And for these I have Mark and Bernadette to thank who went hunting for these signs which start the story of long forgotten shops and businesses.
For that is a ghost sign, the last reminder of a firm which once flourished and has now gone.
They were painted in the sides of buildings and a few can still be seen. But most are fading fast, weathered by years of rain, sun and neglect.
Some have even been painted over but stubbornly the lettering still forces its way through reminding us of a grocery shop or painting business.
In time I shall go digging into these two signs.
Most will not be with us for much longer, and when they have gone the record of the people who had them made along with their stories will vanish.
Not least because many of the signs were themselves works of art, carefully planned, beautifully executed and a comment on what we bought and who we employed.
Today the same publicity will appear on facebook sites, pop up in freebie newspapers and community magazines.
Most were for local consumption, becoming house hold names for a few generations.
So they were and are a little bit of our history.
There will be more because others have also kindly sent some in.
Pictures Martin © www.ashton-under-lyne.com & Bernadette Burrows
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