past. Sometimes only a few scattered letters, or part of a name, are still visible to use as research, but nevertheless, it has been interesting to delve into the history of the building, and piece together what the former sign may have advertised.

Bank Street

At one point I became so obsessive, and found myself searching every open surface of the town's red brick buildings I passed by, in the hope of finding another one.  A white painted square on a Tonbridge wall would immediately turn me into Miss Marple, and I would whip out my mini-binoculars to investigate further.  By the way, the binoculars are not a new thing I've acquired for ghost sign hunting -  I have constantly carried them around with me since my early days of studying Art History, when I needed to find close detail in architecture or paintings.

So when I was out and about in the town yesterday, and walking along Bank Street, I noticed one of those white painted squares that gets my heart racing.  It was down a very narrow gap, on the side of an empty building, and just visible due to new building very close to it. I can't believe I haven't noticed it before.  On looking closer the white paint was flaking and revealing blue paint beneath it. I'm pretty sure it was a former advertising sign, and a search through archived old photos of Tonbridge might, at a very long shot, give an idea as to what business it belonged to.
This part of central Tonbridge was formerly a busy and thriving area.  It lays just off the High Street and the building would have stood next to the cattle market. This alone suggests that an advertising sign in this position would be very likely.

If you are interested in seeing photographs of the other Tonbridge Ghost signs go to the search box at the right hand side of this post, and enter 'ghost signs'. 

Tonbridge Ghost Sign Update

After a reader alerted me to the evidence that a ghost sign had existed on a building at 48 Shipbourne Road, there were number of comments on the blog, which helped to solve the mystery of the strange parallelogram.

This odd shape obviously revealed part of the original painted advertising sign.

Martin left a comment that a tool-hire company had fixed the parallelogram shaped sign, which read 'Tools for Hire' and the wall was painted after it was in place.  At that time a tool-hire company traded from the premises.

He also added that the building was owned by H.V. Wildash & Sons (Brkrs) in the late 1940's.



Today as I was walking along Shipbourne Road I noticed that a driveway along the side of the building was open, which gave me the opportunity to look at the complete side of the house.  At the bottom of the wall there were a number of large letters.  The first letters seem to read WHEATEN ...  the next larger letters only DR and possibly A is legible. The white paint covering the words is peeling and so, given time, more of the letters will be revealed.  It is also possible that these words are part of a separate sign advertising another business.

And so the mystery continues ...

New Discoveries

With the help of Martin, a Tonbridge Daily reader, the number of Ghost Signs discovered in the town has now risen to 9.   Research still has to be done to identify when and why they were painted, but in the meantime here they are.  If there is any information that can help this project please use the comment box below or email tonbridgedaily@gmail.com

On the alley wall of William Hill, High Street

A second sign on the side of William Hill, High Street

 

River Lawn Road - virtually illegible but the word Stormont seems faintly visible

Ghostly Remains

After the last post on Ghost Signs I was contacted by a reader with information as to where three further signs were in the town, so this afternoon I took my camera and myself on a walk of discovery around the south of Tonbridge.

Meadow Road Tonbridge

The first painted sign I found clings to a garage wall in Meadow Road which I found incredibly hard to  completely decipher, but it seems to read:-

Dry Tree Farm Dairy

Tonbridge

Deliveries twice daily

in this district

There is a name and it is possibly E Harris, but I am unable to work that out or the inscription at the top of the advertisement.

St Stephens Street Tonbridge

A second bleached and faded sign remains on a property in St Stephens Street adjacent to the Punch & Judy pub.  This was probably painted by Mr. Palmer himself who is advertising the one and only as a Signwriter, Grainer, Painter, Paperhanger and Decorator. I searched through the Kelly's Street Directories with great expectations that a Mr. Palmer would have lived at this address, but his name was not to be found here or in St Stephens Street.  As there has always been a watering hole next door I wondered if Mr. Palmer could have been always found there.

Rear of Priory Street Tonbridge

The final remaining ghost sign I was directed to was really hard to find as a block flats has been built in front of it, and has rendered it almost invisible.  It sits high in the apex of  a side wall near to the corner of Priory Street and Priory Road. The flats that were completed this year were built on the site of the former Railway Bell pub.  The sign reads:-

Est^b 1845
Medway Coal Com^py
And At
Tunbridge Wells, Hastings,
London & Elsewhere

I don't hold out much hope for the preservation of this sign, and believe it will be lost very soon as a number of flues spurt out their vapour directly onto the lettering.  This was so disappointing as it will only be a matter of time before it fades and disappears.

Vapour damaging the sign

Luckily the sign has been documented and photographed many times, and also appears on Google Street Map (see here http://g.co/maps/qkvqy) before the flats that hide it were built.

I am not sure how long the Medway Coal Company was in Priory Street, as the main office was in or close to Tonbridge High Street.  There was a coal merchants listed in Kellys Street directories at this address in 1886, followed by Carter Smith Ltd who were firewood dealers and by 1919 the Medway Coal Company are listed, but as firewood dealers and not coal merchants.  A photograph on http://www.tonbridgehistory.org.uk/photos/shops-and-retailing/slides/29.033.html that depicts Ray Lucas with his horse and Medway Coal Company cart, does have some evidence of a firewood store in the picture, but it is unsure where this was taken.  It could be at the Priory Street address.  It is all rather a mystery.

Tonbridge Historical Society Pictorial Collection No. 29.033

I believe that I have now probably covered all remaining ghost signs in Tonbridge on this blog.  If there are any more that haven't been mentioned please let me know, and in the meantime take a look at those that still cling onto these old walls before they disappear.

Recognising Tonbridge Recognised

Nestles Milk ... Richest In Cream

The Nestles Milk Ghost Sign sits high on the side wall of New Jimmys Restaurant in Avebury Avenue.
Only one person knew where the sign was positioned, although there were many vague guesses, and it's probably because it is in a narrow alleyway and very difficult to spot.

I have searched through Kellys Street Directories, thinking I would find a dairy or grocer in or around this building. but I came to a dead end.  A confectioner occupied the spot for many years and there were a number of 'dining halls' in the street, but nothing that explains the advertising of Nestles Milk. 

This type of advertising had its heydey in England from the 1920s to the 1950's, although ghost signs were in place during the end of the 19th century.  Their decline was the coming of mass produced posters, which were cheaper than individual traders having to pay for costly commisioning of hand painted wall advertising.

I have now found three Ghost signs in Tonbridge.  There is the very well preserved Hovis sign on the wall between the Honeymoon Restaurant and the town library, the faded hairdressing advertisement on the corner of Bank Street and The High Street, and now The Nestles painted sign in Avebury Avenue.

On a final personal note, I believe these haunting and faded hand painted advertisements should be preserved for their important historical and cultural significance to the community, but they are fading and fast disappearing often due to weathering, but also as a result of property development and demolition.  It is their faded appearance that has led them to be known as ghostsigns.    So go out and take a look before they vanish from Tonbridge.

If anyone can shed light on the reason Nestles milk was advertised in Avebury Avenue, or if there are any more hidden ghost signs in Tonbridge please contact Tonbridge Daily.

Bank Street/High Street

Hovis Sign in Barden Road