News / warmley
Ghost sign near Bristol repainted by orders of local council
For decades, a colourful sign advertising Raleigh and Humber bicycles has been a much-loved part of Warmley High Street.
Today, the bike shop on whose wall it was originally painted on, Webbs, has moved elsewhere but the sign remains.
It is now no longer a ghost sign either, with the sign recently being repainted as part of an unusual stipulation from South Glos Council.
is needed now More than ever
Planning approval was granted in June 2015 to turn the shop into flats with the sign ordered “to be retained at all times following the development hereby approved”.
“It is an important historic feature in the locality and on the end elevation of this locally listed building and in the interests of the amenity of the area to accord with Policy L15 of the South Gloucestershire Local Plan 2006 (saved policy) and Policy CS1 and CS9 of the South Gloucestershire Local Plan Core Strategy 2013.”
The ghost sign being repainted – photo: Karen Gilmore
The sign in 2001 when Webbs bike shop was still in the building – photo: Google
Writing on the Ghost Signs website, ghost signs expert Sam Roberts says that the protection of the sign in Warmley “presents quite an interesting precedent, in that a sign can acquire protection within the context of planning being granted for a change to the building”.
Roberts is pleased that the ghost sign has now been repainted but says that he “would question the colour choices”.
“These don’t seem to tally well with what went before, which appeared to feature green on the Humber letters, and for the shadow of Raleigh.
“The resulting lettering and shadows on Humber are left too close in value, and therefore lacking in contrast.”
The original wall was painted by signwriter Cliff Headford, who died in 2017:
Roberts added: “Although we have lost Cliff, and now the shop itself, the ‘cycle’ of life continues. His one-time ghost sign is now freshly painted again, ready to fade and perhaps become a palimpsest in the future.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Bristol’s ghost signs: a faded reminder of the past
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
