Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lymington

Lymington / Rye

This picturesque Hampshire market town and port has a history traceable to Saxon times, but the 18th and 19th centuries have left the greatest mark on the architecture and businesses based in the town. The buildings retain a charm and, thank goodness, a utility which enables the community to withstand some of the stresses and strains of economic fluctuation. In other words, it's a bit posh.
Lymington 1

At 31 New Street stands a warehouse with the sign: 'LANGHAM BROWNE', the current owners.

A panel of ceramic lettering, decorative font, dark against cream-white: 'FURNITURE DEPOSITORY' And along the top of the double doors: 'LANGHAM BROWNE REMOVALS LTD 674300'
Lymington 3

A similar panel of ceramic lettering is high up on the side wall: 'E.R. BADCOCK'. The depository at the corner of Emsworth Road was originally owned by Ford Furniture and Upholsterers; it changed hands to E.R. Badcock in the late 1940s.

Further down High Street, towards the harbour, stands a shop with a fine piece of period lettering on its side wall, across from a small lane. (Incidentally, the company 'House of Flowers' (green sign above) is at 9a High Street.

'RAND & SON
GENERAL DRAPER
LADIES & CHILDRENS
OUTFITTERS
---
SPECIALITY
DRESS
MATERIAL'

This enhancement, taken from below indicates that there are traces of other lettering beneath this sign, e.g. 'WARE...' above and behind the word 'Ladies'. While researching this sign, we came across the superb examples of tradesmen's lettering discovered by Ann Williams; she covers mileposts too. See Links for her website. The 1920s photograph of Lymington High Street to the right shows part of the original wall advert:

'RAND.
(& S)ON
(GEN)ERAL
(DRA)PERY
(WARE)HOUSE
(?)NERY
(?)S'

Only a hop, skip and a jump away from Lymington is Rye in Sussex, so we've included this example here. Rye shares the high poshness rating of Lymington (Rye is the template for E.F. Benson's Tilling in the 'Mapp and Lucia' novels), as well as being a port: one of the Cinque Ports, in fact. From a bench in the churchyard we espied a remarkable lintel above the triple window next to the front door of a house close by. 'EAST SUSSEX COUNTY POLICE' is cut into what appears to be a slab of stone (see depth of it as it turns the house corner). This is now a private dwelling. There's another house-that-used-to-be-a-police-station in Halesworth.
Rye 1

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Lymington / Rye

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