7 August 2015

Update on Harpers of Holloway ghostsign

A few months ago I noticed that scaffolding had gone up all around the Harpers Building on Holloway Road and was covering the old sign for Harpers of Holloway Pianos. The building is currently being converted into swanky new flats. I kept my fingers crossed that the sign would not be tampered with.
Last week I noticed the scaffolding had been removed from the side section and I am sad to report that elements of the old hand-painted sign have been have scrubbed away:


The top two photos show the sign in 2008, and the bottom two snaps show how the sign is now thinner with many of the old white words removed; see how the word 'OF' that used to be in the middle has gone completely.
Note also the bad patching in of the bricks where modern machine-made ones have been used to replace the old London stocks.
The decorative moulding of a woman's face on the front corner (and all the way along the front of the building) have since been reinstalled

Below is a view of the whole Harpers building, taken earlier this year before the scaffolding went up, and a close up of the 1893 date stamp at the centre:


More news on this renovation when the full scaffold is removed.

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Thanks, Jane