Southsea Lifestyle – Free Magazine for Southsea, Old Portsmouth, Eastney & Gunwharf Quays

Ghostly goings on …

An advert for Ecko appliances, an electronic brand that manufactured radios and TVs from 1924 to 1960 became visible when the rendering covering it, started to fall away earlier this year. The evocative artwork is a stunning example of hand-painted advertising and the homeowner in Pretoria Road should be warmly congratulated for investing in securing its future.

Painted advertising signs on buildings used to be commonplace all over Portsmouth & Southsea, usually to advertise a shop or business within the building. If you look carefully you can still see the remnants of these ghost adverts, often in unexpected places around town. 

Southsea Lifestyle photographer Paul Windsor put out a call on social media for locals to suggest where he might be able to find more examples – and you didn’t let us down. “The signs are often quite feint, or the typography has been interrupted by modern windows or air vents, but they are a fascinating glimpse of another life and another era” said Paul. 

See if you recognise any of the signs in your neighbourhood? And if you know of any more ‘ghost signs’ for Paul to photograph, just email info@southsealifestyle.com 

 


Posted in: Articles, History & Architecture