The visible remnants of our social and business history are all around us – in the form of faded signs and adverts – sometimes known as ghostsigns. These are particularly prevalent in towns and cities with industrial pasts, including mining towns, factory-orientated areas and dockside communities such as Gloucester.
Gloucester has a surprising number of these historic signs, including those for unique local businesses, well-known brands such as Nestlé and Hovis, and the many warehouses and merchants that operated from the docks. These signs offer revealing glimpses into the past that give clues about the buying habits, business models and design styles of the last two hundred years.
(Lea & Co were well-established house furnishers and antique dealers, whose premises once took up practically the entire length of St. Aldate Street)
The contentious issue facing such signs today is whether to protect and maintain them or leave them to gradually disappear. Some receive protection from being adorned to listed buildings, but for the most part, their preservation is down to a mixture of good fortune and the discretion of building owners. I tend to lean towards protecting them where sensible to do so, whereas others argue that their coming and going is an inevitable bi-product of urban evolution and the somewhat fleeting nature of business. It is, of course, true that it would be impractical to protect every sign that a business leaves behind, and many signs are not missed, however, I think it is important to recognise that signs of a certain age are valuable pieces of history, and the fortuity with which they have survived up until now should be celebrated by preserving them further. Although the timespans are vastly different you could compare it to an archaeologist preserving fossils because they recognise their historical significance. The question is how one decides what is worthy of preservation, is it a matter of age, of local importance, or of aesthetic taste?
(Talbot's Bottlers (Gloucester) Ltd, Wholesale Beer Bottlers - The company proudly claimed the 'richest award' at the Great International Health Exhibition in London)
Regardless of whether these signs are protected or not, one thing we can do to record their existence is to photograph them. In Fading Ads of Gloucester I have done just this. I have documented as many of the city's old signs and adverts as possible, and offer some fascinating insights into Gloucester's history as a result. It is definitely worth stopping to look around sometimes – you never know what you might spot.
Find out more about Gloucester's hidden history before it fades away, with Fading Ads of Gloucester by Chris West.