A Balham mosaic

I suppose this is an entry to file more under 'cute' than 'intriguing' as I'm not sure there's much more to it than its aesthetic quality. It's a long thin strip of mosaic with little more than a recurring flower motif that I came across in Balham the other week. It was obviously the threshold of a decent sized premises in its heyday but now it's spread between two different shops and in places it's starting to look a little worn.

Still, despite its simplicity I was quite attracted to it and thought it was worth a brief mention. Although the flowers are simple they're quite effective and it would be interesting to know what the original store was...

Balham and a Guiness 'Ghost'

I took this picture of an unidentifiable Balham ghost sign about 18 months ago and things have changed a bit since then. In the first place what was an open site has now been built on so the bulk of this sign has been covered.
On the other hand the poster site with the Halifax advert has also been removed to show a small glimpse of what was originally on the wall.
As you can see it's a glass of Guinness but the upper half of the advert has been removed although the gantry bolts are still sticking out of the wall. Does the obliterated lettering say 'Thank Goodness'? It seems a familiar sort of slogan for Guinness anyway...
Obviously the best shot would be from one of the balcony's opposite but I suspect the tenants see it as more an eyesore than anything else. You can just make out the other sign on the right as well from this angle as well. Well it's little more than a glimpse but it does make you wonder how many signs still lurk under modern advertising boards.

Tooting and Balham ' Ghost Signs'

(This walk followed the Northern Line Underground route for about for stops as you can see on this map)

These Ghost Signs were all spotted on a walk that took me from Colliers Wood to Balham, a distance of a few miles that took me through what were Victorian suburbs. It was pretty much a mixed bag, from the gleaming to the painted-over - with more of the latter sadly! But here we go...
Tooting High Street SW17 I had decided not to photograph this one on the way out, as I couldn't read what was under the paint. From the other side of the road on the way home however I could just make out the words 'Safety Razor' on the right hand side, so in it went!
Tooting High Street SW17 This is my smallest ghost sign so far - tucked down a dead-end alley between the two Tooting Markets. Could that be Pantelli Hairdressing Salon?

Balham High Road SW12 No mistaking this Hovis sign although it's obviously not the only sign on this site over the years
Balham High Road SW12 Well you'd have to be a bit optimistic to make out much of this one. I had a notion that it was something financial like insurance or something, but the 'Furnish' on the right hand side has me foxed a bit.

Junction of Noyna Road and Upper Tooting Road SW17 I think this is without doubt the find of the day, still above the chemist that I assume has been there for decades. I'd certainly be persuaded by this to buy a bottle of Nettle's Pick-Me-Up. Who wouldn't?

Upper Tooting Road SW17 'John Perring' seems to be the name but what did he do...'Por??'
Junction of Garrett Terrace and Tooting High Street As is often the case this site has been over painted a couple of times and it's all starting to merge a bit. 'Gardiners' is the easiest word to make out here although 'Stores' and 'Millinery' look possible as well...


Junction of Hotham Road and Merton High Street SW19 Not at all clear these days but if you look closely you can see that this was once an advert for Hovis bread