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Ghost signs of Birmingham

The other day I noticed a sign that had been uncovered recently https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/13269413154/in/photostream/
The first time it appears in the directorys is as .
.
1929 Percy A Motor Engineer, Mansfield Rd S Yardley T N Acocks.
Green 1,049 .
.
at one time a relative opens a dinning room at the premises .
.
by it has become .
1973-1974 Leonards Garage Ltd motor engineers, Mansfield Rd 25, (021 706 1049) 254 Bordelsley Green 9, (021 772 5507) Sheldon Heath Service Station, The Radleys 33 (921 743 5621) & Perry Service Station , Aldridge Rd 22a 021 357 9352

I have only been able to trace the name till 1974
 
Hi Horsencart:
I had a look around and found a couple of connections including a photo of the garage at l Mansfield Road. A lovely heritage Grade II listed building by all accounts. Looks as though a couple of members of the Leonard family carried on the business which is now in Solihull. Here are the links: https://aghs.jimdo.com/built-environment/statutorily-listed-buildings/
Thanks to Bill Dargue for this one. https://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/leonards-garage and https://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1076256 and
https://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1076256 That's a great ghost sign as well.
 
Re: Old street pics..

lindyloo said:
Thanks from me too Phil,...for me it's been a trip down memory lane of going to my Nan and Grandads in Rubery on the bus once a fortnight for many years as a child, with my Mom and Brother...getting the 58 or 60 from Sheldon into town, going through the market to get fresh haddock (for when we got home) then to the smelly bus depot to catch the 144 ...along the Bristol Road to The Rose and Crown in the village, a journey that seemed to take forever..in fact we spent more time on the bus than we did visiting ! But although some of the scenes in the photos were a bit before my time, there are a lot of the landmarks which my Brother and I used to look for which told us how much longer we would be on the bus.. The Royal Orthopaedic, Kalamazoo, The Black Horse and the bridge to name a few, but the best sight of all was The Austin and the island were the bus turned towards Rubery :)
Occasionally our Uncle would take us up to the Lickeys as a treat or we would walk down the village and fetch "proper" Lardy Cake to have with a lovely cup of tea made from leaves and in a teapot..Nan's tea was the only tea I would drink, I've haven't touched the stuff since she sadly passed away.
Grandad used to work at The QE, two of my Uncles worked at the Austin and Moms first job was in The Chemist at the top of the village..her cousin worked in the one at the bottom end.
Here is a photo the Chemist in about 1915 and one of Mom at The Chemist, circa 1955
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I am researching old advertising signs (ghost signs) accross Birmingham and wondered if you might have any old photos that showed the outside the side wall where the sign still is? I am trying to find out when the sign may have been hand painted etc. Brilliant old photographs
 
A strikingly crisp sign of Jones and Palmer in Albion Street. Interesting that they were not only stationers and printers but also handled jewellery work. There's a Jones and Palmer design agency in Carver Street. Think there might be a connection as they produce and process printed material. If so, they've been around since 1906. Viv.

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There is an article in the Birmingham Post today 1st October 2014 about a Victorian shop sign being discovered under the Watersrones sign during the work for the metro extension. Unfortunately it can't be removed and will be covered up again.

The Sign says ..... & SON RAILWAY AND STEAMSHIP PASSENGER AGENTS

I have tried to post the link to the article and pictures but it's not working.

Perhaps if any of our members are passing they could take a photo for the forum before it's covered up again.
 
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And here are 3 photos from the B'ham Post article. Viv.

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I see that the sign appears to have been painted over? in white paint, it is a shame that the sign could be seen, I think that it has been given a protective cover?
 
Carolina

The sign in Stephenson street is from the time that the shop was owned by Thomas Cook & Sons Railway & Steamship Booking Agents. It later became the Midland Bank Club and even later Waterstones.
 
This photo shows one of the old photos hanging on the wall inside Waterstone's bookshop. It is of the rear of Waterstones/Midland Bank on the corner of Stephenson Place and Stephenson Street. Viv.

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I see them sadly old school buildings where the Boys and Girls' entrances were done in brickwork. Also old butchers and grocery and wet fish shops with tiled fronts so they could be swilled down remain. There used to be a leaping stag I think it was for M&B breweries at the top of my gran's road. He was comforting. It was for the outdoor which became a launderette I don't know what it is now. Hazel Hathaway's dancing school used to be painted on bricks too. Long gone. There is a pub in Coventry called The Gate House which was the gate house to a mill factory I think this was a good outcome for it.
 
Vivienne14 said:
A strikingly crisp sign of Jones and Palmer in Albion Street. Interesting that they were not only stationers and printers but also handled jewellery work. There's a Jones and Palmer design agency in Carver Street. Think there might be a connection as they produce and process printed material. If so, they've been around since 1906. Viv.

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Just a thought - The jewellers work may be boxes etc rather than actual jewellery Viv?

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Hi Nico. Be great to find some name signs made with tiles. I do remember them, often attached to a wall near the entrance to butchers/grocers etc shops, but haven't seen any in a long time. At worst I expect they were stripped away but at best maybe some were covered up. Viv.
 
Are there any ghost icons in Brum? By that I mean 3D objects from the past. We used to have till fairly recently a huge white stone Jaguar, to advertise the Jag on Ansty Road, now a house, A red Pegasus on Swan Lane Garage which remained after the garage closed and various old petrol pumps dotted about in streets where garages once stood. I wonder who lays claim to them?
 
Hello Viv. We still have a few shops in the suburbs with just tiles at the bottom under the windows and one with the original bow fronted windows. Black Swan restauration have preserved some, there are a few in my district, the council did at one time preserve a butcher's shop mosiac doorstep entrance in black and white little tiles but they took them away.
 
This has to be one of Birmingham's finest surviving ghost icons Nico. The Pelican Works on Great Hampton Street. Viv.

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A search of this site should bring up the answer Nico .

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I love these especially the '&' on it's own. They have stretched a banner over the neon where I worked I guess the sign is still underneath. In Coventry's Belgrade Plaza (white elephant) car park stairwell they have a glass tower filled with famous peoples' shoes. It would be nice to see something composed of ghost signs.
 
The Pelican Works was an electro-plating factory built in 1868. The pelican is made of stone.

I also like this one, The Smithfield Garage of 1923 in Meriden Street.

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You can just make out 'Smithfield Garage Limited' across the band of white painted bricks. Viv.

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