Ghost Signs (90): Bexleyheath

This sign in Broadway, Bexleyheath is one of those unusual examples which has been both preserved and obscured by a later building. Its neighbor is only an alley-width away, making it both surprisingly fresh and more difficult to decipher and photograph. The fact its left portion and very lowest part have been covered in rendering doesn't help. 

We can see, however, that the sign advertised 'Snowden ... fitter to ... of taste', with a rather nice manicule pointing to the shop. 'Outfitter' seems a reasonable guess. Underneath is '...thur ... nt & Co ... agents for ... ath & District', which is more difficult although 'Arthur' leapt to mind for the first word, and 'agents for Bexleyheath and District' for the last part. And once more, we can appreciate the style of the sign (here, the distinctive two-tone lettering) even if its meaning is less than clear. 
Sure enough, some research confirms that while neither business existed in 1915, one Frederick George Snowden was a gentlemen's outfitter at 185 Broadway, Bexleyheath in 1927. The same edition of Kelly's Directory also listed Arthur Kent & Co, Estate Agents at 126 and 314 Broadway. Online company information suggests that Arthur Kent might have been trading into the 1990s, moving from the Broadway in 1992 and being wound up a few years later; F G Snowden appears to still be in business, although long gone from this address. 

Bexley Borough Photos, 1934

However, we can narrow down the sign's origins rather more closely than that, with the help of the excellent selection of old photographs on Bexley Borough Council's website. In 1920, 185 Broadway was already an outfitters, but named E F Davison. By 1934, our sign was visible in all its glory in a photograph of the cinema across the road being built. Then, the sign's neighbor was the original Conservative Club whose more spacious grounds left the sign visible. It must have been painted, then, between 1920 and 1933.
A close look at the photograph, and the wording is confirmed: 'F G Snowden, Outfitter to men of taste' and 'Arthur Kent & Co, House agents for Bexleyheath & District'. The bottom line, now obscured by rendering, is less clear but appears to say 'offices 126 Broadway'. Our mystery is largely solved! And in the process, something of the development of Bexleyheath town center has been revealed.