Trade Signs

Probably the biggest section of this website. Traders have always sought to catch the eye of pedestrians, cyclists, tramcar riders, carters and drivers. The right architecture (a blank wall or gable) and a favourable site for that wall (for example, projecting into the eyeline at rightangles to the line of the road, or on a street corner) gave ample opportunity for this sort of promotion.

Harry Seaman One of the first examples noted in Ipswich almost isn't there! Seaman had a fine relief cartouche moulded onto the gable-end of his property facing all the traffic coming down Argyle Street. This has since been painted over...
H.W. Turner in St Helens Street, the 'leading edge' of the building which houses Robertson's Florist shop, the R.H. Kent(?) lettering in Dove Street, plus The Grosvenor Hotel, Berners Street.
Scarborow the Art Nouveau wonder of Dial Lane.
The Big 'R': from a shopfront in Westgate Street.
Egertons In the centre of town, almost everyone will know the huge painted sign on the back wall of the building currently housing Yates' Wine Lodge. Also visible from this location is the Halberd Inn lettering on McGinty's pub.
Edme Bakery Traces of traders' lettering are scattered throughout the town. A tea advertisment in Eagle Street and the large W.B. Kerridge, 'The People's Cash Tailor' lettering on Bramford Road are included here.
The Rose and Crown Brewery At the top of Bramford Road, the now-demolished 'TFL' in nearby Gaye Street, back from the corner with Benezet Street, which features in our Introduction.
Martin & Newby On the corner of Orwell Place and Fore Street, stands these famously lettered premises, the nearby 'Meremayd', The Unicorn as well as 'Palmer's Door Mats &c'.
Symonds for Kodaks Upper Brook Street, the 'Sennitt's' lettering and an Alfred Coe sign in Carr Street.
Hales Chemist  notwithstanding the lettering being painted over. Here also are the nearby Turners Buildings and a rare '1636' sign in St Helens Street.
Wootton's the hairdresser a vestigial riot of resonant words in Tavern Street.
Cullingham Road: 'CORN HAY CHAFF...' if you look carefully enough.
Confectionery Works  Woodbridge Road, not far from the Milestone had, until May 2003, a well concealed trade sign now demolished. Also shown here: 'Bake Office' sign in Wherstead Road, and Mary's, the former hairdressers.
St Michael's Works and The Black Barn in Bond Street which no longer exist.
Elliott Street Bakery: a fine example of the trade lettering once so common: this was the inspiration for this website.
Felixstowe Road Around The Royal Oak we find several examples including J.W. How, Family Grocer.
The Blooming Fuchsia, now demolished, but the sign lives on.
Nestle's Milk: a huge sign hiding in an alleyway in Bramford Road.
Claydon Hall Dairy in Bramford Lane.
Ransomes on the former Premier Pool Club, Wykes Bishop Street.
V.A Marriott on Handford Road, in business since 1895, but no longer?
J. Pooley & Co. (Ipswich) Ltd., Ranelagh Road, now a block of flats.
Norwich Road has 'Tolly Cobbold' and 'Ferodo' signs.
EUR and GER pubs in Croft Street and the Locomotive Social Club nearby.
The Globe former public house, St George's Street has 'Cobbold's Ales & Spirits'.
Off licences provide several painted brickwork advertisements; here are examples from Suffolk Road, Cemetery Road and Bramford Road.
Vestigial lettering found in Charles Street, Buttermarket, Old Foundry Road, Upper Orwell Street and Felixstowe Road.

[Our background letter 'K' is taken from the 'Confectionery Works' in Woodbridge Road.]

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©2004 Copyright throughout the Ipswich Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
No reproduction of text or images without express written permission