Sunday 19 August 2012

There are wall thieves about

London's full of ghost signs: 'Nightly Bile Beans keep you Healthy, Bright-Eyed and Slim', 'Fine Old Pour Port from 3' a Bottle' and other missives from a past fascinated by pianos and digestive ailments, more Murder Must Advertise than Mad Men.

Anyway, on the Hornsey Road/Spears Road corner there's a newish sign that takes you to a stranger place:


'PUBLIC NOTICE: The wall within the red markings belongs soley to the owner of 510b Hornsey Road LONDON N19 3QW'

I don't understand. Why would there be a dispute over who owned a wall? Why would you want to announce your ownership through a laminated sheet of A4? Why would you leave the sign up for years?  

Was the sign meant to stop change? If so it failed. The wall now looks like this:



Was that done with the wall-owner's consent? If not, is the A4 sign up there as a warning? A sort of 'Thus far shall you come, but no farther'? 

Oh well. At least I can now explain the town crier sign, but that's for another post. 

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