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5 March 2012

Gillette ghost sign; hidden in plain sight

Earlier today I was in near Oxford Circus and looked up and saw what I thought must be a recently uncovered Gillette ghost sign.
Excited, I took lots of photos, one of which is below and a close up here where you can make out the signwriter's name.
But I just checked on Flickr and it seems the sign has been visible since at least July 2009 when Maggie snapped it... so how have I not spotted it myself until now?!
As a friend says, 'sometimes things are hidden in plain sight'... they are right under our noses or in this case, above our heads. The same would apply to the Gillette ghost sign in Queensway and the one for Creamed Barley above Mornington Crescent tube station.
I have spotted faded Gillette ads all over London; in Whitechapel, New Cross, Dalston, Clapham, Kilburn, Kensal Green, Stoke Newington, Tottenham, Acton, Peckham, Willesden and Grays Inn Road (see them here), and I know of others, so there are probably many more out there to discover, either hidden under new advertising panels or in hiding plain sight.

4 comments:

  1. I found this one during Xmas time and took me FOREVER to take a photo because the amount of people on the streets at the time was insane.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a bit tangential, but do you have any idea what this ghost sign is about?

    http://www.thehornseyroad.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/what-are-you-crying-about.html

    I've worked out that there were scientific instrument makers there until the 1930s, but I can't see how it could be them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. oops I have only just seen this. No, I don't know... it's quite recent though, i.e 20 years I think. I have often queried it myself. Probably a ref to a shop or pub that was there. Have you found out anything more?

    ReplyDelete
  4. oops I have only just seen this. No, I don't know... it's quite recent though, i.e 20 years I think. I have often queried it myself. Probably a ref to a shop or pub that was there. Have you found out anything more?

    ReplyDelete

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Thanks, Jane