CH N.Katz

CH N.Katz, 92 Brick Lane, Shoreditch, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London E1, 2003 • A reminder of the days when Brick Lane was full of Jewish rather than Bangladeshi / hipster […]

S. Krantz & Son

S. Krantz & Son, 180 Drury Lane, Borough of Camden, Loncon WC2, 2003 • Still there, but downsized to Krantz, painted dark blue, and with the beautiful old signage – and […]

The Salvation Army (Caterham)

The Salvation Army, Croydon Road, Caterham, Surrey, 2001 • Not the world’s most beautiful place of worship, but it added character to a dull street, so of course got demolished.

Livebait

Livebait, 43 The Cut, Waterloo, Borough of Southwark, London SE1, 2006 • This was the first Livebait, launched in 1996, which had a fully-tiled interior in classic pie-and-mash parlour style (I’m […]

R.E. Harris Motor Engineers

R.E. Harris Motor Engineers, 1a Doughty Mews, Borough of Camden, Holborn, London WC1, 2003 • Angry epitaph on doomed garage, now demolished in favour of apartments in this exceedingly expensive area.

Bloomsbury Service Station

Bloomsbury Service Station, 6 Store Street and 2-8 Ridgmount Street, Bloomsbury, Borough of Camden, London WC1, 2002 • Another quaint garage, founded 1926, which by 2002 must have been London’s most […]

Chequers Lane Garage

Chequers Lane Garage, 3-5 Chequers Lane, Walton on the Hill, Tadworth, Surrey, 2003 • Attractive old-style garage (website here), founded 1991 but making sympathetic use of a facade from the dawn […]

West Ham Labour Party

West Ham Labour Party, 306 Stratford High Street, Borough of Newham, London E15, 2006 • This dilapidated Moorish-style party edifice is still in place, albeit with updated fascia – though given […]

M. Stephens.

M. Stephens., 44-46 Herbert Road, Plumstead, Borough of Greenwich, London SE18, 2004 • So good they named it twice: classic signwriting, and what looks like plans for a fancy “44” over […]

White Horse Kebabs

White Horse Kebabs, 336 Bethnal Green Road, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London E2, 2005 • Not a name you’d choose nowadays, you’d think, after the horseburger scandal… but it’s still there, […]

Kosher Food & Wine

Kosher Food & Wine, circa 113 Golders Green Road, Borough of Barnet, London NW11, 2003 • Looks appetising! But it doesn’t appear to be there any more.

Hairdressr (White Moon Gents Hair Dressers)

White Moon Gents Hair Dressers, 3 Lanson House, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, Borough of Barnet, London HA8, 2004 • Hairdressr is not, I feel, a clever anticipation of Tumblr et al; nor […]

Beldam Asbestos Co. Ltd, Auto Klean Strainers Ltd

Beldam Asbestos Co. Ltd, Auto Klean Strainers Ltd, Lascar House, […]

“Step In” Restaurant

“Step In” Restaurant, 457a New Cross Road, Borough of Lewisham, London SE8, 2002 • Another winning example of very basic signage typography. By 2012 it had become Geology, a natural stone […]

The Green Leaves, Violet Dry Cleaner

The Green Leaves, Violet Dry Cleaner, 106-108 Hammersmith Road, Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London W6, 2005 • Amusing colourful duo, still there but now with modernised facades which lack the […]

Tienda Tropical, Green Jade

Tienda Tropical, Green Jade, 217-219 Holloway Road, Borough of Islington, London N7, 2005 • Fanciful interlude on a pretty grim thoroughfare – I love it when whole buildings get divided up […]

Mersin 2 Fresh Fish Shop

Mersin 2 Fresh Fish Shop, 16a Lower Clapton Road, Borough of Hackney, London E5, 2010 • I wonder what Mersin 1 looks like?

Hair Care by New Figaro Formerly Ronald Saxon

Hair Care by New Figaro Formerly Ronald Saxon, 164 High Road, East Finchley, Borough of Barnet, London N2, 2003 • Nice logo, confused naming hierarchy. Later became Leptos (UK), a Cypriot […]

Designer Clearance Store

Designer Clearance Store, 19 Deptford High Street, Borough of Lewisham, London SE8, 2002 • Yes, I expect they’ve got some top designer brands here. Are those guano heaps on the windowsill?

Pronuptia (Hanley)

Pronuptia, 29-33 New Hall Street (seen from Weaver Street), Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, 2010 • Mmmm, I’d certainly get in the wedding spirit here. (I admit this is the back entrance, but […]

Convenient Food & Wine Store

Convenient Food & Wine Store, 338 Kennington Road, Borough of Lambeth, London SE11, 2001 • Convenient it may be, but it’s not exactly an inspiring name, is it? By 2012 it […]

Surrey Scale Company Limited.

Surrey Scale Company Limited., 2 The Parade, Philanthropic Road, Redhill, Surrey, 2001 • Now Davey’s Wines & Spirits – do you think they still have scale companies in this digital era? […]

Hop Kweng

Hop Kweng, 1 Majestic Parade, Sandgate Road, Folkestone, Kent, 2008 • Superb decorative facade more redolent of a 1960s New Town such as Crawley than a genteel seaside shopping parade. I […]

Roystons Curios

Roystons Curios, 88 High Street, Lowestoft, Suffolk, 2007 • Is that as in creepy village Royston Vasey off TV’s ‘The League of Gentleman‘? Cheerful!

Ber

Ber (part-demolished shop), circa 227 High Street, Stratford, Borough of Newham, London E15, 2006 • An ex-timber merchant? Now gone, along with the neighbouring warehouse and pub, on a corner totally […]

Old Town Tea Shop

Old Town Tea Shop, 7 High Street, Poole, Dorset, 2004 • Now poshed up in heritage green as The Old Townhouse, with net curtains and orange tiling gone.

Milborrow & Son Chimney Sweep

Milborrow & Son Chimney Sweep, 62 High Street, Caterham on the Hill, Caterham, Surrey, 2001 • Because sweeps are lucky at weddings. No longer there, though there’s still a national firm […]

Refreshments

Refreshments, 12-16 York Way, Kings Cross, London N1, Borough of Islington, 2004 • Ghost sign for a long-gone cafe; it’s still there today, but now above a large Nandos.

Karim

Karim, 155 Battersea High Street, Borough of Wandsworth, London SW11, 2002 • Sign features a fish and a burger flying at what looks like a chocolate milkshake. Now supplanted by Planet […]

The Coffee Pot Snack Bar

The Coffee Pot Snack Bar, 10 Union Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, 2002 • I always like a nice generic Pepsi cafe sign – it looks like the “The” was a […]

P.F. Garnett & Co. Ltd

P.F. Garnett & Co. Ltd., 137 Duke Street, Liverpool L1, 2003 • Another abandoned Liverpool shop – it’s a long time since cork importers were big there. This was still the same […]