A Ladbroke Grove ghostsign – a huge hidden gem that's hard to see

Within the entrance to Elgin Mews at the rear of The Elgin at 96 Ladbroke Grove which, btw, is an absolutely gorgeous example of a Victorian gin palace, there are some large letters painted on the wall.

Here's a screenshot of the Google map of the area:

Today there are residential properties along the mews, but up until the 1970s, there would have been small tradesmen here offering various services. The postal directories from 1899 through to 1910 show a range of businesses – a horse dealer, a dentist, a chimney sweep, a bath chair proprietor, a locksmith, a carman (that's a man with a van), an upholsterer, a billposter, a couple of builders and a french polisher.

In the mews entrance off Ladbroke Grove there are large letters on the left side. Here it is in eight sections. 

The sign is one long line of big white letters on a black strip. Due to the narrowness here it's not possible to get a better angle on it. At first, all I could make out was S. KER[something]. OUN....
I found it difficult to decipher because I couldn't tie up the letters I saw with any of the trades listed above. I wondered if KER was part of a company name/owner. Nope. Nothing tied up with the available info.

Then, taking shelter here one rainy day I had another good look at it, and the different lighting conditions helped me to ascertain that the full points are actually commas and it says:
TILES, KERBS, SURROUNDS
which means it's surely a sign for one of the builders, either Charles Halford or Frank Richards who were both here in 1915, the latter since at least 1910.

Other elements of the sign appear to have worn away over time – it surely would have shown the name of the company plus other products available, yet how this happened is beyond me seeing as this is very well protected from the elements.

I am also at a loss how anyone would have been able to see the sign from the road as it's only noticeable if you are approaching slowly from the South and, even then, not until you are almost at a level with it. Quick! Turn right now!

There doesn't appear to be any hints of a similar sign on the opposite wall for anyone approaching from the north/the station. There could well have been a sign at the eastern end of the mews, but long gone now. 

This sign features on my Portobello Ghostsigns walk – join me to find out more – see here