Researchers Maisie Williams and Dr Tyson Mitman have made it their mission to uncover the many ‘ghost signs’ of York, a glimpse into the past through old company slogans and signage.
Supported by Historic England, The York Ghost Signs Project digitally preserves and explores York’s enigmatic ghost signs. Their findings are documented on their public blog.
Maisie and Tyson met at York St John University, where Tyson invited Maisie to join forces after she completed her undergraduate degree last year.
“Maisie was a fabulous student, and she is also an incredible research assistant. It’s a very, very beneficial relationship.”
Their journey began when Tyson noticed a paint on brick sign on Ordnance Lane he couldn’t identify. Upon conducting his own research and attending the local ghost sign affinity groups, he found there was a lot of interest, but not a lot of accessible information, “that’s what led me to this project.”
Can you spot the ghost sign?
Whilst walking around the city centre with Tyson and Maisie, they pointed out a ghost sign on what felt like every corner. Be honest, how many of these have you noticed before now?
1. Prints Stationary sign above Shared Earth. This shop sold books, lottery tickets and standard medicinal products and the street was originally known as Bookland Lane in around 1470, later called Bookbinders Alley, due to its historical association with book production and binding. For more information on this ghost sign, click here. Address: 1 Minster Gates, York, YO1 7HL
2. York County Savings Bank sign above Blake & Butler hairdressers. Established in 1816, the bank purchased a large timber-framed house on St Helen’s Square in 1829. This was once the third largest savings bank in England. For more information on this ghost sign, click here. Address: 18 Blake Street, YO1 8QG
3. W Mackinder sign above YO Sushi! This was a tailor shop run by Wingate Mackinder, born in 1881 and skilled in crafting a variety of garments. For more information on this ghost sign, click here. Address: Address: 15 Church St, YO1 8BE
4. Terry sign carved into the building above Impossible. Terry was a small factory behind the front shop in St Helen’s Square, where they made cakes, comfits, sugar sweets, marmalade, candied peel, mushroom ketchup, and medicated lozenges. For more information on this ghost sign, click here. Address: 3 St Helen’s Square, York, YO1 8QN
5. Fine China & Crystal sign engraved into the window ledge at The Botanist. In 1895, the building was owned by Ralph Hebden Roundell Hawkswell, a dealer in old prints and engravings born in 1847. For more information on this ghost sign, click here. Address: 15 Stonegate, York, YO1 8ZW
Together, Tyson and Maisie have uncovered over a hundred ghost signs throughout York, and they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Maisie said: “We would love to study them more if we got more funding.
“We would also like to restore some of the ghost signs, but it’s quite contentious, because a lot of people think if you restore a ghost sign it’s no longer a ghost sign, because it needs that faded aesthetic to be authentic.”
Although the pair revealed the hours they spend dealing with extensive archival work and directories, their passion for this unique side of York’s history shone through.
“It does take up a lot of time, but in a great way, in a way that I was really excited for it too.”
Find a detailed map of each ghost sign in York and it’s history, here.