Ghost signs give glimpse into past
THEY’RE all around us yet go largely unnoticed.
Known as ghost signs, these are the fading remains of hand-painted wall adverts from generations ago that, for some, hold more value than any Banksy.
Cracked and peeling portals to the past, many have existed for up to a century or more – surviving the wrecking ball or a new lick of paint to haunt the streets and alleys of our towns and cities.
Others have sat silently, hidden from the sunlight for decades, only to be revealed when the building next door was torn down.
Eerie imprints of a bygone age, they’re a reminder of how we used to live, work and shop.
So take the time to stop and look about the next time you’re out – you might find yourself transported back to a world long forgotten.
Clive Road, Cardiff Dibbles Turog says the sign, below which is written (we think) “Bread of Heaven”. Turog was a healthy caramel coloured wheatmeal loaf popular in the ’50s or ’60s, particularly in the north of England.
The type of flour that went into it was made by Spillers milling company, which expanded from Somerset to Cardiff in 1832, and was finally discontinued in the late 1970s.
Taff Street, Pontypridd It’s been a computer game store for the best part of 10 years, but at some time this place on Ponty’s main drag offered everything you’d need for around the home.
Hanbury Road, Bargoed Next to the library, and on the side of a present day hair salon, the sign reads The Premier Clothing & Supply Co. Ltd.
It’s not known how far it dates back, although it seems to have been painted over a previous advert for the Pearl Assurance Company, which came about around 1914.
Hanover Street, Cardiff A pre-decimalisation four digit phone number (pre-1971) is the only thing giving away the age of this one. We’re going for the ’60s, although it looks suspiciously fresh, like someone’s given it fresh coats of paint over the years.
Mellon Street, Newport This former brewery – founded in 1874 by Thomas Phillips (formerly of the Northamapton Brewery Co Ltd) ceased to be in 1968.
Tucked away round the corner from Newport’s George Street Bridge, it’s today believed to provide storage space for the nearby George Street Furnishers, with whose main building it shares an elevated walkway
Cross Street, Abertridwr Granted, not all ghost signs are olde worlde – this one dating back to when people wore Kickers and Kappa tracksuits rather than Peaky Blinders garb.
How do we know? The 0222 area code on the phone contact details dates it to sometime before 1995, that being the year when a “1” was inserted into the nation’s dialling codes.
Upper Dock Street, Newport Where Newport’s bus station stands today was, in the 1950s, the site of an outdoor market – hence the signage.
Clearly having been painted over through the decades, the word “fruit” is still evident – possibly hinting at grocery businesses in the city such as AA Wright or Harry Wheeler’s.