Sam Roberts, King of the Ghostsigns

One of things that first got me into all these London details were the ghostsigns I noticed on my walks – faded remnants of old hand-painted signs and advertisements on walls. These were the predecessors of the back lit posters we see around us today.
Sometimes tantalising glimpses of these old ads can be seen peeking out from behind the modern ones:
Every now and then one of these is uncovered as in the case of the Redferns sign in Battersea and the Army Club ad in Tottenham but keeping a tag on these changes is hard for me when they are scattered all over London.
So, hurrah for Sam and his Ghostsigns site which is packed with info and updates not only about London signs but similar ones from all over UK, along with interesting items about other signs worldwide.
Sam has returned to London after two years in Cambodia. Whilst there he collected lots of photos of the hand-painted signs he saw there and, via email and Skype, I helped him to turn them into a book.
Welcome back Sam – I've missed your boundless energy and enthusiasm!!