So is there a ghost sign near YOU? Public asked to help build map of fading adverts around the country promoting everything from bicycles to long-dead trades

• Historic England has called on the public to send in images of ‘ghost’ signs

From Hartills bike shop to Field and SonSaddlers, generations ago they were proud British firms. 

Around the country, thousands of fading signs exist, advertising companies that have long ceased to exist. 

Now, with Halloween fast approaching, Historic England is calling on the public to take pictures of ‘ghost’ signs near them and then add them to a UK-wide interactive map. 

The heritage body wants to use the information to find out how high streets and building use across Britain has changed over the decades.

It has shared more than a dozen images of just a fraction of the signs that exist around Britain.  

With Halloween fast approaching, Historic England is calling on the public to take pictures of ‘ghost’ signs near them and then add them to a UK-wide interactive map. Above: An advert for ‘Hartills’ bike shop in Bilston, West Midlands

Another sign, advertising ‘Sankey’s Soap’ in the Ancoats area of Manchester, is actually promoting the famous nightclub 

The fading sign for Field and Son Saddlers is displayed on a building in Canterbury, Kent. The firm has been defunct for decades 

The cycles advert is displayed on a former bike shop in Bilston in the West Midlands. 

Another sign, advertising ‘Sankey’s Soap’ in the Ancoats area of Manchester, is actually promoting the famous nightclub – formerly of the same name but now simply called Sankeys.   

The Sankey’s Soap advert – bold white text set against a vivid blue background – has long been a fixture of the Ancoats area of Manchester.

The soap business was founded in the early 1990s is now that of a popular night club franchise in Manchester. 

The fading sign for Field and Son Saddlers is displayed on a building in Canterbury, Kent. The firm has been defunct for decades.    

The interactive map is available on Historic England’s website

Another sign, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, advertises a local brewery, Albrew Maltsters Limited. The firm was founded in 1894 but only ceased trading around 20 years ago 

A sign in Frome, Somerset, advertises ‘film developing and printing’ and promises a ‘rapid service’

In Church Street in Stoke Newington, east London, a building that now houses a cafe boasts two signs. One is virtually illegible, but the other says in capital letters: ‘Fountain Pens Repaired’

A sign in a side street in Hackney, east London, advertises the ‘offices and showrooms’ of ‘W.A. Hudson Ltd’ 

Another sign, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, advertises a local brewery, Albrew Maltsters Limited. 

The firm was founded in 1894 but only ceased trading around 20 years ago. 

A fourth sign in a side street in Hackney, east London, advertises the ‘offices and showrooms’ of ‘W.A. Hudson Ltd’. 

A sign in Frome, Somerset, advertises ‘film developing and printing’ and promises a ‘rapid service’.

In Church Street in Stoke Newington, east London, a building that now houses a cafe boasts two signs. 

This faded sign is on the side of a building in Blyth, Northumberland. It is now illegible

The faded shop front of a former jeweller’s in Leeds. The business was called ‘Something Special’ 

This sign for ‘timber & oars’ is in Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, Devon

A fading sign in Penzance, Cornwall, advertises the services of a chemist

This very faded sign advertises an old shop selling products including chocolates and tobacco

This old sign promotes the offices of the ‘South Western Railway’ in Plymouth, Devon

This building in Stamford Hill, north London, boasts a series of signs. One at the top advertises ‘costumes made to measure’ 

This sign in Windsor Street, Liverpool, points motorists in the direction of petrol supplies 

These very faded signs advertise the services of a garage and ‘motors for sale’ in Faversham, Kent

Another garage advert, this time in Margate, Kent. Is there a similar sign near you?

One is virtually illegible, but the other says in capital letters: ‘Fountain Pens Repaired’. 

Other signs advertise the likes of chemists, garages, sweet shops.  

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: ‘Once you start looking up on high streets and hunting for ghost signs, you’ll find that they’re hidden in plain sight, tucked away down alleyways or hiding among rooftops. 

‘These mysterious pieces of secret history are a special reminder of the people who came before us, and the urban spaces and high streets they made their own. 

‘We want to hear what people know and love about their local ghost signs, and to create a map that we can all use to explore this evocative part of our urban heritage.’

The interactive map can be viewed at https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/ghost-signs/?id=3d0b4029-19b3-431c-a041-76e3619c825e 

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