A former corner grocery in Seddon reminds itself about its past, then forgets again

Back in September 2012, I started my inner-west signwriting exhibition project by cycling to 50 locations where the former Lewis & Skinner company had once painted a sign, as recorded in the  records I found and turned into an online archive: www.lewisandskinner.com. 

At each location I dropped off a photocopy of the Lewis & Skinner job sheet for that sign, plus a customised postcard inviting the residents to come to my forthcoming exhibition.

The first building I visited on my rounds was a former grocery in Seddon where a Fishers Wax sign had been painted in 1952. I still pass that building every morning on the way to work. On that morning I left the job sheet in the door. (I tell the story of that first day of dropoffs here: http://findingtheradiobook.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/today-my-first-lewis-skinner-document.html)

This is what the grocery looked like at the time:

...and here's the job sheet, taken from: http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/874

I didn't get any follow-up from the owners, but earlier this year, I noticed this in the front window - a cool little nod to the building's history:

Then the other day I went past again, and the sign had vanished once more:

I enjoyed the quiet intervention while it was there, but also don't so much mind its removal, which is much like the ephemeral character of the actual ghost signs it emulates or reproduces. Must get back there sometime and interview the owners if they're up for it :)

Milk bar in Seddon, with hints of its former Bushells Tea sign (plus a few others)

The results of my lunchtime walk today:

See the 'h' of the former Bushells sign?

And down the road:

Repainted sign for the now-Western Bulldogs on the former Rising Sun Hotel

Incredibly beautiful photos of the west by Warren Kirk

Today a guy called Warren came to our exhibition. I'd make contact with Warren a few months ago, but today I'm glad he reminded me of his photography work on Flickr which focuses on the western suburbs.

These are just so awesome - rich in detail and colour, and with a real humanity. Plus a few ghost signs along the way:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70980743@N03/

Today: my first Lewis & Skinner document door knock

After the rain cleared this morning, I went out on the streets around my workplace to six buildings represented in the Lewis & Skinner signwriting archives, and to invite their inhabitants to the nearby document exhibition in a few weeks. It ended up being a most enjoyable hour.

In my bag was a printout of the L&S signwriting jobs for those locations, a map, a list of locations and a customised version of the exhibition postcard:

I started at a converted corner store where a Fishers Wax sign had been commissioned in 1956. I pass this shop every morning when I park my car in the local streets and walk to work:

http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/1628

Nobody home, so I left the paperwork wedged in the door.

Then on to a couple of locations nearby near the train station. The first, a Victorian detached house, appears to have been a hardware shop.

http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/874

There I chatted with two young women who were excited to hear about the connection.

Around the corner, another converted grocery, located opposite the train station. I left the documents about the Cadbury sign painted there in 1955 in the letterbox below the beautiful front door:

http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/395

Then the main shops. The first site was now a local bank (but unfortunately in a obviously newish building). The former building had also had a Cadbury sign painted there:

http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/1185

The person at the information desk I gave the documents to was friendly and interested.

 

Then down the road a little to the site of a former advertising signboard space hired in 1931 by Lewis & Skinner for Francis Longmore (probably a White Crow tomato sauce sign):

http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/1447

Alas, it looks like a group of three houses/shops had been demolished sometime during the last 30 years to build the modernist house that's now there:

I left the documents in the letterbox here too.

And lastly, around the corner. On the way, passed by a local real estate agents with an obvious interest in the history of their area, judging by their window display:

I spoke to the guy inside and promised to drop in a postcard about the exhibition. He said the partners would be very interested in this.

The last site of the day was, and remains, a milk bar. Back in 1957 the signwriting job was for yet another Cadbury sign:

http://www.lewisandskinner.com/items/show/2258

The proprietor was, once more, delighted and interested. She and her husband have run the milk bar for 30 years, and she noted that this building and one nearby were the originals in the area. She also mentioned that she had recently met a man in his 80s whose father had run the milk bar in his time (was this the "Hendry" referred to in the  L&S documents?)

All in all, an encouraging first local roaming adventure, and a great way to meet the people in the living community surrounding the concrete bunker of my university campus, via what Harvey Sacks has called a 'ticket to talk' - a related interest or mutual point of connection. And, as also tends to happen in my ghost signs explorations, a feeling of being both grounded in the local surroundings and open to serendipitous encounter.

More of those feelings to follow soon, I hope.

A sneak peek at the big map and board for my signwriting project, soon to be displayed at a Yarraville cafe

The image below is a scaled-down first mockup of an arial map of the western suburbs of Melbourne, with records of Lewis & Skinner signwriting jobs from those areas placed around its perimeter.

The arial photos come from a 1945 arial survey undertaken of Melbourne and available here: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/photomaps.jsp

This map will be printed as a two-metre wide display for Lady Moustache cafe at 84 Gamon Street Yarraville, alongside a bunch of original documents and signwriting equipment. The exhibition, which will run from September 30 to October 4, will also feature live signwriting from Tony Mead on the wall of the cafe. More info to follow soon.

 Lisa (project coordinator) is still to put in lines from the signwriting items to places on the map - but you get the idea :)