Briggs Stores ghost sign

Briggs Stores ghost sign, on the side of a house in Heaton Norris, Stockport, on the corner of Belmont Street and Clement Street. This photo was taken a few years ago. When we lived in Heaton Norris in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Belmont Street boasted some fabulous ghost signs, including a smart green and gold Hovis sign, and a chip shop with an interior straight out of the 1950s. It's all smartened up now, of course.

Snacks from the past

Confections, snacks or cigarettes from the past, anyone? Trendy Edinburgh coffee shop the Milkman has kept its ghost sign, to great effect.

Signs of retail past

Glasgow has a fantastic shopping centre, and for a moment I almost believed I could go shopping in the past when I saw these gorgeous ghost signs just off Sauchiehall Street. 

Builder undertaker decorator plumber

Ghost sign in South Brent, Devon. Well, if you live in a village, you've all got to muck in, haven't you? Let's hope the trades didn't get muddled ....

The caretaker or the bank?

On the whole, I think I'd rather see the caretaker. Great doorbells from the past, spotted in Liverpool's trendy Bold Street.

Gun ho

This ghost sign in Lisbon city centre looks like it's straight out of the Wild West. Advertising shotguns, revolvers, pistols, loads, all accessories for hunters and articles for fencing (more swordsmanship than gardening, I guess) it's on a building which now sells men's clothing. I've no idea how old it is (can anyone enlighten me?) but it's not alone - there are a number of fine ghost signs in this pretty city.

Shh!

Shh, please close the doors quietly at St Katharine Cree in Leadenhall Street, London. How can you ignore such a graceful sign? Spread across two doors, it seems to have stood the test of time.

A doorway to the past

In the heart of Manchester’s Chinatown, near the Chinese Arch, number 55 Faulkner Street offers a concentration of ghost signs and a doorway that looks like it leads straight back to Victorian times. Reflecting Manchester’s leading role in the textiles industry, the signs on this building offer worsteds, woollens and handkerchiefs.

This handsome warehouse was built by architects Clegg & Knowles in 1870. Clegg & Knowles helped shape the face of modern Manchester, designing good looking warehouses in Peter Street, Portland Street, Spring Gardens, Fountain Street and Albert Square, as well as this gem in Faulkner Street.

Fancy a Turkish bath?

Well, you won’t get one, despite the tempting sign. Usually too covered in trampling feet to be photographed, I was pleased to find this ghost sign deserted one evening and so I was able to take a quick foot-free picture.

The sign is on the pavement in Russell Square London. The baths, part of the Imperial Hotel, were opened in 1913 and considered very fine, though not fine enough to escape demolition in the 1960s.

Busy Bros.

Whether it was a lampshade frame you needed or a bit of spot welding, it looks like the Heinson Brothers were the people to call. They've left their mark with some great ghost signs on this building in the Fitzrovia area of London .

The ghost of FJ Harrop

The ghostly form of FJ Harrop Ltd still haunts Dale Street in Manchester. Its smart 68 sign stands out on this mid-19th century warehouse, thought to be one of the earliest in the street. FJ Harrop was probably a small manufacturing business. The building, in keeping with Manchester's textile history, has more recently been used by a yarn supplier.

Soap Street sign

Fine ghost sign in Soap Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. If you're in the area, I recommend breakfast at Trof.

Ghostly plumber

This great ghost sign in Liverpool city centre is at the junction of Knight Street and Roscoe Street. It advertises a plumber, painter and general contractor. A bit of research reveals that Joseph Glover was a certified plumber at 39 Knight Street in 1897; he also appears in the 1901 census at the same address. 

Offices past

This delightful ghost sign lives on in the Chinatown district of Manchester. The offices at 36 Charlotte Street were known as Fraser House, and were built in about 1855 by Edward Walters. The building is now grade II listed.

Ghost train

You're surrounded by history in Plymouth's Barbican area. This wonderful ghost sign has survived competition, depression, blitz and redevelopment, and happily towers over tourists today.